Christian Eriksen is recovering satisfactorily and this news has a positive impact on the Denmark National Team, which is preparing its match against Belgium
Three days after the drama experienced in Parken by the collapse of Christian Eriksen in the match against Finland in the European Championship, Denmark is beginning to smile again.
The improvement in the state of the Danish “ten” has restored the spirits of his teammates, who have returned to the routine and are beginning to think about Thursday’s game against Belgium.
“The minutes in which we are happy and relieved are more and more. Today we will take another step, now I am focused on helping the players prepare for the game against one of the best teams in the world. Yesterday was a good day, today will be better, “coach Casper Hjulmand said at a press conference.
The change is evident in Hjulmand himself, on the verge of tears in the first press conferences, more relaxed and smiling today: “Being able to talk to Christian means a lot, that he is well is everything. It is unreal to see him sitting there smiling or that we said he watched the last ten minutes against Finland from the hospital. “
The Inter player, who has had several talks with his teammates via video call and was visited in the hospital by Kasper Schmeichel and captain Simon Kjær, sent a message of thanks today through social networks, accompanied by a photo of him smiling and giving a thumbs-up gesture.
“I’m fine under the circumstances. I still have some tests to pass at the hospital, but I’m fine,” wrote Eriksen, who fainted in the 43rd minute, alone, for reasons still unknown; he suffered cardiac arrest and was clinically dead until he was resuscitated with a defibrillator.
The smiles have also returned to the players: during the first training session yesterday, at the dinner afterwards. Something “necessary, natural,” explains Hjulmand, who highlights the help of the team of psychologists who advise the team.
But not everyone has reacted the same, nor can Hjulmand still assure that the eleven presented on Thursday does not present any casualties from a player who does not feel in the mood to play.
The Danish coach is only twisted when asked about the decision to play the remaining time almost two hours after the match was temporarily suspended.
“We felt that they pressured us and put us in a dilemma. There were two possibilities. It was very clear. It is totally wrong if someone believes that we said we wanted to continue playing. It is indisputable that we had to choose between two scenarios. Anything else is not true, “he reiterated in today’s appearance.
Hjulmand believes that the right thing to do would have been to send the players home, have shown “compassion”, and spoke of a “lesson to be learned.” “If you have three positives for covid-19, UEFA gives you 48 hours to play. If there is a heart attack, apparently, no,” he said, denouncing a lack of “leadership” to get out of protocol.
The Danish coach says that the UEFA delegate excluded the possibility of playing on Monday because Finland plays on Wednesday in St. Petersburg against Russia. But he nevertheless denied that there was any threat of losing the game if they did not come out to play.
Finland, making their debut in a grand finals, ended up taking the victory 1-0 with a goal from Joel Pohjanpalo in the 59th minute, although Denmark could draw if Højbjerg had not missed a penalty.
Eriksen is not only the star of the team, but also its “heart” and “pulse”, the director of its attack. A player who cannot be “replaced”, in the words of Hjulmand, who is now thinking about how to collectively resolve a determining casualty.
“The journey to Parken will be very emotional, the minutes before starting, it will be a special atmosphere. But when it starts, we will have to focus on playing a football match,” summed up a fierce Hjulmand, who remembers that the tournament has not yet taken place. it’s over for Denmark.