Virgil van Dijk warned of personal 'nightmare' before Netherlands vs England at Euro 2024
It's been suggested Virgil van Dijk's history - namely with Harry Kane - could impact how the Netherlands' Euro 2024 semi-final against England will unfold on Wednesday night
Virgil van Dijk’s previous battles with Harry Kane could define the Euro 2024 semi-final between England and the Netherlands, it's been claimed.
The Liverpool defender regularly pitted his wits against the Three Lions captain prior to his big-money move from Tottenham to Bayern Munich. Kane had a reasonable record against Van Dijk, scoring six times in 10 appearances, although the Dutchman had his successes too.
Their personal duel could have a major bearing on the outcome of the match as both countries bid to meet what would only be their second-ever Euros final. Former Manchester United and England defender Wes Brown reckons Van Dijk’s match-ups against Kane may be playing on his and his team-mates’ minds.
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Speaking on Reach's new Euro Thrash podcast – which you can find on YouTube, Apple and Spotify – Brown said: “Those little match-ups, they are talked about. Not just by pundits, but in the changing room.
“You know you do well against this person, that this person is the nightmare and always scores regardless whether he plays bad or not. They are personal battles that come into games. Six out of 10 for Kane against Van Dijk is not bad.
“I am not saying it was him who was marking him for all the goals, but ultimately Van Dijk will know that as well. Kane will get confidence from that, he will know that he has scored against him before and will want to do it again.”
There have been calls for Kane to be dropped after some lethargic-looking performances from the 30-year-old, although that would be an unusually controversial move by Gareth Southgate.
Van Dijk's Reds team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold says that would play straight into the Netherlands’ hands. “Anyone facing England would like to see Harry Kane not playing," he argued.
“We’re talking about England’s record scorer. He’s scored two in this tournament, helped us win games and, as our captain, leads by example and puts everything into games.
"People will always have opinions but he is leading us into a semi-final. He is part of the reason why the environment is such a good one in camp. And he is a reason why we’re heading into a semi.”
Watch and listen to Euro Thrash on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify with regular new episodes throughout Euro 2024.