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Lotar Mateus has made the next prediction on the eve of the second semi-final of "EURO 2024" between the Netherlands and England. For the German legend, the second finalist team will be the Netherlands, as he sees an advantage in the confrontation with Southgate's "Three Lions".
" If the Dutch play like they did in the last 20 minutes in the quarter-final against Turkey, for me they are the clear favorites in this semi-final. In my opinion, it would be important for Veghorst to play from the start because then the Dutch game has more depth and the outside players, like Dumfris and Berguijn on the right or Gakpo and Ake on the left, have a target footballer in the penalty area with which they can pass.
If Depay operates only at the front, this is less the case. Then the Dutch try to do this mostly with playful strategies. The defense of both national teams is solid, but goalkeeper Pickford is certainly not among the top ten in this European Championship. The advances of the very quick right-back Walker can always be dangerous.
But he meets Ake, who knows him well, as they both play for Manchester City. Overall, I have the impression that the Netherlands clearly played better during the tournament and improved more than England. Captain Harry Kane's team has so far disappointed, especially in attack, I can single out Foden, Belingam, or Saka. Kane himself is simply not in the form he was last season at Bayern ," he said.
Meanwhile, for Germany, he said that the team has lost the qualities with which it has always been identified.
" This is not the Germany that I saw a few years ago. Our national team has been identified by grit, fighting spirit and group strength. In recent editions we have lost these components.
To be realistic, I expected more from Germany in the European Championship, especially since it was held on our soil. We have world-class players like Xhamal Musiala, Florian Virc, combined with the extraordinary experience of Gyndoa, Kros, Rydiger and Nojer, but we couldn't even go to the semi-finals ", concluded Mateus.
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