So far for England at Euro 2024, it has been success without confidence, possession without conviction and, in short, winning without playing well.
On Wednesday they will face their toughest opponent yet. It is a decisive moment, there are no second chances and a European final awaits them.
They have been here before. Three semi-finals in four tournaments for Gareth Southgate, the most successful Three Lions manager since Sir Alf Ramsey, and he knows what it is about.
But so have, and do, their opponents. The Netherlands are looking to repeat their 2010 World Cup final against Spain on Sunday, though they have picked up a couple more top-four finishes along the way.
They just need to beat England to reach the final. It won’t be a regular game, it will be tough, but former Manchester United manager René Meulensteen, from a village called Beugen in North Brabant, the Netherlands, has explained how they can do it.
René Meulensteen explained how Holland can overcome Gareth Southgate (pictured) and England tonight
Virgil van Dijk and Co have impressed on their way to the semi-finals against the Three Lions.
Former Manchester United manager Meulensteen (right) explained how his country can win the ball high up the pitch.
“I think they will try to dominate possession, they will try to get the ball and move it around,” he says, speaking exclusively to Mail Sport on behalf of Free bets‘When you have possession but you don’t have the intention of trying to open up the opponent, you just keep moving the ball just for the sake of it and you lose it.
“You can look at the possession stats, but if you’re not getting anything out of it, you’re not getting anywhere. So I really hope Holland use that possession constructively, to make sure we move it well, quickly and along the lines, asking questions of England.
“Every team that has attacked and pressed England has ended up forcing them to give the ball away easily and quickly, which has allowed the opposition to create chances. That’s what I want Holland to do.”
Holland are perhaps the most star-studded team England have faced so far. Whether it’s Memphis Depay or Xavi Simons, the talent is there, even if they haven’t fully demonstrated it yet.
At the other end of the pitch is captain Virgil van Dijk. A match-winning defender, a monster who has had success against Harry Kane in the past, and England will know better than anyone what he is about.
And then there’s Cody Gakpo, the Netherlands’ star in Germany, who scored three goals and led the Golden Boot race from the left side of attack.
Meulensteen, now an assistant coach for Australia, has also given his verdict on star Cody Gakpo.
Gakpo (right) has been the best Dutch player in Germany and is in the running for the Golden Boot.
England, meanwhile, are aiming for their second final in as many European Championship tournaments.
Bukayo Saka and Kyle Walker will likely be on England’s right-hand side, tasked with defending, which could be the most important part of the match.
“He’s been good, he’s played with a lot of confidence. He’s lively,” says Meulensteen, now an assistant with Australia’s men’s national team, in his assessment of his country’s star player. “He’s a bit like what we had with Arjen Robben all those years ago, coming in on his left foot and putting the ball in the top corner. Cody is exactly the same coming in from the right.
‘The only problem is that the Turkish team handled that very well by doubling their defense, so every time he came in there was another player to block that space, so he never had a chance to shoot.
“You have to counter with overlapping runs, so he has the option to get someone in with a reverse pass. Cody against Kyle Walker will be tough.”
