As England prepares for their semi-final face-off against the Netherlands on Wednesday, they’ll be closely watching who might emerge as their potential final opponents.
Spain, who have been consistently strong throughout the tournament, are scheduled to play against pre-tournament favourites France in Munich on Tuesday evening.
England’s manager, Gareth Southgate, has enforced a strict rule on his team, forbidding them from publicly discussing their penalty strategies after their impeccable performance against Switzerland in the previous round.
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The FA is working diligently to keep England’s successful penalty tactics confidential, aiming to avoid giving any edge to their competitors.
Meanwhile, UEFA appears to have given the Netherlands a significant advantage ahead of their Wednesday match with England at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, according to the Express.
The Dutch fans, arguably the most enthusiastic and passionate at Euro 2024, have received a huge boost as they’ve been allocated tickets for the iconic ‘Yellow Wall’, which will be flooded with orange for this game.
While the Three Lions may have been barred from discussing their successful penalty strategies before the crucial showdown with Ronald Koeman’s team, former England striker Gary Lineker has cautioned his compatriots against using a water bottle to note down the Netherlands’ penalty-taking options.
Photographs revealed that England’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had the Swiss penalty-takers’ preferences and their likely shot directions printed on his water bottle during the quarter-final match. Lineker, who clinched the Golden Boot in the 1986 World Cup, has hinted that the clever Dutch might try to pinch Pickford’s bottle if the game goes to penalties again.
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, he said: “I’ll tell you what, though. That’s brilliant, but if there’s another penalty shoot-out, one player is going to look at that bottle and sneak and get the bottle.
“If you’re listening, and I know you’re all shutting out the noise, if you’re listening, do it differently. Do it on a different piece of paper, or do it on the post! Do a different kind of thing!”
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