CHRIS SUTTON: Wout Weghorst is so much more than a battering ram... England must beware the threat of the giant Dutchman in semi-final showdown

• e-mail

In this age of tiki taka, inverted full backs, false nines, passing triangles, gegenpressing, set-piece specialists and whatever other tactical innovations we like to drool over, there is something beautiful about Wout Weghorst.

It’s simple. It’s effective. It’s using a 6ft 6in striker, who you could practically take a Sunday stroll around, to your advantage.

I was at the Olympiastadion in Berlin and cannot emphasise enough how much Weghorst’s half-time substitution changed the complexion of that quarter-final between Netherlands and Turkey.

The Dutch tried the Total Football approach in the first half. Turkey were camped on the edge of their own box in a counter-attacking set-up.

They had five in defence and four in midfield, all narrow as they were happy to let their opponents have the ball in the wide areas. 

 Wout Weghorst is set to play for the Netherlands against England in the Euro 2024 semi-finals

At 6ft 6in, the Netherland's Wout Weghorst could pose a significant aerial threat to England

Netherlands kept trying to play through the Turkish block with Memphis Depay as the centre forward but it wasn’t working. Kudos to Ronald Koeman because for the second half, he introduced Weghorst.

Suddenly, they had a direct line into the box. Suddenly, Turkey’s big, rugged, all-in defenders were being bullied. Suddenly, the Netherlands had Wout with the clout wreaking havoc.

Read More

EXCLUSIVE

LISTEN: On today's EUROS DAILY, Gareth Southgate has gone a bit rogue... and the mask has slipped

Koeman’s team attempted twice as many crosses in the second half as they did in the first, looking for Weghorst whenever they had possession in wide positions. Yet it would be wrong to describe him as simply a ‘head on a stick’ or a ‘battering ram’. 

I was a tall striker myself — 6ft 3.5in, and yes, the half-inch is important — and we can often get lumped with those tags. Unfairly so, in my opinion.

There’s more to it than doing your best Michael Jordan impression by jumping high for the ball. You’ve got to know where to move and when. 

Think of Weghorst as a Premier League punchline all you like, he is incredibly intelligent in the way he peels away from opposition players and looks for the diagonal balls.

A prime example was when he created space for himself to try that cushioned volley at the back post, which he will have felt he should have buried.

Weghorst’s half-time substitution against Turkey changed the quarter-final's complexion

Weghorst tormented Turkey but in truth, I suspect he won’t start against England in this semi- final as Koeman knows Gareth Southgate is unlikely to throw up a low block. 

The Dutch may want to try to play through us first with their piercing passes from midfield. But Koeman will feel safe in the knowledge that he can bring on Weghorst to change it up if need be.

He is the perfect Plan B who came on to score twice against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, his second strike involving invention from a disguised free-kick as opposed to a cross and a header. 

England need to beware the threat of Weghorst because he could ultimately be the striker who decides this showdown.