Netherlands’ preparation for their Euro 2024 semi-final against England was disrupted by travel issues on Monday. Ronald Koeman’s squad planned to travel to Dortmund by train but a blockage on the tracks left them seeking alternative arrangements.
Instead, they travelled by plane from Wolfsburg, arriving later than expected. That meant a scheduled press conference with Koeman and Nathan Ake had to be cancelled.
With the latter stages of international tournaments often decided by fine margins, there has been inevitable speculation that Netherlands’ travel woes will have a detrimental impact on their performance. But Koeman has insisted that won’t be the case.
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He said: "Strange, but no problem at all. We were in the bus in front of the hotel, we hadn't left yet. The players were able to rest for two to two-and-a-half hours in the hotel. Otherwise they would have had to do that on the train. In the end, the trip was shorter than by train. So it was better to get here this way. It's fine."
England had no such issues and will hope their preparation gives them the edge as they look to reach back-to-back European Championship finals. The Three Lions will be the favourites against a Dutch side that finished third in their group but have improved in the knockout stages.
The winner of Wednesday night’s semi-final will meet Spain in Berlin on Sunday, after 16-year-old Lamine Yamal inspired his country to victory over France.
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