Micky van de Ven has hailed England’s quality but believes they play “really defensively” as the Netherlands set about analysing their opponents before a heavyweight semi-final in Dortmund on Wednesday. Van de Ven, who expects “a Premier League-style game” with high intensity, and his teammate Cody Gakpo said they were aware England had received criticism at home and were under pressure to produce.
“We do read some press and see how they speak about the England team but they are in the semi-finals – that shows they have quality,” the Tottenham defender Van de Ven said. “They have played really defensively, that’s true. Today, we will begin analysing them intensively and will learn more.”
Gakpo said it was “not for nothing” that England were in the semi-finals. “They have a really good squad and hopefully it will be a beautiful game,” the Liverpool forward said. “Jude Bellingham is having a very good season, he’s a world-class player and made a fantastic goal [against Slovakia]. It’s a player we need to watch, but they have more players we need to watch. They are very good team but we have a good team too.”
It is likely the Netherlands will start with as many as six players who have experience of playing in the Premier League. Van de Ven said: “I think we will have a Premier League-style game. The rhythm and the level of the game will be high.”
In an encounter with the Dutch media that involved more back and forth than is common with the England squad, Van de Ven and Gakpo were happy to laugh and joke. Van de Ven said he had not been in touch with any England players “because there aren’t any Spurs boys in the squad” and attempted to find a self-effacing way of saying he was faster than Bukayo Saka.
Asked who would win in a sprint between them,Van de Ven, largely a substitute to this point, said: “It’s hard to say but if you look at the data I think you know the answer.” Later, Gakpo was asked to chip in. “He’s faster,” he said of his teammate.
Gakpo, who has shone for a second successive international tournament, was the subject of a number of questions about his style of play, including one assertion that his ability to cut back inside a full-back to finish may soon become easy to defend against. The Liverpool man raised an eyebrow at that suggestion.
“Sometimes I can go around, not just inside,” he said. “Once I’ve tried that, maybe I’ll cross the ball. I can go inside or outside, make crosses with my left or right foot or maybe just play the ball back. Defenders all have to start adapting themselves and guessing what I might do the next time, so I try to make as many variations as possible.”
Gakpo said he intended to raise his levels further. “I hope that, in the next game, we can show that everything will come together and we will be playing our best game.”
