da pixbet： The stakes couldn't be higher for Gareth Southgate and he needs to make the toughest decision of all in Dortmund – dropping his captain
da realbet： England are so close to Berlin they can almost see the Brandenburg Gate. A second consecutive European Championship final is within their grasp after seeing off Switzerland in the quarter-finals. They just need to reach out and take it.
But in the semi-finals they will be facing a tricky Netherlands side who have overcome a surprise defeat by Austria to make it to the last four. And despite getting this far, England have not had too much to shout about at the tournament.
Against the toughest side they will have faced in Germany, containing genuine Premier League stars including Virgil van Dijk, Micky van de Ven, Nathan Ake and Cody Gakpo, England will have to up the ante and start to their potential. And that means making some tough decisions, indeed the toughest of all: dropping Harry Kane.
Kane had just 26 touches against Switzerland and was holding the team back in a manner remarkably similar to Cristiano Ronaldo's negative impact on Portugal. Calls are growing for Kane to be taken out of the firing line and Gareth Southgate needs to listen to them.
But the captain is not the only star name the manager should remove to make way for players who stand a much better chance of taking the Three Lions to the final. Thus, GOAL picks England's best starting XI to down the Dutch and book their ticket to the Olympiastadion on Sunday…
Getty ImagesGK: Jordan Pickford
England's No.1 is being rightly hailed for his role in the victory over Switzerland, his third win on penalties in four attempts, helping break the national team's miserable cycle of repeated failure in shootouts. He also has the second highest save percentage of any goalkeeper in European Championship history with 85 percent, only trailing double-champion Iker Casillas among those with 10 or more appearances at the finals.
AdvertisementGettyRCB: Kyle Walker
Walker had an inconsistent display against Switzerland after a concerning performance against Slovakia and could be partly blamed for being beaten by Breel Embolo for the goal. But he is experienced enough to learn from his mistakes and England will need his recovery pace to stop Cody Gakpo, the joint-top scorer in the tournament, and Memphis Depay.
Getty CB: Marc Guehi
The Crystal Palace defender was England's most consistent player in Germany until he got suspended and now he should be well rested. John Stones, by contrast, has lacked sharpness and is at risk of turning into a liability, so he can watch this one from the bench.
Getty ImagesLCB: Ezri Konsa
Konsa carried the baton from Guehi to perfection against Switzerland, putting his strength and speed to good use. He deserves to keep his place in the team and his position on the left of the back three.