Imitation game is flattering but victory must be England’s goal
It is a measure of the progress Gareth Southgate has made that tonight’s UEFA Nations League semi-finalists viewed England as a template to follow in their own resurgence, writes James Olley.
Ronald Koeman’s first game in charge of the Netherlands was a 1-0 defeat inflicted by England in March last year, a 90-minute illustration of one young team brimming with potential beating another lost in the wilderness.
England arrived in Portugal this week looking to take the significant step from World Cup semi-finalists to international tournament winners, keeping the Dutch firmly in their slipstream.
A loss this evening would check that momentum and enhance the feeling a Dutch side now littered with next generation individuals coveted throughout Europe are themselves on the fast-track to becoming a powerhouse again.
It remains difficult to place the Nations League in terms of importance, given its embryonic lifespan, but the pedigree of teams England will have to defeat to win the trophy should count for plenty: with Croatia and Spain already defeated, the Netherlands and then hosts Portugal lie in wait.
Try telling Cristiano Ronaldo this competition does not matter. For England to prove they are ready to take the final leap to tournament glory, this is the time to match the forward’s conviction on the big stage.
Rumours persist that Southgate will be forced into resting some — and perhaps all — of his seven Champions League finalists, although it is no surprise Harry Kane has declared himself ready to play.
Kane will, no doubt, have watched Ronaldo fire Portugal into the final while sat in his Guimaraes hotel room last night and want to do the same. Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the players he judges himself against.
It is that mentality Southgate so values, a reason why Kane heads a leadership group designed to instil a winner’s ethic throughout a young squad.
“There’s no point coming to a semi-final and saying we’re just here to enjoy it and see how it goes,” said the manager. “We want to come here and win it.
“We are progressing as a team. Whatever happens over the next four days, we know the journey we’re on ahead of next summer, we’re pleased with the progress we’ve made, but we want to start winning things. We’re all hungry for that. We want to leave here on Sunday with a trophy and a nice summer to look forward to.”
There was a time when English coaches held up the Dutch system as a model to aspire to. Various tournament inquests also cited France’s Clairefontaine set-up or the German reboot of the 2000s, although the latter’s federation visited St George’s Park for guidance on their own national training centre, due to be open in 2021.
Southgate was part of the side which thrashed the Netherlands 4-1 at Euro ’96, but it was telling he turned his mind back further to the 1980s team Koeman graced.
“We played them in Ronald’s first game as manager and you can see the progress they’ve made,” he said. “The similarities would be there. There are some really exciting young players in both teams. Both teams want to play good football, the Dutch have always been that way. I have always been a huge admirer of the way they played.
“As a kid, I loved watching them: Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Marco van Basten and Ronald as well. That was a special team to watch and we are trying to create a team that excites our fans, but we also want to win. We are managing to do both at the moment. We have to do that over the next four or five days as well to keep progressing.”
It will be a test of Southgate’s ability to apply themselves with the necessary conviction so soon after a major European final at club level. Koeman has the same issue with Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum, but the Dutch only had winners in Madrid.
Kane’s ineffectiveness in Madrid on his first appearance since April 9 following ankle ligament damage gives Southgate legitimate grounds to leave him out from the start here, especially with Marcus Rashford a rested and able deputy in a possible front three completed by Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling, who is expected to captain the side on the occasion of his 50th cap.
“[England] have a lot of talent up front, a wide array of choices, physically strong players for different situations,” said Koeman. “That was an example for the Dutch, how they processed the squad and then gave chances to young players. It’s not by chance they are fourth in the world rankings. It is absolutely a squad that has a chance during the upcoming European Championships.”
Victory tonight would reinforce that belief within Southgate’s squad and beyond. Reaching the final would reduce the Netherlands to more longing glances in England’s direction.
Guimaraes braces for England trouble
Schools in Guimaraes have been closed today and children told to stay in their homes ahead of the arrival of more than 10,000 England fans, according to a report in the Daily Star.
A group of England supporters clashed with riot police in the centre of Porto last night as fans watched hosts Portugal beat Switzerland 3-1 in their semi-final.
Bottles were thrown before police charged at England fans, with the FA today branding those responsible an ’embarrassment’.
England have laid on ten free trains to take supporters to and from Guimaraes, about an hour from Porto, for tonight’s game, while locals are battening down the hatches in fear of similar scenes.
Guimaraes has an elderly population and is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Injury blow for Portugal
Veteran Portugal defender Pepe looks set to miss Sunday’s inaugural Nations League final through a shoulder injury.
The former Real Madrid defender, now at Porto, was forced off just after the hour mark at his home stadium last night as the hosts went on to beat Switzerland 3-1 thanks to a stunning Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick.
Former West Ham and Southampton defender Jose Fonte, who came off the bench to replace Pepe at Estadio do Dragao last night, is likely to line up alongside Ruben Dias against the winner of England vs Netherlands tonight.
Van Dijk in contention for Ballon d’Or
England will face a defender worthy of the Ballon d’Or when they face Virgil van Dijk and the Netherland’s in tonight’s semi-final, according to his former captain Jose Fonte.
Fonte, who came off the bench in Porto last on Wednesday as Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning hat-trick to book Portugal a place in Sunday’s final, played alongside Van Dijk at Southampton where the Dutchman grew into the £75million defender snapped up by Liverpool last season.
And the former Saints and West Ham man has tipped his old defensive partner to add a Ballon d’Or to his Champions League medal and PFA Player of the Year award.
“I think he has a shot to be honest,” Fonte told Standard Sport. “He was named Premier League player of the year, winning the Champions League, why not?
“We always give it to the strikers because they score goals and everything but it is about time a defender gets one, no?”
Fonte and Van Dijk formed a solid partnership under now Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman, taking Southampton to a sixth place finish in the Premier League in 2016, and the Portuguese defender knew then he was playing alongside someone special.
“Without a doubt [you knew he would be this good],” Fonte said.
“I had many conversations with my international teammates, I remember telling them ‘listen, this guy I am sure he will be one of the best defenders in the world’.
“It is obvious, everyone could see the pace he had, how strong he is – wins every duel. It was just about improving his positioning, and that is what he did when he came to Southampton, he stopped coming out with the ball too much, trying to dribble too much, playing simple.”
“Did I teach him that? Ah! Listen, I have a little bit of credit but the main thing is him, he is an amazing talent.”
No player has taken on the Dutchman and succeeded in his last 64 appearances, England must try tonight in Guimaraes, and while it is a difficult task Fonte knows someone will have to beat him soon.
“It is not easy, but no one is unbeatable. It is an incredible stat, isn’t it? If there is someone, Cristiano is one of them.”
Sterling: We’ve made big strides since World Cup
Raheem Sterling believes England are now a better team than the one that lost the World Cup semi-final a year ago and will prove it against Netherlands on Thursday.
With striker Harry Kane set to be on the bench, Sterling is expected to captain the side for the first time when they face the Dutch in the last four of the Uefa Nations League.
The Manchester City star was part of the squad last summer who were beaten 2-1 by Croatia in agonising fashion in the World Cup semi-final.
Gareth Southgate’s men appeared to struggle to handle the occasion back then but Sterling believes they are better equipped to perform on the biggest stage now because so many of the group have been challenging for major trophies with their clubs this season.
In the 23-man squad, 13 were either involved in a title race until the very end of the campaign or played in a major cup final.
Sterling, who has three winners’ medals with City, said: “Have we made big strides over the last 12 months since the World Cup? Yes.
“I think that comes from club level first. We have players competing on all fronts at club level, Champions League, the Premier League etc. We are all involved in big game matches and that helps us massively.
“Before we were a young team but gradually you can see these players are experiencing these [big] matches, so when it comes to the international stage they can deal with the pressure.”
Sterling is earning his 50th cap tonight, with Southgate set to name all seven players who were involved in the Champions League Final between Liverpool and Tottenham as substitutes.
It means Kane will not be leading the line. Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is likely to be up front, with Jadon Sancho and Sterling either side.
Kane is likely to come on at some point, though, and he believes winning the Uefa Nations League can be just the start of things to come for the Three Lions. He said: “Last summer was amazing for everyone but I think it shows the type of team we are.
“The fact we have gone on, improved and beaten some big teams [Spain and Croatia] along the way and now this is a chance to win a trophy and get that real confidence going into the Euros.
“It is a big opportunity. We have heard there is going to be plenty of English support out here. We have to try to make it a home game.
“The atmosphere is going to be great and we hope it will bring out the best in us.”
Chelsea’s Ross Barkley has kept his place in midfield after he scored two goals in England’s 5-1 victory in Montenegro last time out.
“I haven’t played in a semi-final for England like a lot of the others have, so this will be my biggest game for my country,” said Barkley.
“It would mean a lot if we win the trophy. It would be massive to progress from the semis and win the final because it will show we are going in the right direction.”
Joao Felix to make transfer decision soon
Benfica and Portugal starlet Joao Felix says he will decide on his club future after the Uefa Nations League finals.
Felix, 19, is one of Manchester United’s leading transfer targets this summer with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer eager to make him part of a major overhaul of his squad.
Manchester City are also huge admirers of the forward – but both clubs would likely have to break their respective transfer records to bring him to the Premier League.
Felix made his international debut in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Switzerland as Portugal booked their place in Sunday‘s Nations League final.
Speaking after the win, Felix insisted his focus is solely on that meeting with either Netherlands or England – who meet in their semi-final clash on Thursday.
But the Benfica starlet added a decision on his next move could follow very soon.
“Now I’m focused on the national team,” he told reporters.
“After finishing the Nations League, I’m going to resolve my life.”
Wednesday’s VAR madness
It was a controversial debut for video review in a UEFA nations competition on Wednesday, with Portugal having a penalty nullified because of a disputed call awarded for Switzerland.
Portugal went on to win the Nations League match 3-1, making it to the final of the inaugural UEFA competition, but it had to overcome the decision that didn’t go in its favor.
German referee Felix Brych didn’t initially award the penalty for Switzerland after Steven Zuber was touched by Nelson Semedo inside the area in the 53rd minute at the Estadio do Dragao. He let play continue and Portugal quickly moved the ball the other way, and about 25 seconds later Brych called the penalty for Portugal when Bernardo Silva was fouled in the other box.
Swiss players were upset and called for him to check on the other play, which he immediately said he would do.
The contact between Semedo and Zuber appeared to be incidental, but Brych went to the VAR cabin and ended reversing the non-call, allowing Ricardo Rodriguez to convert the spot kick in the 57th to even the score at 1-1.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic said. “It was a bit strange because the penalty wasn’t that clear. The way it was handled wasn’t entirely clear.”
The VAR, which made its World Cup debut last year, had already been used by UEFA in the Champions League and other competitions, but never in a top nations tournament it organized.
“It looked like it was a penalty for us, but then it ended being for them,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said. “Apparently it shouldn’t have been a penalty for them. I’ll let others analyze what happened.”
Brych was also involved in a controversial penalty call in the match between Switzerland and Serbia at the World Cup last year.
Ronaldo ready for anyone
Cristiano Ronaldo says either England or the Netherlands will pose a tough test to Portugal in the Nations League final.
The two face off tonight in the second semi-final after Ronaldo netted a sublime hat-trick to book a place in Sunday’s final for the hosts.
“Both the Netherlands and England are excellent teams and either will present great opposition,” he told Uefa.com
“I hope that Portugal can win, that the stadium will be full and that the fans can support us like they did today. We are stronger together.”
FA brands England fans ‘an embarrassment’
The Football Association has branded England fans who caused trouble in Porto an embarrassment as police back home look to issue banning orders for anyone guilty of causing the unrest.
Trouble broke out in the city on the eve of England’s Uefa Nations League semi-final against Holland, which is taking place 30 miles away this evening in Guimaraes. There were also issues on Monday night.
Thousands of supporters have travelled to Portugal for the climax to the tournament, but a section have already brought shame upon the country following clashes with local police.
Disturbing images were circulating on social media of incidents between fans and police near the fanzone, where Portugal’s 3-1 win over Switzerland in the other semi-final was being broadcast.
Portuguese police have confirmed that two England fans are due in court on Thursday after being arrested on suspicion of assault, while another was identified and details were taken.
With England guaranteed to play another game on Sunday regardless of their result against the Dutch, there are concerns things could escalate over the next few days.
The FA, who launched a campaign last week to try and stop anti-social behavior among football fans called ‘don’t be that idiot’, issued a damning statement this morning about what has taken place.
An FA spokesperson said: “The FA strongly condemns the scenes witnessed in Porto overnight. Anyone responsible for these disturbances cannot be seen as true England supporters and are not welcome in football.
“They are an embarrassment to the team and the thousands of well-behaved fans who follow England in the right way. We are liaising with the UK Football Policing Unit.”
Those views are shared by Mark Roberts, who is the deputy chief constable of the National Police Chiefs’ Council football policing lead.
Roberts is understood to be out in Porto and investigating further what took place. It is believed fans are facing banning orders should it be proved they misbehaved.
“The behaviour of a small number of the England fans out here continues to tarnish the reputation of the genuine fans who are simply trying to enjoy the football,” Roberts said.
“It is believed the fans had been throwing bottles at Portugal fans who were watching the (Portugal v Switzerland) match in the same area.
“This is the second evening in a row where disorder has occurred in Porto. On Tuesday there were issues outside a bar, where bottles were thrown and minor damage was caused.
“The behaviour we are witnessing is incredibly disappointing and again I would point fans towards the recent video from the FA – ‘Don’t be that idiot’.”
More detail of what took place was shared by a spokesman for the Portuguese police force, who baton charged a group numbering around 200.
A PSP spokesman said: “There was an altercation between England supporters and some Portuguese, assaults occurred and the PSP was forced to intervene.
“When the intervention occurred, the England fans turned on the police and two officers were injured.”
It is yet to be confirmed whether other arrests were made. England supporters, who were also filmed singing a number of offensive chants in various establishments during Wednesday, have complained of the police’s response being over the top – two were injured in the skirmishes.
‘A football genius’
Portugal manager Fernando Santos hailed Cristiano Ronaldo a football genius after his stunning hat-trick against the Swiss.
Ronaldo’s treble, sealed at the death with two goals in two minutes, was his 53rd for club and country and ensured that Portugal would be contesting the first Nations League final this Sunday, in Porto.
“I was his coach in 2003 and I could see where he’d go,” said Santos. “He’s a genius. There’s genius paintings and sculptures and he’s a football genius!”
Assessing Switzerland’s performance
Whether Switzerland decide to go full strength in Sunday’s play-off is a tough one to call. If Vladimir Petkovic opts for a similar side to that which lost against hosts Portugal on Wednesday night, they could still be a match for either England or the Netherlands.
In Xherdan Shaqiri they have a talismanic figure who looks fresh and ready to show he is capable of doing things on the big stage, having featured in fits and starts for Liverpool over the last season.
He was Switzerland’s best player by a long way on Wednesday night, in a side which was frankly unlucky to come up against Cristiano Ronaldo in such an impressive mood.
There are dangers elsewhere, Haris Seferovic has five goals in his Nations League campaign so far, but showed a touch of rustiness in Porto, wasting chances you would have expected him to tuck away.
There is plenty of joy to be had should an attacking side like England come up against this Swiss defence, however.
Kevin Mbabu will be having nightmares about Wednesday’s schooling for the rest of his life, while Manuel Akanji will still be unraveling himself from the bind Ronaldo twisted him into for the third goal come next week.
The Juventus star can, of course, leave some of the world’s best in such states. But put the likes of Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho and Harry Kane up against this back line and they will be confident of inflicting similar damage.
Assessing Portugal’s performance
The entire build up to Portugal’s semi-final was dominated by talk of the exciting young talent in their side. Joao Felix, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva all touted as a thrilling next generation for this nation, but 34-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo was in no mood to let them take over just yet.
Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic was quick to warn that his opponents were far more than just one man, but when it came down to it most of those young stars were looking to their No7.
Manchester City’s Silva shone in the No10 role, laying on a superb assist for Ronaldo’s second – he should have had one inside 15 minutes when the Juventus forward sent an effort wide.
As it was, though, Ronaldo settled this tie with his 53rd hat-trick for club and country.
“Clearly these were three very important goals, beautiful goals,” he told Uefa.com. “Obviously I’m very happy. But the most important is that we won and that the team have qualified for the final, which was our objective.”
Teammate Jose Fonte, who came on as a second half substitute, and has been around this squad long enough to know exactly how good Ronaldo can be, says these performances are now almost expected by the group.
“Not surprising, that is what he does and what he is paid for club wise,” Fonte said. “When he comes here we don’t expect anything else, that is why he is the best in the world. it is good to have him and we just need to explore in the best way we can and do the work for him.”
Should England come up against the hosts in Sunday’s final, Gareth Southgate may have to resort to expecting that the Portuguese simply don’t get what they expect, that there is a rare off day for the star man.
Away from Ronaldo, there are gaps in this team. Fernandes did not look comfortable on the right of a midfield diamond, there should be space there if the same shape is played again, while at the back Xherdan Shaqiri managed to cause havoc dropping deep and playing in those further ahead, something Harry Kane has developed quite the taste for doing.
There are weaknesses and England will fancy their chances, but Fernando Santos has one hell of a player to paper over the cracks.
Portugal vs Switzerland player ratings
Portugal: Rui Patrício 5; Semedo 6, Pepe 6, Ruben Dias 7, Guerreiro 6; William Carvalho 6, Bruno Fernandes 6, Neves 6, Bernardo Silva 7; Joao Felix 5, Cristiano 9
Subs: Guedes 7, Moutinho 6, Fonte 6
Switzerland: Sommer 6; Mbabu 5, Akanji 5, Schar 6, Ricardo Rodríguez 7; Freuler 6, Xhaka 5, Zakaria 6, Zuber 6; Shaqiri 7, Seferovic 6
Subs: Fernandes 5, Steffen 5, Drmic 5
Ronaldo saves the day for Portugal again and has now scored 88 goals at international level. A remarkable achievement. Fortunately, it’s him making the headlines and not VAR.
Questions will be asked about the use of the video assistant referee for the Switzerland penalty. There was about a minute between the two incidents and even so, the decision looked dubious if anything.
England will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the drama we’ve had here tonight.
FULL TIME
FULL TIME | Portugal 3-1 Switzerland
Viva Ronaldo!
The 34-year-old lives for the big occasions and his hat-trick has sent Portugal into the Nations League finals.
England, beware.
Make him president.
That’s his 53rd career hat-trick. Fifty three. Unbelievable.
The Portugal supporters are chanting Ronaldo’s name all around the Estadio do Dragao and well, who can blame them.
SUBS
90 mins: Five minutes of added time. But you feel those Ronaldo goals have knocked the stuffing out of Switzerland.
Bruno Fernandes has been replaced by Joao Moutinho.
GOAL!
GOAL! | Portugal 3-1 Switzerland | Cristiano Ronaldo (hat-trick) 90′
He’s done it again! Two in two minutes!
It’s a mistake from Xhaka this time and Guedes finds Ronaldo quickly, before providing a supporting run. Ronaldo cuts inside Akanji, does a little stepover and fires it past Sommer.
Game, set and match.
SUBS
89 mins: Switzerland make one final change: Freuler off, Josip Drmic on.
Uefa Nations League Finals LIVE: England vs Netherlands team news and build-up - Evening Standard
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