How England Are Preparing To Face Holland in Euros semi-final

Transcript

00:00Well we're here at England's base in Blankenheim where preparations are now in full swing for

00:04Wednesday's European Championship semi-final against the Netherlands in Dortmund. Dan,

00:08you've just been listening to Luke Shaw talk and I suppose that is the big selection decision for

00:13Gareth Southgate over the next couple of days. He made his comeback from injury five months out

00:17off the bench in the quarter-final. Now is he going to be ready to start for the first time,

00:22as I say, since February? Well, Luke Shaw certainly thinks he'll be ready to start.

00:26He said he feels fit and ready to go. Players usually say that, to be fair. It's pretty rare

00:31that a player comes out and says, no, I'm knackered, I don't think I can start Gaffer.

00:34But the mood, I would say, was pretty upbeat for sure, as you can imagine. He did talk about

00:39at one point fearing his tournament might be over. He confirmed that he had a setback

00:43once he was out here in Germany. We think that was between game one and two. He was on the bench in

00:48the first game, he wasn't in the second game. So it looks like he had a little problem between

00:54matches, but he's fit and ready to go, according to him. And we'll just wait and see if he starts.

00:58I think, as you said, that's Southgate's big decision now. Does he bring in Shaw on the left-hand

01:02side, giving them that natural balance, that thrust and kind of impetus down the left that

01:07they've really missed with Kieran Trippier there? Or does he stick with Trippier and maybe use Shaw

01:12from the bench again? And I suppose if he does come back in and he comes in on the left, is it

01:15as a left back or a left wing back? Will they stick with the back three system? I think we all agree

01:20that it prompted an improved England performance, but part of the thinking was matching up against

01:24Switzerland and we're expecting Holland to play a back four. Yeah, that's it. I mean, these are the

01:29decisions Southgate will be making today and tomorrow and he'll be analysing Holland, probably

01:34as we speak. I think the other call is Mark Gaey. Does he come back in? He was suspended for the

01:39Switzerland game. I think he probably will, although he did very well, but actually there's

01:44an issue there with his left foot. Again, he doesn't play out so well on his left. Gaey's

01:48right footed, but I think he's more comfortable on that side. So I guess back to the formation,

01:55the beauty is it doesn't really matter. You can name the same team and you don't have to change

01:59too much. So that won't be a huge decision for Southgate because England can adapt back in game.

02:06Well, we'll have plenty more build up over the next couple of days as we look ahead to that game

02:09on Wednesday and plenty more from the players as well because the likes of Phil Foden and Trent

02:14Alexander-Arnold have also been speaking here today. So you can find that all over on Standard

02:18Sport.