Denmark flourish under Olsen

Replaced Johansson
Danes are not renowned for getting on well with Swedes but Bo Johansson achieved considerable popularity during his tenure in charge of the national team, who he led to the 1998 FIFA World Cup and EURO 2000™. The Johansson era came to a shuddering halt as Denmark were crushed in the Low Countries, losing all three games without scoring a goal. The 53-year-old Olsen succeeded the affable Swede and was handed the task of guiding his country to the 2002 World Cup, something he achieved with style.

Quiet revolution
His reign started unconvincingly, however, with a narrow win over Iceland and a draw with Northern Ireland in Denmark’s opening two qualifying matches. But Olsen’s credentials were not under question and he launched a quiet revolution that now stands Denmark in excellent stead for the forthcoming years.

Blend of youth and experience
Olsen built from the back, replacing legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel with his heir apparent, Thomas Sørensen, and making several other key changes. Assisted by Michael Laudrup, newly retired from an illustrious playing career, Olsen guided Denmark through the World Cup qualifying campaign with a sure hand, using a backbone of experienced players to give confidence to a number of promising younger players.

Lengthy career
Olsen’s playing career took him from Denmark to Belgium, where he enjoyed six years with RSC Anderlecht, and Germany, where he played into his late 30s as a central defender for 1. FC Köln. His international career lasted for an impressive 19 years, until he was almost 40, and he represented Denmark for a 102nd and final time in 1989.

Coaching qualification
Olsen began his coaching career at Denmark’s leading club, Brøndby IF, before returning to Germany to undertake his coaching qualification. A subsequent spell back at Köln followed before he was handed the top job at Ajax in 1997.

Bright future
Danish football analyst Birger Peitersen says Olsen’s tactics have earned him the respect of a nation. He is also confident that the future is bright for the national team, especially as so many of its leading players are performing with distinction in Europe’s strongest leagues.

Confined to the bench
The situation is in stark contrast to that faced by Johansson, who was frequently obliged to pick players who, although they were playing for club’s challenging for honours in Italy, England and Germany, were often confined to the bench and were lacking match practice.

'Good results with style'
“The team has shown that it can produce good results with style when they really need to, like the 2-0 victory over Bulgaria in Sofia and the 0-0 draw against Czech Republic in Prague,” said Peitersen, a former coach of Brøndby and now a leading figure at Copenhagen University’s Sports Institute.

In good stead
Peitersen added: “On the contrary, we’ve had severe problems at home against smaller countries like Malta and Northern Ireland. This shows our playing style is best against strong teams.” That is something that should stand Denmark in good stead for Korea/Japan, and, hopefully for them, the 2004 UEFA European Championship in Portugal.