If you like the Denmark national team you'll love the Danish Superliga

On the 13th of March, in the penultimate game before the league split, leaders Copenhagen travel to 2nd-place Midtjylland. With just 3 points between the sides, both will be looking to stake a claim to the Superliga title, but it won't be finished there.

Midtjylland has a roster of familiar names. In January, career journeyman Vagner Love joined, aged 37, with the hope of bringing renewed firepower to keep up with Copenhagen’s runaway goal difference. One-time Schalke wonderkid Max Meyer now plies his trade in Jutland too, joining in January on loan with an option to buy. Two of their key players, Pione Sisto and Erik Sviatchenko, will be familiar to some - having had stints in Spain and Scotland respectively. With all this talent, their current run of five games without a win demonstrates the level of competition in Denmark’s highest division.

Former CSKA Moscow footballer Vagner Love celebrates scoring a goal (Tony Marshall/EMPICS Sport)

Midtjylland’s poor form makes for an unpleasant juxtaposition against Copenhagen’s string of 6 games without defeat. Familiar figures at Parken Stadium (a 38,000 seater shared with the national team) include ex-Ajax defender Nicolai Boilesen and Senegal international Khouma Babacar. Perhaps the crowning jewel of the side is 16 year-old Roony Bardghji, whose record-breaking goal in November landed him on the radar of Chelsea, Bayern, Barcelona and Ajax. In signing Roony from Malmo it’s alleged that Copenhagen, motivated by having missed out on Andreas Schjelderup to Nordsjælland earlier in the summer, offered a salary and sign-on fee outside the remit of acceptable negotiation for such a young player.

Roony Bardghji in action

Despite the name-recognition in the top two sides, third-place Brondby are also just 3 points off top. Having beaten Copenhagen and Midtjylland in recent months, Brondby are making a strong case to retain their title. After enduring a shaky start to the season, the youthful champions (who fielded 7 players aged 23 or younger in their last match) are on a resurgent 8 game win streak. While in another league format Brondby’s weaker goal difference may have kept them out of contention, the championship play-off leaves each of the top three sides with plenty to play for. A win for at-home Midtjylland against Copenhagen on the 13th presents the strong possibility that all three sides will enter the final pre-split gameweek on equal points.

With the Superliga title having gone to each of these three sides in the past three seasons, the division is more competitive now than ever before. This level of competition is a rare commodity in Europe’s Big 5 leagues, 4 of which pundits had declared over by Christmas - Italy’s Serie A the exception.

During Euro 2020, Denmark was a side adopted by countless neutrals - both for their style of play and the team’s incredible response to the collapse of Christian Eriksen. They reached the semi-finals with a flair that had been absent from Denmark since the early 90’s. They cruised through World Cup qualification - winning 9 of their 10 matches, conceding only 3 times in the process. The Danish national team has entered a golden era. With many of the stars having gotten their start in Denmark, including; Kjaer, Damsgaard, Braithewaite, Mæhle, Poulsen and Delaney, perhaps it’s time the Superliga gets more attention.