Mike Verweij is extremely critical of Gareth Southgate, the England manager. Southgate is the Three Lions although in the semi-finals of the European Championship, according to Verweij his team plays 'sleep-inducing football'.

“Those guys haven't played a normal game yet,” Valentijn Driessen begins in the Kick-off-podcast of The Telegraph about England. “Everyone says they play the worst football of the tournament. We watched England-Switzerland with half an eye, and it was already unwatchable. So imagine actually going to that game. It was absolutely awful.”

Verweij agrees. To the comment of presenter Pim Sedee that England plays in different variants, he replies: “I think they play in one variant, and that is just soporific football. For seventy minutes it was really not worth watching against those Swiss. If you have such a selection, so much good material, and you take this out, then you are just a worthless national coach.”

According to Driessen, there is another 'worthless national coach' in the semi-finals: Didier Deschamps. “He has won a lot, but also gets very little out of France. The vice world champion who has not scored a single field goal. It is of course very bad.”

“Imagine that they become European champions. Then everyone will copy that. And in the Netherlands we will also start shouting that we have to play football like France. First of all, we don't have those individual qualities, and it's not a pretty sight,” says Driessen.

No European champion

Driessen is impressed by Spain. “We hope that the Spanish will play everyone in this tournament, and that Spanish football will be the example for Europe. And not French or English football.”

“I have to be honest: I don't think the Netherlands needs to become European champions if it's going to be played with hideous French football,” concludes Driessen, who says he doesn't care at all whether the Netherlands ultimately becomes European champion.

Always stay up to date with the most important football news? Join the Voetbalzone WhatsApp channel now!

More sports news