England hopes to keep Dutch strikers 'quiet' in Euro semi-final but it will be 'difficult'
Can England turn the tide and defeat the Netherlands to head to the Euro finals? ITV News' Sports Editor Steve Scott reports
England captain Harry Kane said he hopes to keep Netherlands strikers Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst "quiet" in the Euro semi-final but it will be a "difficult task".
Before Wednesday's clash against the Dutch side, Kane expressed caution about the two strikers in the matchup as they could "hurt" England's chances of reaching the Euro final.
After losing to Italy on penalties at Wembley three years ago, Kane aims to defeat the Dutch and lead England to their first major men's trophy in 58 years on Sunday evening in Berlin.
In a press conference on Tuesday, he said: "They're two totally different strikers, they both bring something different to the Dutch team.
"From our point of view, we always analyse the other team and where they can hurt us and where we need to be careful.
"They're playing at a high level and of course being in a semi-final of a European Championship means they're doing something well.
"We will hopefully keep them quiet tomorrow, but it'll be a difficult task for sure... But we're focused on what we can do as well and that's what we've been preparing for."
England reached the semi-finals despite heavy criticism of their playing style and manager Gareth Southgate, who had cups thrown at him after a nil-nil draw with Slovenia in the group stage.
Asked how he and Southgate addressed the levels of criticism aimed at the team, Kane replied: “There wasn’t (a specific) meeting – as one of the leaders and as the captain of the team you’re always talking to players, always talking especially to the newer players, they’re always asking you questions about experiences, etc.
“I think we did a pretty good job of preparing all the players before the tournament for what tournament football is like because, of course, you have to go out there on the pitch and perform well and do that side of it.
“But with tournament football, there’s a lot that goes into it, it is a long time away with each other, a lot of preparation, a lot of time in the hotel, there’s a lot of media attention. So it’s about dealing with all that.
“I think over the years since Gareth has been here and since I’ve been captain, we’ve handled that really well and I think this tournament has been no different.
"He added that the expectation from fans and critics has been a "little bit different" compared to past championships.
“The expectation has maybe been a little bit different from the start and maybe the noise has been a bit louder, but I think we’ve all handled that really well and some players will use it as motivation," he added.
Southgate said he is "not concerned" about the semi-final German referee Felix Zwayer, who was banned over his part in a match-fixing scandal and has a history with Jude Bellingham.
He added that Zwayer will be held to UEFA's "very high standards".
Felix Zwayer, 43, was given a six-month ban by his country’s football federation in 2006, having worked as an assistant referee alongside Robert Hoyzer.
Bellingham was fined by the German federation after he referenced Zwayer’s involvement in that scandal after a defeat for his old club Borussia Dortmund against Bayern Munich in 2021.
England's battle against the Netherlands on Wednesday, July 10 can be viewed live on ITV1 and ITVX.
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