Around the time Netherlands boss Mark Parsons started coaching Chelsea’s reserves, Jose Mourinho was instilling one of his principal theories across their Surrey training ground. As Mourinho put it later, “a team without the ball can still have control of the game; possession is a matter of PR and image”.
One of the biggest assumptions surrounding Parsons’ Netherlands team at these Euros has been that the colour and calypso of their fanbase translates to the players. Their supporters are intent on celebrating their 2017 triumph in this competition across the streets of north-west England as if it happened yesterday, but this is a measured Dutch outfit for whom control is king.
That is not to say they have always had it. They are yet to keep a clean sheet, they fell behind first in the 1-1 draw with Sweden, squandered a two-goal winning margin in a 3-2 win over Portugal, and kept a lead for just four minutes before a late flurry of goals in the 4-1 victory against Switzerland. Boasting relatively little of the ball, they had 49 per cent possession against Sweden and 51 against Switzerland.
Netherlands have been the polar opposite of France, who went ahead within nine minutes in all of their group games, but had a tendency to tail off in the later stages, failing to score in the second half on all three occasions.
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Parsons has focused on Netherlands’ evolution without the ball, but France’s attack has the potential to undo that progress even without Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who began the tournament as favourite for the Golden Boot but ended it on crutches with a torn ACL and damaged meniscus.
How to watch
- Date: Saturday 23 July
- Kick-off: 8pm
- TV channel/stream: BBC One. You can also stream live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website
- Who will they play next? The winner will face Germany (who beat Austria 2-0 in the quarter-finals) in the last four. That semi-final will take place at stadium:mk on Wednesday, 27 July
Fortunately France are the one side who can outdo the Netherlands in terms of goals being scored from all over the pitch. Just as Stefanie van der Gragt and Damaris Egurrola have been among the goals for the Dutch, France have leant on a hat-trick from defensive midfielder Grace Geyoro, who has excelled in a wider role, and a strike from centre-back Griedge Mbock Bathy.
France have never reached the Euro semi-finals before and there are mitigating circumstances quite apart from Katoto’s injury. Manager Corinne Diacre’s relationship with her players is, to put it generously, uncomfortable.
In a year when the world should have been gazing at women’s football in the country with envy, the majority of headlines surrounded France star Kheira Hamraoui’s traumatic assault by two masked men, for which her PSG and international team-mate Aminata Diallo was initially arrested on suspicion of organising before being released without charge. The chaos still haunts this France side, and its impact on fractures within camp, cannot be underestimated.
It points again to Netherlands’ increasing momentum, with Vivianne Miedema back in training after missing two games with Covid. Lieke Martens and Sari van Veenendaal will miss the rest of the tournament, though Aniek Nouwen has returned unexpectedly to training after suffering what looked like a serious injury against Sweden.
Whichever “Golden Generation” bows out at the last eight, Dutch or French, will have questions to answer.
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