Friday, December 12, 2014

Denmark Greatest All-time 23 member team




Denmark 1992 European Champion

This is my all-time team for DenmarkIf there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would bring to the tournament.  

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Sweden, Norway
FinlandIceland
Finland/Iceland


Before the 1978, football in Denmark remained an amateur sport.  They had done well at the Olympics winning medals at 1908,1912, 1948 and 1960. They also took a 4th place at the 1964 European Championship, but their run was helped by playing easy opponents until the semifinal.  Then, in the 1980's, Danish football finally arrived.  Nicknamed "Danish Dynamite", Denmark was an explosive team.  At the Euro 1984 Finals, they destroyed Yugoslavia 5-0 before losing to Spain in the semifinal.  Two years later, they went to Mexico 1986 with a team led by Preben Elkjaer and Golden Boy Michael Laudrup.  They swept their group matches by thrashing Uruguay 6-1 and a notable 2-1 win against West Germany.  Denmark was the most exciting team up to that point of the tournament and became the dark horse.  However, at the round of 16, Denmark was again beaten by Spain in which Emilio Butragueño scored 4 goals.  

After the WC Finals in 1986, Denmark entered a period of poor results.  That included failing to qualify for Euro 1992.  However, Yugoslavia was banned because of the war back home.  Denmark was a last minute replacement for the Euro 1992 Finals in Sweden.  They were ill-prepared for the tournament.  Their best player Michael Laudrup also refused to play for the team because of disagreement with coach Richard Møller Nielsen.  However, in Sweden, Denmark beat the last three European champion: France, Holland and Germany and won the tournament with Peter Schmeichel as the star.  

Denmark would also qualify for the WC in 1998 and 2002, and the European Championship in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2012, but they only managed to reach the quarterfinal in 1998 and 2004.
World Cup 1986 Danish Dynamite

Team
GK: Peter Schmeichel 
Peter Schmeichel was regarded as one of the greatest keeper of all-time. He was voted the "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1992 and 1993. He started with Brøndby.  He is best remembered for his most successful years at Manchester United, whom he captained to the 1999 UEFA Champions League to complete the Treble.  He is also the most capped player for Denmark, with 129 games between 1987 and 2001, winning the 1992 European Championship.
Peter Schmeichel 
GK: Kasper Schmeichel 
Kasper Schmeichel is the son of Peter Schmeichel.  At the club level, he played with Manchester City, Notts County and Leeds United.  In 2011, he moved to Leicester City, where he had his a major break through.  He was their starting keeper as they won the Premiership. He received his first international callus in 2011, but he did not make his senior debut until 2013. He was the hero of the 2018 World Cup Finals.

Jensen played his entire career for local club B 93. He made his national team debut in May 1927, and went on to play 41 games until October 1939. His greatest individual performance for the Danish national team came in the so-called Battle of Breslau, a 1937 game lost 0-8 to the Germany national football team. Without Svend Jensen, it is said Germany would have scored twice as many goals.

RB: Thomas Helveg
The most prominent period of his career was his five years with  AC Milan, with whom he won the 1999 Serie A championship and 2003 UEFA Champions League tournament. He was named 1994 Danish Player of the Year.  He has participated in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 European Championship and the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup tournaments. He also played for Udinese, Inter Milan, Norwich City and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

RB: Johnny Hansen  
Johnny Hansen most notably played six years for Bayern Munich, where he won three European Cups and three Bundesliga. He was named 1967 Danish Player of the Year. He also played for local top-flight club Vejle Boldklub and 1. FC Nürnberg.  He only 45 caps for Denmark because Denmark did not select professional footballers.

CB: Daniel Agger
Daniel Agger earned over 60 caps and played for Denmark at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012.  He most notably played for Liverpool, where he was a UEFA Champions' league runner-up. He was named as the Danish Player of the Year in 2007 and 2012. He started his career with Brøndby and returned there in 2014.

CB/DM: Morten Olsen 
Morten Olsen was one of the greatest Danish players ever.  He captained the Danish national team in 50 games during the 1980s, when the team was known as "Dynamite" Denmark. He represented Denmark at the 1984 European Championship, 1986 World Cup, and 1988 European Championship.  He was named Danish Player of the Year in 1983 and 1986. For his club career, he won the 1983 UEFA Cup with Anderlecht. He also played for Cercle Brugge K.S.V., Koln, etc.
Morten Olsen 
SW/CB/DM: Per Røntved
Per Røntved played 75 times for Denmark between 1970 and 1982. He was at one point the cap record for Denmark before Morten Olsen broke it in 1985.  He was named 1972 Danish Player of the Year.  He played professionally for German club SV Werder Bremen from 1972 to 1979, where he was one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga. He also played for Danish clubs Brønshøj BK, Randers Freja, and Hvidovre IF.

CB: Ivan Nielsen
Ivan Nielsen started his senior career with Fremad Amager in Denmark. He was most prominently played professionally for Dutch clubs Feyenoord Rotterdam and PSV Eindhoven, winning the European Cup with PSV with Frank Arnesen and Jan Heintze. He was capped 51 times between 1980 and 1989. He represented Denmark at 1986 World Cup and two European Championship tournaments(1984 and 1988).

LB: Bent Hansen
Beny Hansen won a silver medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He was at one point the cap record holder for Denmark and the first player to break the 50 caps barrier.  He stayed as an amateur player after the Olympics, despite offers from a Serie A club. Hansen continued to represent Denmark as they finished fourth at the 1964 European Nations' Cup.

LB: Jan Heintze
Jan Heintze played with PSV Eindhoven, winning the European Cup in 1988.  He started with Kastrup Boldklub and he also played for Bayer Uerdingen and Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. He played 86 matches for Denmark between 1987 and 2002, but missed the 1992 European Championship because of an injury.  Denmark won its first ever major trophy. He was their captain for his last two years with the national team.
Jan Heintze
DM: Nils Middelboe 
Nils Middelboe represented the Denmark at the 1908, 1912 and 1920 Summer Olympics, winning silver medals in 1908 and 1912. He was the first ever goalscorer for the Danish national football team, when he scored in Denmark's debut game at the 1908 Summer Olympics. In 1913, he moved abroad to play for Chelsea, and became the first foreign player to ever represent the club.

CM/LM: Soren Lerby
Soren Lerby was most prominently played professionally for Dutch clubs Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, winning five Eredivisie championships with Ajax and the 1988 European Cup with PSV.  He also played for Bayern Munich between 1983 and 1986. He also played for AS Monaco. At the international level, he had 67 caps for Denmark. He was a key member of the Danish team known as "Dynamite Denmark", Euro 1984 and the 1986 World Cup team that dazzled the world.
Soren Lerby
In 2010, Eriksen began his senior career with Ajax, where he was the Dutch Football Talent of the Year: 2011.  In 2013, he moved to play for Tottenham Hotspurs.  For Denmark, he played in 2010 and 2018 World Cup Finals.  At the time of writing, he had over 90 caps. He is the Danish Football Player of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018. He was voted into the 2017–18 PFA Team of the Year, and later also reached the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final. 
 
RW/AM/SS: Brian Laudrup
Brian Laudrup is Michael's younger brother. He won the Danish Footballer of the Year award a record four times.  At the international level, he played 82 games and scored 21 goals for Denmark, and was a key player of the Danish teams who won the Euro 1992 and 1995 Confederations cup. For club football, he played for Brondy, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Forientina, Ajax, Chelsea, etc.  He was probably remembered as a member of Glasgow Rangers.
Brian Laudrup
LW: Karl Aage Praest 
Karl Aage Praest attended the Royal Orphanage. The orphanage became the youth team of football club Østerbros Boldklub (ØB) in 1936. He joined Juventus in 1949.  He won a bronze medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics.  His international career was limited to his status as a professional player after he joined Juventus in 1948.  He won the 1949-50 and 1951-52 Serie A championships.  He is a Danish Football Hall of Fame inductee.

ST/LW: John Hansen
Hansen was capped 8 times, scoring 10 goals. He started his career with Copenhagen club BK Frem in the amateur-only Danish league. After winning a bronze medal at the 1948 Olympics, he turned professional and joined Juventus, ending his amateur status and international career.  His international career was only a single year in 1948. He was the top scorer in Serie A for the 1949-1950 season. He joined Lazio in 1954. He was capped 8 times scoring 10 goals.

AM/FW: Michael Laudrup 
Michael Laudrup was the Golden Boy of the "Dynamite" Denmark at the 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico.  He is regarded as Denmark's greatest offensive players.  He played 104 times for Denmark. In 1999, he was voted the Best Foreign Player in Spanish Football over the preceding 25-year period.  He won five straight La Liga titles 4 with Barcelona and then, one more with Real Madrid. He also played with Brondby, Lazio, Juventus, Kobe Vessels and Ajax.
Michael Laudrup 
ST: Preben Elkjaer Larsen
Preben Elkjaer Larsen was a star of the "Dynamite" Denmark at the WC in 1986, winning the Bronze Ball award. In 1985, he was akey player as Hellas Verona won its first ever scudetti, in an era where Serie A was considered the most competiative in the world and Verona was a small club. Elkjær finished second in the European Footballer of the Year awards in 1985, having placed third the previous year.

FW: Henning Jensen
In 1972, Henning Jensen joined Borussia Mönchengladbach. At Mönchengladbach, Henning Jensen played alongside fellow Danish national team player Allan Simonsen in the attack. He won the 1972–73 DFB-Pokal, 1974–75 UEFA Cup, and two Bundesliga championships in his four years at the club. He earned a big move to Real Madrid in 1976 along with his club teammate Gunter Netzer.  He also played with Nørresundby BK, Ajax and AGF.
Henning Jensen
ST: Pauli Jorgensen 
In 1971, Pauli Jørgensen was honoured as the Danish football player who had meant the most for the game of football in Denmark during the first 50 years by the Danish Football Association. In 1939, he set a record 47 international games played for Denmark. The record stood for 22 years. For club football, he played for Boldklubben Frem.  

ST: Harald Nielsen
Harald Nielsen is best remembered for his years at Bologna during the 1960's.  He was the Serie A top-scorer in 1961 where Bologna won the league title.  He won a silver medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics and finished as the top scorer of the Games.  However, Denmark banned professionals from playing for its national team.  He made his national team debut at the age of 17, the youngest ever.  He played his last match for Denmark as a 19 years old.

RW/SS/ST: Allan Simonsen
Allan Simonsen most prominently played for Borussia Mönchengladbach, winning the 1975 and 1979 UEFA Cups, as well as for Barcelona, winning the 1982 Cup Winners' Cup.  He is the only footballer to have scored in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup finals. Simonsen was named 1977 European Footballer of the Year.  he was a part of Denmark's Euro 1984 team, but was injured after the first game.  By 1986, he was an aging player and played in one match at the WC Finals.
Allan Simonsen
Honorable Mention
Ole Qvist  Henry Form,Thomas Sørensen, Birger Jensen, Sophus Hansen, Eigil Nielse, Fritz Tarp, Soren Busk, Martin Laursen, Lars Olsen, Henning Munk Jensen, Poul Petersen, Axel Pilmark, Ebbe Sand, Knud Lundberg, Jørgen Leschley Sørensen, Flemming Povlsen, Poul Nielsen, Frank Arnesen, Troels Rasmussen, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Ole Madsen, Henning Enoksen, Harald Bohr, John Jensen, Kim Vilfort, Simon Kjær, Jens Jørn Bertelsen, Christian Poulsen, Ivan Jensen, Thomas Gravesen, Stig Tøfting, Ulrik le Fevre, Jesper Olsen, Jesper Grønkjær, Martin Jørgensen,  Klaus Berggreen, Michael Rohde, Henning Enoksen, Jørgen Leschly Sørensen, Fleming Povlsen, Knud Lundberg, Jan Molby.

Squad Explanation
-- This team was created in 2014.  I did a comprehensive review of the team in May, 2022.  The main issue of the review was about the emerge of Kasper Schmeichel, Christian Eriksen and Simon Kjær since 2014.  Another issue was about Jon Dahl Tomasson who was highly rated by many, but I snubbed him in 2014.
-- In 2014, I decided that Morten Olsen, Michael Laudrup, Allan Simonsen, John Hansen and Peter Schmeichel were automatic selection.  They were the greatest ever from Denmark.
-- In 2006, the DBU nominated eight players for the "Best Danish Footballer of All Time" award. The nominated players were Morten Olsen, Henning Jensen, Allan Simonsen, Preben Elkjær, Michael Laudrup, Brian Laudrup, Peter Schmeichel and Jon Dahl Tomasson.  Michael Laudrup won the award by a public poll with 58% of the votes.  This team actually did not include everyone.  I found the nominees geared toward the post-1970's generation.
-- I included many players from the "Dynamite" Denmark of the 1980's: Morten Olsen, Michael Laudrup, Preben Elkjaer, Soren Lerby and Ivan Nielson. Allan Simonsen also played on both Euro 1984 and the 1986 World Cup Finals, but he was an ageing star at that point. He was the winner of Ballon d'or in 1977.  However, I did not have space for Jan Mølby, Troels Rasmussen and Frank Arnesen.
-- Before I started researching the team, I expected the team to be loaded with many players from the Euro 1992 winning team. In the end, only two members of the 1992 team, Peter Schmeichel and Brian Laudrup, were selected for this squad.  Instead, I took a lot of older players who were considered pioneers in Denmark.  
-- Michael Laudrup, Jan Mølby and Jan Heintze did not go to Sweden 92, despite being in their prime. Laudrup did not want to go while Heintze was injured. Brian Laudrup who also disagreed with manager Richard Møller Nielsen rejoined the national team.  He was voted into the Player of the Tournament.
-- In 2021, Denmark reached the semi-final of Euro 2020.  Kasper Schmeichel made this team following some heroic performance.  Christian Eriksen who suffered a cardiac arrest during the first match against Finland also made this team.
Goalkeepers
-- Peter Schmeichel spent 14 years as the starting goalkeeper for Denmark.  He was considered one of the greatest ever goalkeepers. 
-- Kasper Schmeichel made honorable mention after the World Cup Finals in 2018, in which he led Denmark to the second round.  He also helped Leicester Town to their surprise Premiership title.  He was named Danish Football Player of the Year three times.  In 2021, he was one of Denmark's best player as they reached the semi-final of Euro 2020.   Thus, during my review of the team in 2022, I felt that he was actually the second greatest ever goalkeeper for Denmark.  According to newspaper Ekstra Bladet, he was also second.
 Kasper Schmeichel
-- In 2014, I selected Henry Form and Thomas Sørensen for the second and third keeper.  In 2022, I reconsidered the entire position.  Upon further review, I decided to select Svend Jensen.
-- Thomas Sørensen participated in the World Cup in 2002 and 2010 as well as the Euro 2000 (DNP) and 2004, but he was not mentioned much as one of Denmark's greatest ever.  In 2014, his selection was based the number of cpas he earned.
-- Henry From debuted on the national team after he turned 30 and only played for Denmark between 1957 and 1961.  He was remembered for placing a chewing gum on the post in the Olympic semi-final against Hungary. The Hungarian players lost concentration as a result.  
-- Svend Jensen seemed to be the big name.  He was listed in the top 30's greatest ever footballers by both DK TV and Ekstra Bladet.
-- Ole Qvist  was the hero of Euro 1984.  Many people considered him the best goalkeeper at the tournament, but Toni Schimacher of West Germany was selected as the best goalkeeper.
-- Birger Jensen, Sophus Hansen and Eigil Nielsen were also considered
Defenders
-- Morten Olsen needed no introduction.  In the 1970's, Per Røntved was rated as the second best sweeper after Franz Beckenbauer in the Bundesliga.  He also appeared in midfield, but not his best position. 
-- Lars Olsen got credit for captaining the Euro 1992 team, but not enough to win a spot on the team. His club career counted against him. Instead, I took Daniel Agger who had a better club career, especially at Liverpool. In his prime, Agger was among the best central defenders in the Premiership.
Daniel Agger
-- In 2014, I selected Ivan Nielsen as my fourth central defender. Sven Busk who played with Morten Olsen and Ivan Nielsen was also considered. Soren Busk who played with Morten Olsen and Ivan Nielsen was also considered.  I did not remember why Fritz Tarp was not selected.  He captained Denmark 26 times out of 44 caps. His 44 caps was a record for Danish players in 1934. 
-- Since 2014, many source suggested that Simon Kjær was one of Denmark's greatest ever central defenders.  I do not doubt his contributions to the national team. He was named the Guardian Footballer of the Year in 2021, but the award was largely given for his role in saving Christian Eriksen's life in the Euro 2020.  Nevertheless, he was one of Denmark's most important players as they reached the semi-final of Euro 2020.  However, his club career was nothing extraordinary as compared to the other central defenders chosen. In 2022, the choice was between him and Ivan Nielsen. I decided to stay with Ivan Nielsen largely because he did better in his clyb career.  He was a part of Feyenoord that won the 1988 European Cup.
-- The righback position had many famous names, making it very hard to decide. Thomas Helveg spent many years as a starter in Serie A with Udinese and AC Milan.  He was also Denmark Player of the Year in 1994.  John Hansen was the rightback of Bayern Munich's European Cup triumphs in 1973 and 1974.  John Sivebæk was highly rated by my Danish sources.  He was IFFHS's choice for their All-Time Dream Team. His solo goal against Ireland in 1985 still stood as one of the most sensational goals for Denmark.  Kai Johansen helped Glasgow Rangers to reach  the Final of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1967.   He was selected for the Stanley Matthews Testimonial Match at in 1965.   In the end, I took Helveg and Hansen because of their club careers.
-- On the left,  Jan Heintze was the only famous footballer.  I put Henrik Andersen on honorable mentions. and selected Beny Hansen who was the first Danish player to break the 50 caps barrier.
-- Henning Munk Jensen made honorable mention.  He was a defender.  Henning Jensen who played for Real Madrid and Borussia Mönchengladbach was a forward.  He was the more famous of the two, but Henning Munk Jensen was Danish Football Player of the Year: 1968, 1975.  Both made their professional debut in 1965.
Midfielders
-- I immediately selected Michael and Brian Laudrup.
-- The key questions: Do I have enough defensive midfielders? Who are the attack midfielders? Do I need so many attack midfielders? Should I drop a forward for a midfielder?
-- I only selected a single defensive midfielder (Nils Middelboe). So I might need a backup defensive midfielder. Jens Jørn Bertelsen, Christian Poulsen, Ivan Jensen, John Jensen, Thomas Gravesen and Stig Tøfting were considered.  In the end, I decided to use both Morten Olsen and Per Røntved as my backup defensive midfielders.  So that gave the team with 4 central midfielders.
-- Nils Middelboe was one of the first Danish players to play overseas.  He was Chelsea's first ever foreign player.  He was the only Danish football player who has participated in three Olympic tournaments. Unlike Sophus Nielsen, he played as defensive midfielder, where the position was needed.  Without Morten Olsen and Per Røntved, my team only had a single defensive midfielders.   I toyed with the idea of selecting Ivan Jensen.  
Nils Middelboe
-- Bologne featured Axel Pilmark and Ivan Jensen in the 1950's.  Jensen was the defensive anchor supporting Pilmark's playmaking.  They were a famous pair in Serie A. Thomas Gravesen and Stig Tøfting were a fearsome pair at their prime.  Tøfting was a journeyman, but was a cult figure in his prime.  He was not mentioned among the greatest ever from Denmark.  All four players made honorable mention. 
-- Soren Lerby was a box-to-box/central creative midfielder.  I do believe Jan Molby was similar.  Soren Lerby was a sure in, but Molby became expensable during the review of 2022. I was considering adding Christian Eriksen.
-- Molby never really showed his full potential on the national team, where he resigned in 1990 because a feud with Richard Møller Nielsen. He played in the 1986 World Cup, but he did not go to the 1992 European Championship Finals. On the other hand,  he was great in Liverpool. He was ranked #26 in the 100 Players Who Shook The Kop (2013).  He helped them to win "The Double". However, DK TV only ranked him as the 59th Greatest Danish player, which was very low.
-- Christian Eriksen consistently ranked in the top 10 by most lists.  He was on PFA Team of the Year: 2017–18 Premier League as he led Tottenham Hotspurs to finish second on the league.  He was one of the top players in England in his prime. His best year on the national team was in 2017 when he scored nine goals in nine matches.   It seemed that Eriksen did better in the English league even through Molby also did well.  For the national team, he was much better in comparison.
-- In the end, I took Christian Eriksen because the team actually only had a single attack midfielder.  I saw Brian Laudrup more of a secondary striker.  Lerby was more of a central midfielder.  Eriksen could also drop deep and play on the wings.
Christian Eriksen 
-- Karl Aage Praest played alongside John Hansen and Karl Aage Hansen at Juventus, and his dribbling and crossing ability was a key in making John Hansen top goal-scorer of the 1951–52 season.   
-- Karl Aage Hansen was usually ranked very high, but I had the Laudrup brothers, Soren Lerby and Christian Eriksen ahead of him.
 -- Poul Pedersen, Ulrik le Fevre, Jesper Olsen and Jesper Grønkjær were also great wingers.
-- Harald Bohr was an renowned mathematician who won a silver medal at the 1908 Olympic Games.  He was a midfielder.  His brother Niels Bohr won Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922.  Niels also played club football in Denmark as a goalkeeper.
-- Frank Arnesen was one of the biggest names missing on my team. I just could not find spaces for him. His time with the national team was overshadowed by other great players such as Michael Laudrup and Soven Lerby.  He also played for Ajax during the post-Johan Cruyff era.  While at PSV, he did not play in the Final of their 1988 European Cup triumph.  He did not have the same exposure as the other players of his generation.
-- Kim Vilfort who scored one of the two goals in the Final of Euro 1992 was voted as the greatest ever player in the domestic league.  He made honorable mention.
Forward
--  Preben Elkjaer and Allan Simonsen were the first two players selected.  Elkjaer was a star at the 1986 World Cup Finals and won a historical title in the Serie A with Hellas Verona.  Simonsen is the only footballer to have scored in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup finals. Simonsen was named 1977 European Footballer of the Year.  At Mönchengladbach, he played alongside fellow Danish national team player Henning Jensen and Jupp Heynckes in attack. 
Preben Elkjaer
--  In 1971, Pauli Jørgensen was honoured as the Danish football player who had meant the most for the game of football in Denmark during the first 50 years by the Danish Football Association.  He was the all-time leading scorer for Denmark for 22 years.  He was voted as Denmark's most important player in 1976.
-- Sophus Nielsen's scoring record with the national team was impressive, but it was hard to judge a player who played 110 years ago.  I have to put him against the likes of Allan Simonsen, Preben Elkjaer Larsen, John Hansen, Harald Nieslen, etc who were top European attackers of their generations.
-- The last spot was between John Hansen, Harald Nielsen and Jon Dahl Tomasson. Tomasson was mainly a backup with AC Milan, but being with AC Milan made him famous.  Most lists ranked him very high.  While he was very successful in Italy, Nielsen and John Hansen were top scorers in Italy as well as one of the top players in the league at the time. In 1967, Harald Nielsen became the world's most expensive player when Inter bought him for 6.3 million kroner.  So I took Harald Nielsen and John Hansen over Tomasson.
-- Tomasson is not going to get ahead of  Pauli Jørgensen, Preben Elkjaer Larsen, Henning Jensen and Allan Simonsen, John Hansen.
-- Knud Lundberg did not play professional football.  he was captain of 27 out of 39 cpas.  I did not a spot for him.  
-- Fleming Povlsen declined a place in the World Cup squad in 1986 to complete his matriculation exam. He played in two European Championships.

Starting lineup
Formation I: 3-5-2  
The 3-5-2 formation is based upon the one used by the "Dynamite" Denmark and Sepp Piontek in 1986.
-- Morten Olsen played as the libero as he did in 1986. Lerby also stayed in the same position.
-- Praest would play Jesper Olsen's role on the left.  
--Klaus Berggreen was liked a shutter in 1986 who also helped the defense.  Brian Laudrup was more offensive-minded. 
 --Michael Laudrup played upfront in 1986 . For this team, I used him as a playmaker, a position he mastered in his career.
-- Simonsen passed his prime in 1986.  So he did not play much.  But for this team, he is the best forward in Denmak's history.  He must start upfront.



4 comments:

  1. Top 23: Goalkeeper: PETER SCHMEICHEL, SVEND JENSEN. Central defender: MORTEN OLSEN, NILS MIDDELBOE (sometimes playing that position), IVAN NIELSEN. Side back: FRITZ TARP, JOHNNY HANSEN (right both). The Danes did not have world-class left-back position. So there they are: SOREN LERBY (sometimes playing that position), and JESPER OLSEN (playing that position for Bordeaux and Caen). MIDFIELDER: MICHAEL LAUDRUP and FRANK ARNESEN as attacking midfielders, and KARL AAGE HANSEN (and he knew and played that position) and JAN MOLBY as central and defense midfielders. Winger: CARL AAGE PRAEST, HELGE BRONEE, BRIAN LAUDRUP. Forward: ALLAN SIMONSEN, PREBEN ELKJAER, JOHN HANSEN, HENNING JENSEN. Striker: PAULI JORGENSEN, POUL TIST NIELSEN, HARALD NIELSEN. It's a little offensive, but that's how it is. Others on the broader list would be: Jorgen Leschly Sorensen, Axel Pilmark, Carl Skomar Hansen, Sophus Krolben Nielsen, Sophus Hansen, Harald Hansen, Christian Eriksen, Johannes Gandil, Kristen Nygaard.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Respectfully, Jens Jorn Bertelsen was the most underrated player from DD team. Him over Molby, without any doubts. That is, of course, if you going with National team carrer. At club level, Molby has an upper hand.

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  3. 1.P Schmeichel
    2.J Hanssen
    3.Tarp
    4.Olsen
    5.B Hansen
    6.Middleboe
    7.Lerby
    8.B Laudrup
    9.M Laudrup
    10.Simmonsen
    11.P E Larsen
    Formation=4–2–3–1
    Subs-
    1.P Schmeichel
    2.Sorensen
    3.Nielsen
    4.Agger
    5.Rontved
    6.Heintze
    7.Pilmark
    8.Praest
    9.J Hansen
    10.Jensen
    11.Eriksen
    12.Jorgensen

    ReplyDelete
  4. team1
    P.Schmeichel
    Tarp Olsen Nielsen
    Middleboe
    Simmonsen K.Hansen Bronée M.Laudrup
    J.Hansen Elkjaer

    team2
    K.Schmeichel/Jensen
    M.Laursen Røntved I.Jensen
    Gravesen
    B.Laudrup Eriksen K.Pérez Praest
    H.Nielsen P.Nielsen

    I stuck to the Dynamite formation.
    After finding that Molby (and Agger) never made it into the PFA awards, I chose creative genius Kenneth Pérez for his spot.
    Laursen and Gravesen are more favourably rated by DBS than Helveg and Agger. Johnny Hansen is lowly rated by Kicker.

    ReplyDelete