Space to attack into? Why Dutch plan might suit England

The Netherlands person really impressed maine pinch their adaptability astatine Euro 2024, but nan measurement they onslaught could springiness England immoderate caller opportunities successful Wednesday’s semi-final.

I've co-commentated connected 2 of their games truthful acold - nan 3-2 conclusion by Austria successful nan group stage, and nan 2-1 triumph complete Turkey successful nan quarter-finals.

The Dutch had bully and bad spells successful some games, and are acold from flawless, but they were capable to respond each clip erstwhile things went incorrect and that has benignant of been nan communicative of their tournament, whoever they person faced.

In position of really they group up, nan first point I'd opportunity astir Ronald Koeman's broadside is they are not arsenic high-energy aliases nan benignant of high-pressing, front-foot type of squad you mightiness expect.

So they will not travel aft England and effort to property them precocious up nan transportation - but erstwhile they person sewage nan ball, they will propulsion numbers forward.

That is not thing we person seen very often from nan 5 teams that Gareth Southgate's broadside person faced truthful acold successful Germany, and it is decidedly thing England tin return advantage of.

Most of nan time, nan Dutch are group up a small spot lopsided because their right-back, Denzel Dumfries, pushes truthful precocious up nan transportation arsenic often arsenic he can.

Steven Bergwijn, who has started connected that broadside successful nan past mates of games, has been drifting successful to get adjacent to Memphis Depay and Xavi Simons, who has really impressed maine successful nan number 10 role.

They will evidently airs a threat pinch nan measurement they nexus up but, connected nan flip side, erstwhile Dumfries flies guardant it is going to time off immoderate abstraction for England to break into erstwhile location is simply a turnover successful possession.

That could time off Stefan de Vrij a small spot isolated and, though he is simply a very knowledgeable defender, he is not arsenic speedy arsenic Virgil van Dijk aliases Micky van de Ven. There should beryllium immoderate chances to expose him.

The different area wherever I deliberation England tin get immoderate joyousness successful Dortmund is successful cardinal midfield.

England person sewage a batch of players who for illustration to popular up successful nan pockets successful beforehand of nan guidance defence - Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, for illustration - nary matter which strategy we use.

The Dutch are without Frenkie de Jong, Teun Koopmeiners and Marten de Roon astatine these Euros because of injury, truthful are missing immoderate apical value successful those positions.

Jerdy Schouten and Tijjani Reijnders, who play successful nan mediate for nan Dutch, are some really elegant method footballers, but they for illustration to person nan shot and I would not picture them arsenic defensive-minded.

They capable successful holes and do nan occupation erstwhile their squad is retired of possession but they are not nan aforesaid type of subordinate arsenic Declan Rice, and it is not their beardown point.

In beforehand of them, Simons tends to get forward, truthful location should beryllium plentifulness of opportunities to get successful and astir Schouten and Reijnders, and get astatine nan Dutch defence.

There has been a spot of talk that Koeman mightiness alteration his statement against England and lucifer up to Southgate’s broadside by playing 3 astatine nan back.

The measurement nan Dutch person been playing, however, they benignant of extremity up arsenic a 3 anyway, pinch Dumfries going truthful precocious truthful early successful specified an different way.

When that happens, Nathan Ake tucks successful and past they person sewage him, Van Dijk and De Vrij arsenic a three, and their strategy really ends up looking a batch for illustration nan 1 England utilized against Switzerland anyway.

Cody Gakpo is simply a left-winger alternatively than a near wing-back but he gives them width connected that side, for illustration Bukayo Saka did connected nan correct for England against nan Swiss because we did not person nan aforesaid threat connected nan different broadside of nan pitch.

Both formations are a small unbalanced successful that way, pinch players connected each flank asked to do different jobs, and what tends to hap successful that script is nan squad which has nan amended possession highlights nan other’s weaknesses much quickly.

I americium expecting a akin shape to unfold this time. One squad will return power - astir apt England if they support nan aforesaid possession levels arsenic successful erstwhile matches - and nan different will person to accommodate to that.

As I said astatine nan start, what I really for illustration astir nan Netherlands is that erstwhile things are not working, Koeman is not acrophobic to alteration it.

For example, successful nan Austria game, he brought Simons connected for Joey Veermans aft 35 minutes and ended up pushing Lutsharel Geertruida, who was playing astatine right-back alternatively of Dumfries, into an inverted midfield domiciled that transformed nan momentum of nan game, moreover though they ended losing it precocious on.

At half-time against Turkey, erstwhile nan Dutch were trailing 1-0, he fundamentally went from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 statement and put Wout Weghorst up beforehand pinch Depay. This time, they were nan winners.

So, nevertheless nan Dutch are group up astatine nan commencement of nan game, you tin beryllium judge they will springiness England immoderate different problems depending connected what happens during it.

Hopefully England won't spell down and won't person to beryllium reactive for illustration that, but location is still apt to beryllium a clip successful nan crippled erstwhile they request to make changes too.

That was decidedly nan lawsuit against Switzerland when, moreover earlier nan Swiss took nan lead, it felt for illustration Southgate needed to freshen things up.

This time, Koeman won’t wait... and neither should he.

Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan successful Berlin.