MX23RW : Friday, May 3 06:26:50| >> :120:28237:28237:
[monks data]
Attendance: 25,711
Netherlands national football team
- | -
Jun 6, 2019 at 7.45pm UK
 
England national football team

3-1

de Ligt (73'), Walker (97' og.), Promes (114')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Rashford (32' pen.)

Harry Kane: 'Liverpool and Spurs players will unite for England'

Harry Kane: 'Liverpool and Spurs players will unite for England'
© Reuters
Spurs were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool in the Champions League final on Saturday.

Harry Kane is confident club matters will be left at the door when the Champions League finalists join up with Gareth Southgate's squad and attempt to end England's trophy drought.

The Three Lions overcame World Cup semi-final foes Croatia and stylish Spain to reach the inaugural Nations League Finals, where Holland lie in wait in Thursday's semi-final in Guimaraes.

England's build-up has been higgledy-piggledy as club finals ate into their preparation time, meaning the seven players involved in Saturday's Champions League final will not train with the squad until Tuesday.

Liverpool were 2-0 winners over Tottenham in the Champions League final
Liverpool were 2-0 winners over Tottenham in the Champions League final (Peter Byrne/PA)

Jordan Henderson lifted the trophy in Madrid alongside Liverpool team-mates Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez, as defeated Tottenham players Eric Dier, Danny Rose, Dele Alli and Kane watched on at the Wanda Metropolitano.

England manager Southgate admitted dealing with the highs and lows experienced by those players will be a challenge, but skipper Kane says club issues are always put to one side when the national team convenes.

"We've got such a great bond and, although we're at different clubs, when we come here everyone's fully focused on here," the World Cup Golden Boot winner said.

"You don't have to talk to people about switching off from club football.

Harry Kane struggled to make an impact in Madrid
Harry Kane struggled to make an impact in Madrid (Mike Egerton/PA)

"Everyone just naturally does it and I think the fact we've played with each other in club sides and younger England sides (means) we're all good friends.

"Whether you're at Spurs or (Manchester) City or Liverpool, we've known each other long enough that we've become mates.

"When you come here, you just look forward to meeting up and being friends."

Press Association Sport understands that those involved in the Champions League final will arrive at St George's Park on Monday evening or early Tuesday morning.

England have to fulfil some UEFA requirements on Tuesday, when the first team meetings and training sessions involving the full 23-man squad will also take place as Southgate attempts to make up for lost time ahead of Thursday's semi-final.

But Kane and Co are sure to knuckle straight down as the Nations League offers the chance for the Three Lions to win a first major senior trophy since the World Cup in 1966.

"It's a new tournament, but it's still a chance to win a trophy in an England shirt, and 1966 was a long time ago," Kane said.

"We're going to try and take full advantage.

Gareth Southgate led England to the World Cup semi-finals
Gareth Southgate led England to the World Cup semi-finals (Owen Humphreys/PA)

"We all want to win trophies and have the experience of sharing that with the group and the fans, so it's a huge incentive.

"The fans are going to be out in numbers and hopefully be part of history.

"You want to bring that joy to people – as a footballer that's what you want to be a part of.

"I think if we go on and win, it will be another stepping stone to go on to achieve big things in the future.

"Winning trophies breeds that mentality to go on to do more and more, so it's a chance for us to start early and try to achieve that."

Hosts Portugal or surprise package Switzerland await in Sunday's finale at the Estadio do Dragao should England win, although Holland are unlikely to prove a pushover in Guimaraes on Thursday.

Talents like Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong are complemented by experienced players such as Dutch skipper Virgil van Dijk, who Kane got precious little change out of in Saturday's Champions League final.

Harry Kane will be up against Virgil Van Dijk once again
Harry Kane will be up against Virgil Van Dijk once again (Martin Rickett/PA)

"It's going to be tough," Kane told UEFA ahead of the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques encounter. "They've been in great form.

"Obviously, they've had a disappointing last couple of years, so they've really bounced back.

"They had a tough group in the Nations League and probably weren't expected to get through, which they did.

"Again, they're a team that looks like they try to express themselves and try to play good football, attacking football.

"We've got to be ready for the challenge. It's going to be a very, very tough game.

"But again, whenever we look at teams, we look at ourselves first and see what we can do to beat them."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Simon Peach, Press Association Chief Football Writer, Porto');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '5a033260-47e0-468e-8d17-979620e0dfc7');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Liverpool and Tottenham stars ready to work together for Nations League glory, says Kane'});

ID:360991: cacheID:360991:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:15186:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman before the match against England on March 23, 2018
Read Next:
In Pictures: England vs. Netherlands clashes over the years
>
Read more about Harry Kane Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs341861067541360
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8Chelsea34149116559651
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!