Pfft. Ireland beat Germany aaaaages ago! What’s all the fuss about England doing it?
Yes, fine. We’ll give Roy Hodgson and England credit where it’s due. Their performance on Friday night in Berlin was one of the most impressive from the Three Lions that Power Tower has ever seen.
Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Jamie Vardy (Chat scheisse, get banged!) all found the net as England came from behind to beat the world champions in their own backyard. Now they’re back at Wembley for a home game against the Netherlands on Tuesday.
What made England’s win more impressive was the lack of experience in their starting team compared to Jogi Low’s side (who boasted nine World Cup winners). Gary Cahill had the most caps of England’s starting XI with 40 and Danny Rose was making his debut. They still had more shots than the Germans.
Only one team has managed to beat England since the World Cup and that was Spain. It’s what gives the media the false hope, particularly ahead of a major tournament such as the European Championship.
- The Three Lions odds for the Euros came in to 9/1 after Friday – full betting here
The Dutch are very similar to England. They always face immense pressure from their national media ahead of big tournaments. They boast a whole load of quality players (Memphis, Sneijder, Blind and Huntelaar to name a few). And they were also involved in a 3-2 last week too. A heroic comeback from falling two goals behind against France. Only they lost in the 88th minute. Football can be harsh sometimes.
One major difference? England are going to the European Championship. For the first time in 14 years, the Netherlands are missing a major tournament after failing to qualify. Danny Blind (Daley’s oul fella) is in charge of them now and is looking to build his side around youth. Similar to another Dutch legend, he’s trying to implement Total Football.
Now, far from us to definitively tell you what the score’s going to be. But here are some simple facts:
- The Netherlands last three games have finished 3-2
- The last time these sides met at Wembley – it was 3-2 to Holland in 2011
- A 3-2 England win is
- A 3-2 Holland win is
England are defending a near three year unbeaten home record and will see some changes from Saturday night. Jamie Vardy is in a wincast, while England to come from behind to win (again) is a surprising.
That victory in 2011 is a brief insight into Holland’s great record against the English, with just two losses in 39 years. Both of these sides were flee flowing and attacking, so over 2.5 goals at odds of should be taken.
But our tip is for Holland to win with both teams to score at odds of. They have everything to prove to the international and national media seeing as they won’t play competitively for a few months. When was the last time England put two impressive performances together?