Manager Gareth Southgate acknowledged England need an “upgraded performance” against the Netherlands if they are to guarantee their place in their first major final away from Wembley.
The England manager said ahead of their Euro 2020 semi-final against the Netherlands in Dortmund, West Germany, that on current form he could not expect his team to win on Wednesday night.
A series of poor performances in the group stage, a near-death defeat to Slovakia in the last-16 and a penalty shoot-out victory over Switzerland have led to heavy criticism of Southgate’s tactics, with even the Dutchman describing England’s approach as “defensive”.
Southgate, who appeared in the pre-match press conference alongside England captain Harry Kane, said he understood the frustration from fans and pundits but insisted his team were “prepared for anything”.
“We need to take another step forward from the level we showed in the last game. The level of our opponents has increased but we are ready for it,” the manager said.
England are seeking to reach a second consecutive European final after losing to Italy at Wembley Stadium at Euro 2020. The men’s national team, which won the World Cup on home soil in 1966, has never played in a major final outside of England.
Asked how the players are dealing with the pressure of the moment, Kane said each player is dealing with the situation in their own way. “I don’t think we talk about it in the dressing room,” the Bayern Munich striker said. “The more experienced players know what it’s like to play for England in a major tournament. As we improve, the expectations are going to increase but it’s the same as it always has been.”
“Some people use it in a different way, some use it as motivation, some just forget about it and focus on what they have to do. It’s different for everyone. From a team perspective, we know what we need to achieve. We need to prepare for the really important games, the really tough games, and we’re ready for that.”
Up to 75,000 Dutch supporters are expected to turn out in Dortmund on Wednesday night, and while a similar number of fans are expected inside the stadium, they are likely to be outnumbered by four to one English supporters. The Dutch presence will be most noticeable in the Westfalenstadion stands, on the famous south terrace, known as the “Yellow Wall” during Borussia Dortmund games, which turns orange on Wednesday night.
Southgate said: “I think the players are used to it. The atmosphere in the stadiums for this tournament is fantastic, adding a different feel and tension to the matches. I’m sure the fans will be cheering us on and it will be a spectacular event. Opportunities like this are why we are in football and we’re looking forward to taking it to the next level.”
After group matches against Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia, followed by knockout matches against Slovakia and Switzerland, the Netherlands are by far the best team England have faced so far, ranking seventh in the world.
The referee for that match, Felix Zweyer, was given a six-month ban for his involvement in a 2006 match-fixing scandal. He has always denied any wrongdoing. England midfielder Jude Bellingham accused Zweyer of being “a referee who has fixed matches before” after a loss to Bayern Munich while playing for Borussia Dortmund in 2021. Bellingham was fined 40,000 euros (£33,800) for the unproven allegations.
Asked about the choice of referees, Southgate was not inclined to criticise UEFA, saying: “I think everyone knows that I treat referees with complete respect, all of them. I know the two people who run the referee programme at UEFA and I think they would be grateful for the respect that we have shown to our referees as a team over the last eight years.”
“I think there is a correct way to behave towards a referee and I think that is very important for the game, so I don’t care who the referee is. They should meet very high standards because that’s how UEFA makes decisions and how they monitor matches during competitions. So for me, it’s not even a consideration.”
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After weeks of gloomy weather in western Germany, the sun came out in Dortmund, as England and Netherlands fans flocked to bars in the city’s central district. Martin Sauer, head of the city’s Euros organising committee, said he was concerned that large numbers of Dutch fans would crowd the fan zone but was not worried about threats of violence between supporters.
He said: “We expect 75,000 Dutch fans, 16,000 British fans with tickets to the stadium and a few British fans without tickets, but not as many as in the Netherlands. I think the number of people with tickets will be about the same on both sides, but the majority from the Netherlands will be without tickets.”
“We are all really [tight]”That’s great for creating a really special atmosphere, but it makes it complicated for public transport and for the general public, and it’s hard for everyone to find somewhere to watch the game.”
Sauer said there would be a heavy police presence but that there were no major safety concerns. “In any fan group there are always going to be troublemakers but I’m not particularly worried about England fans. We have England fans at club level at Championship matches regularly and there are usually no issues,” he said.
“You’re very welcome and we think our UK fans will love the city and the bars. The public transport system is not as good as in Berlin, Hamburg or any of the bigger German cities. If you want to get around on foot it’s very easy to get around the city. If you need to use public transport you might have to wait a few minutes.”
Harvey Brown, 19, a student at Cardiff Metropolitan University, said: “I think it’s well organised here – they’re used to Borussia Dortmund Champions League matches. I’ve heard that there are around 75,000 Dutch fans and they’ll be walking to the stadium from 3.30pm. I don’t think there will be any problems, especially since the English fans have been well behaved so far.”
New Culture Minister Lisa Nandy will visit the match as part of a “fact-finding mission” ahead of Euro 2028, which will be held in the UK and Ireland.
