Holland-England for the final/ Sothgate wants history, Koeman: Criticism is scary

2024-07-10 11:08:00, Sport CNA

Holland-England for the final/ Sothgate wants history, Koeman: Criticism is

The Netherlands and England play this Wednesday evening, the second semi-final of the European Championship. A beautiful and hard-fought challenge is expected from both teams, who want at all costs to qualify for the grand final.

In a showdown like this, it's hard to pick a favorite. The two teams have had a lot of criticism in this European, for the way they played.

In the Netherlands, Koeman has been at the center of the cyclone of criticism and this semi-final could serve to change the minds of those who hated him until now.

Coach Koeman also spoke about this at the press conference before the match, where he asked for more respect from everyone. He also admitted that the criticism of England has been even greater.

"I think people should have a little more respect when they share their opinions about a player or a coach. This is a worldwide problem. It's true that now there are a lot of social networks and TV programs. Depay is ready to become a goalscorer the best in the national team and deserves more respect. I have great players and it just takes a little luck to push the chances they had in England their matches, but of course they have excellent and quality players. The criticism they are receiving is terrible, even more than they criticized us after the loss to Austria. But that's football and we have to adapt.", declared Koeman.

On the other side, England's coach, Gareth Southgate, declared that the moment has come for his national team to make history.

"The moment has come and the team is ready to make history. One of our strengths over the years is the fact that we are now less afraid and less inhibited. The game will decide the substitutions we make. They are not conditional on when or who should be replaced, it all depends on the game. Always looking at the freshness of the team and whether the changes will make the team better or not. The game will take us in a certain direction that will then influence the decisions," said Southgate.

The match between the Netherlands and England is scheduled to be played this Wednesday evening, at 21:00, while the winner will face Spain in the final.