Kasper Hjulmand has built a strong Denmark team. It is capable of upsetting any top sides. His appointment was announced in June 2019, and he was supposed to take over the team after the Euro 2020. But since the tournament was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Hjulmand replaced his predecessor Age Hareide just before the Euro in 2021.
A former defender, Hjulmand’s playing career could not take off due to a knee injury. He was forced to retire at 26. As a coach, his first big break came in 2014 when he replaced Thomas Tuchel at FSV Mainz 05. A year later, the 50-year-old returned to Denmark and coached Nordsjaelland in Superliga before joining the Danish national team.
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In the run-up to the FIFA World Cup 2022, Denmark has made impressive progress under Hjulmand. He guided the team to the Euro semifinal for the first time in 29 years, where it lost to England 1-2 in extra time.
In the Nations League, Denmark lost to the last edition’s runner-up Croatia twice but beat reigning champion France as many times. In Denmark’s away fixture, it edged France 2-1 at the Stade de France in Paris, and then at home, it thrashed the Les Blues 2-0 at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.
Denmark qualified for the Qatar World Cup, topping its group ahead of Scotland, winning nine of its 10 games and with a huge goal difference.
While the competition will be much higher in Qatar, it would be unfair to not count Hjulmand’s Denmark among the dark horses.
Slotted in Group D, Denmark will meet France on November 26. It could produce one heck of a contest.
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Hjulmand often baffles opponents with his quick changes of formation during games.
He has used two formations so far. He usually deploys a more defensive 3-4-3 formation against strong opponents but switches to a more attacking 4-3-3 system when needed to score.
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