England must 'step up' if they are to win tonight's semi-final game, says Southgate

Gareth Southgate has conceded that England will need a "step up" in performance against the Netherlands if his team are to secure their place in a first major tournament final away from Wembley.

- Daniel Boffey

Speaking before the European championship semi-final tie with the Dutch side in Dortmund in west Germany, the England manager said that his team could not expect to win tonight on current form.

A series of poor performances in the group stage, and a near-death experience against Slovakia in the round of 16 before a win on penalties against Switzerland, has provoked heavy criticism of Southgate's tactics, with even Dutch players describing the England team's approach as "defensive".

Southgate, who was joined by the England captain, Harry Kane, at a pre-match press conference, said he recognised the frustrations of the fans and pundits but insisted his team was "prepared for anything".

He said: "We need another step from what we showed in the last game. It's a step up in quality of opponents and we are ready for that." England are looking to achieve back-to-back European finals after their losing appearance against Italy at Wembley at Euro 2020. The men's national team, which won the World Cup at home in 1966, have never appeared in a major tournament final outside of England. The women's team reached the 2023 World Cup final in Australia but lost to Spain.