Rene Meulensteen explains how the Netherlands can BEAT England (2024)

So far for England at Euro 2024, it's been success without reassurance, possession without conviction and - bottom line - wins without playing well.

On Wednesday they will face their toughest opponents yet. It's crunch time, no second chances, and a European final awaits.

They have been here before. Three semi-finals in four tournaments for Gareth Southgate, the most successful Three Lions boss since Sir Alf Ramsey, and he knows what it's about.

But so have, and do, their opponents. Netherlands are looking to tee up a repeat of the 2010 World Cup final against Spain on Sunday, while they've had a couple more top four finishes along the way.

They only need to beat England to get there. It won't be regulation - it will be tough - but former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen, from a village called Beugen in North Brabant, Netherlands, has explained how they can get the job done.

'I think they'll try to dominate possession, try to get hold of the ball and move it around,' he says, speaking exclusively to Mail Sport on behalf of Free Bets. 'When you get possession but lack the purpose of trying to open the opposition up, you just keep shifting the ball for sake of it and give it away.

'You can look at the possession stats, but if nothing came of it, you got nowhere. So, I really hope that Netherlands use that possession constructively, to make sure we move it well, quickly and through the lines, asking questions of England.

'Every team that has gone more on the front foot and moved to press England, they ended up making them give the ball up easily and quickly, allowing the opposition all the opportunity to create chances. That's what I want Netherlands to do.'

Netherlands have perhaps the most star power that England have come up against so far. Whether it's Memphis Depay or Xavi Simons, the talent is there, even if they've not fully shown it yet.

At the other and of the pitch is captain Virgil van Dijk. A winner, a beast of a defender who has had success against Harry Kane in the past, and England will know as much as anyone what he's about.

And then there's Cody Gakpo. Netherlands' star man in Germany, scoring three goals and leading the race for the Golden Boot from the left side of attack.

It will likely be Bukayo Saka and Kyle Walker on the right side for England, tasked with defending him. Potentially the most important thing in the game.

'He's been good, played with a lot of confidence. Lively,' Meulensteen, now assistant at Australia's men's team, says in his assessment of his nation's star man. 'He's a little bit of what we had with Arjen Robben so many years ago, coming in on the left foot and putting it in the top corner. Cody is the exact same coming off the right.

'The only problem is the Turkish team dealt with that really well by doubling up on him, so every time he came inside there was another player to stop that space, so he never had a chance to shoot.

'You need to counterattack that by having overlapping runs, so he has an option to play somebody in with a reverse pass. Cody against Kyle Walker will be difficult.'

The NetherlandsCody GakpoEuro 2024