Sarina Wiegman's press conference on the eve of the match had the air of a reunion. The woman who has been England's coach since 2021 met with around twenty Dutch journalists, ready to bring back memories of her native Netherlands and her Euro win with the Oranje in 2017.
Five years later, the 55-year-old coach had managed to help the Lionesses to victory. But today, as she assures us, she is focused solely on her European champions, who are struggling at the start of the competition.
"It's a match, a football match. And the result, of course, has consequences, but it was the same in the Euro final and the World Cup final (a loss to Spain)", she tries to play it down, with England already playing for their survival in the competition this Wednesday.
Opposite them, the Netherlands are in search of a second consecutive victory after thrashing Wales 3-0 in their opening match, which would take them straight through to the quarter-finals.
Vacancies and staff swaps
However, the Dutch are also very familiar with the slump that the Lionesses are currently experiencing. After winning the European title in 2017, the Oranje also reached the final of the World Cup before losing in the final to the United States in 2019.
England were crowned champions in 2022 before falling to Spain in 2023. Since then, Wiegman and her team have suffered one setback after another: they failed to qualify for the final four of the 2023 Nations League and lost their opening game at the UEFA European Championship.
The Dutch players know just how difficult it is to follow up on such a feat: when England won the UEFA European Championship, they were eliminated at the group stage. Less than five years after winning the title.
A scenario that Arjan Veurink is determined to avoid at all costs. Wiegman's Dutch assistant in the England team, renowned for his tactical rigour, has been tasked with tracking down the Netherlands' weaknesses... and he will become their coach after the Women's Euro.
Wiegman has already poached his compatriots, Janneke Bijl and Arvid Smit, two current members of the Dutch coaching staff, to replace him. It's an unprecedented exchange of skills, given that the two nations are two of the world's leading lights in women's football.
'I'd like both to win'
But before this swap takes place in September, the England coach will also be meeting an old acquaintance in Zurich in the person of Andries Jonker.
The current Oranje coach was already on the bench, as assistant coach, when she played her 100th international match in 2001 against Denmark.
Vivianne Miedema, scorer of her 100th goal for the Netherlands last Saturday, will be up against her partner Beth Mead. She could even knock her out if she wins. "I don't think she'll be speaking to me for a while," she laughed at the press conference. "It's difficult, of course... I also have some of my best friends in this team, but that's part of football.
"I've been more often at the other end of the channel during the last two tournaments, so yes, it's part of the game and I'll be happy for us if we manage to qualify tomorrow. Tomorrow, we won't be partners on the pitch."
Her brother told Dutch media outlet Dagblad van het Noorden: "I can't wait for the match between my sister and my sister-in-law. I'd like both of them to win, but it's complicated." And he will surely not be the only one hoping for such a result between two nations that are so closely linked.