EM 2024 - England and the Netherlands united in their desire for a second title
In their homeland, the English national team had not been well received lately. The players received verbal criticism from media and experts for their weak performances at the European Championship. National coach Gareth Southgate was particularly criticized, accused of turning a top-tier squad into an average team. However, the mood on the island has since brightened up. "I'd rather watch boring football and win. It's a personal goal of mine to see England win something," said Chief Expert Gary Lineker.
The dream of a major title is not something former striker Lineker has to give up on. England made it to the European Championship semifinals and faces the Netherlands in Dortmund. What enraged Lineker: The Southgate-led team made it to the last four with a defensive playstyle, focused on absolute security – and they still played poorly.
Following a good first half against Serbia, England had two lackluster draws against Slovenia and Denmark. In the round of 16, they barely made it to the next round thanks to a brilliant last-minute save from Jude Bellingham and won.
England can win the Euro 2024 penalty shootout
Against Switzerland in the quarterfinals, it was Bukayo Saka who saved the Three Lions with a goal from a distance and sent the game to penalties. The English players showed nerves and converted all five penalties, while Switzerland missed one. England, traditionally weak in penalty shootouts, celebrated and their new coolness.
The dream of a second major success after the 1966 World Cup title lives on. Before the tournament, England was among the favorites. However, their performance caused them to lose that status. The offensive line, consisting of Harry Kane, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, and Bukayo Saka, had not shone much. This was partly due to Southgate's consistent adherence to a defensive strategy. Southgate follows the tradition that defense wins titles, while offense only decides games. However, his caution seemed to have led the team to retreat or simply play poorly. Fans even pelted him with beer bottles. Against the Netherlands, the team needs to step up, as much as is clear.
Their coach Ronald Koeman faces similar criticism. When Cody Gakpo was told at a press conference in Wolfsburg that the English team was more critically received at home than the Dutch team, Gakpo, a professional for Liverpool FC, replied: "Really? Is that possible?" The criticism is mainly due to their performances in the group stage, where the Netherlands finished third behind Austria and France. The good news: In the knockout rounds, their opponents were Romania and Turkey. Just like England, they share the same great desire to finally win the second major title since the European Championship victory in 1988, which also took place in Germany.
Ronald Koeman is a pragmatist
Koeman is like Southgate a pragmatist, allowing conservative result-oriented football. He knows what matters at a tournament: winning games, no matter how. And he holds onto his game idea and reacts wisely to setbacks: Koeman had to replace central midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners, as well as left back Quincy Promes, who suffered a cruciate ligament injury, before the tournament. He managed to do so. However, in the opinion of many critics, the Netherlands have played too cautiously so far and have not done justice to the idea of "total football," which always aims for "beautiful football."
Koeman has reached the semifinals with his philosophy despite this. "We can be proud that we have reached the semifinals," he said. "No one expected it. But the mission is not yet complete." If he completes it successfully, Koeman would join Berti Vogts as the only one to have won the EURO title both as a player and as a coach.
- Despite the criticism faced by Gareth Southgate and England's average performance at the European Championship, they advanced to the semifinals, where they will face the Netherlands in Dortmund.
- Jude Bellingham's last-minute save helped England secure their place in the European Championship semifinals against the Netherlands, a team coached by Ronald Koeman who faces similar criticism for their cautious playstyle.
- Ronald Koeman, known for his pragmatic approach, has guided the Dutch team to the European Championship semifinals, aiming to win their second major title since 1988, just like England's aspiration to reclaim glory after their 1966 World Cup triumph.
