Keane: Peak Saka to Help England Defeat Netherlands; Final Against Spain Will Be Tough

The England team will face the Netherlands in the semi-finals of the European Championship, and before the match, Manchester United legend Roy Keane clearly expressed his support for the Three Lions. He stated that Bukayo Saka’s excellent form is the key to England reaching the final.

On the “The Overlap” program, Keane clearly expressed his confidence in the England team: “I think England will beat the Netherlands and reach the final. I watched the game between Turkey and the Netherlands, so I think England will win. However, once they get to the final and face a Spain team in great form, England may struggle. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. The reason I’m supporting England is that the players and coach are mentally and physically recovered. The whole team is in high spirits, which is positive feedback from winning matches.”

Keane also singled out an English player who he believes will be the key figure for the Three Lions to break through the semi-finals. Keane said: “Saka is at his peak. His equalizing goal against Switzerland was world-class. England’s form has risen at the right time, and what they need now is to maintain this level. The players’ performances and Saka’s goals have been excellent. They have players who can finish off games, and even if it goes to a penalty shootout, the substitutes can do the job well.”

Keane used his experience as a player to back up the argument that England is the more favored side. He said: “If you play under Gareth (Southgate), let me tell you, things are looking good right now. I never thought England would lose in the semi-finals. No one will remember their bumpy road to qualification. From my experience as a player, when we reached the latter stages of a cup competition, perhaps some teams that performed better than us had already been eliminated, but we were still in the game. We were discussing how well Austria played the other day, but now they’re long gone. That’s the nature of competitive sports.”

Interestingly, the former Manchester United captain, known for his “acerbic” and “frank” comments, has mostly offered encouragement and support for England during this European Championship. Aside from questioning Southgate’s use of Alexander-Arnold, his remarks have been markedly different from his usual fiery style. The European Championship semi-final between the England team and the Netherlands will kick off at 3 am on July 11th, with the venue being the BVB Stadium in Dortmund.