- England have begun preparations for the semi-finals of Euro 2024 at their training camp in Blankenhain
- Jude Bellingham and others enjoyed recovering in the pool after Saturday’s win
- Listen to It’s all about to begin! EUROS DAILY: Bukayo Saka was the shining light for England against Switzerland, it was so beautiful to see him score his penalty too
England stars have been filmed preparing for the Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands.
After Gareth Southgate introduced a new system in the quarter-finals, his team looked much improved compared to previous matches until Breel Embolo put Switzerland ahead in the 75th minute.
A number of changes followed, including Luke Shaw’s first appearance of the tournament, and minutes later England hit back thanks to a curling shot from Bukayo Saka.
After the match had been level going into extra time, the Three Lions kept their cool in the penalty shootout, scoring all five of their penalties to reach their third major tournament semi-final under Southgate’s reign.
With the match against the Netherlands just around the corner, the selection was immediately back to work on Sunday, because the final on Sunday is almost here.
England began preparations for Wednesday’s match against the Netherlands, just a day after beating Switzerland.
The players enjoyed a well-deserved recovery period after reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2024
Part of the team enjoyed a bike ride on the trails around Blankenhain base camp in England
Saturday’s penalty hero Trent Alexander-Arnold was among the players taking part in the ride
Footage from inside the English training camp showed the team on a bike ride near their base camp in Blankenhain.
We see Adam Wharton asking why he is driving so slowly, before an off-camera voice reminds the Crystal Palace midfielder that it is a recovery drive.
A number of players were also put through their paces in the gym, with Conor Gallagher seen performing trap bar deadlifts, while Saturday’s penalty hero Trent Alexander-Arnold did sit-ups with weights.
Several stars also went to the pool to relax after the tough tournament football.
Jude Bellingham analysed the footage on a tablet at the poolside, while Eberechi Eze and Phil Foden did the same.
Also on display was a replica of the Wilson ball from the iconic 2000 film Cast Away, which saw Foden show off his juggling skills by repeatedly heading the ball against a wall with his head and shoulder.
Meanwhile, captain Harry Kane presented Southgate with a gold cap in honour of the 100 games he has played as coach of the national team since 2016.
Some players, including Bukayo Saka, relaxed in the pool while studying the footage
England stars Cole Palmer (left), Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo (right) relaxed by the pool
A replica of the ball from Tom Hanks’ 2000 film Cast Away was on display in the pool
England captain Harry Kane presented Gareth Southgate with a gold cap in recognition of his 100 games as manager of the Three Lions
Saturday’s victory marks a century of games in the hot seat for Southgate, moving him closer to becoming the first manager to win a trophy for the Three Lions since 1966.
The 53-year-old is only the third England manager to reach this milestone, after Sir Walter Winterbottom and Sir Alf Ramsey.