England and the Netherlands share a unique blend of beliefs, style, and history.

The English invented football. Then they ran out of creative ideas, so the Dutch redesigned it. And, if that is an oversimplification, a semi-final can appear to be a meeting of neighbours who misunderstand one other. English league records have been set by a Dutch-influenced team, with Johan Cruyff passing on Total Football concepts to Pep Guardiola, who has helped Manchester City win four consecutive domestic crowns.

The victory in Dortmund on Wednesday may be attributed to Dutch players who profited from their experiences in England, or to English footballers who benefited from Dutch or Dutch-inspired Premier League management.

The English can import the Dutch directly in pursuit of tactical nous, technical expertise, and a degree of sophistication that their own game does not often provide. Manchester United and Liverpool, England's two most successful and renowned clubs, have Dutch managers; in fact, in the last 37 years, United has had two Dutch managers and none from England.

Although Arne Slot's reign at Anfield has only just begun, evidence from Old Trafford suggests that Dutch attempts to build a team for the Premier League demonstrated a lack of comprehension. In very different ways, though. Louis van Gaal's United were goal-shy sideways passers, which frustrated a crowd accustomed to more enthusiasm.

Erik ten Hag went the other way last season, abandoning his predecessor's horizontal football in favor of vertical games with nonstop transitions and ridiculously high shot counts. Frank de Boer, who played for Van Gaal and appeared to emulate his style of play, scored exactly zero points during his tenure as Crystal Palace manager. Ten Hag and Van Gaal have won cups, but the affable combo of Guus Hiddink and Martin Jol, more of a man-manager than an ideologue, are undoubtedly the most successful Dutch managers in the Premier League in terms of resources and expectations.

 Ronald Koeman, who led Southampton to their highest Premier League finish, may share some similarities; they are both Dutch, but his playing styles differ.

As the largest England-Netherlands match approaches, a rivalry is reignited. It gained relevance during Koeman's playing career. These countries first met 89 years ago and have faced off 22 times; however, the major games occurred over an eight-year period.

It began with an instance of Dutch class, which propelled them to their sole major trophy, a 3-1 victory in 1988 that featured a hat-trick from Marco van Basten. A stalemate in the 1990 World Cup helped England win their group and go to the semi-finals.

They did not qualify for the 1994 World Cup in part because to Koeman's professional foul on David Platt, which resulted in only a yellow card, and the Dutch won 2-0 because to a typically precise free kick. Then, after he had departed from international service, came what is possibly England's best tournament performance against elite opponents since the 1966 World Cup, a 4-1 thrashing in Euro 1996. Terry Venables' England appeared to embody Dutch concepts of intelligent positional switching and passing. That Hiddink's Netherlands were in disarray off the field is often ignored in England.

They rarely competed in tournaments in the past or afterward. The Netherlands' major achievements frequently occur when England fails to qualify - as in 1974 and 1978 - or withdraws early, like in 2010 and 2014.

 However, the Dutch have achieved ubiquity in the Premier League. Even before then, Ipswich imports Arnold Muhren and Frans Thijssen demonstrated that the Dutch might bring talents that the English lacked. Ruud Gullit has since been a transformative figure at Chelsea, serving as a midfielder, player-manager, and trailblazer for a slew of high-profile foreign signings. Dennis Bergkamp was also innovative at Arsenal, transforming a team known for dull 1-0 victories into stylists, aided by a velveteen touch; the non-flying Dutchman took advantage of England's penchant for 4-4-2 to demonstrate that a No 10 could thrive between the lines.

Robin van Persie was a successor, another Arsenal star, and perhaps the most technically perfect player since Bergkamp. Edwin van der Sar was a goalkeeper ahead of his time, given his confidence in control; with his penalty save from Nicolas Anelka winning United the 2008 Champions League final, he could be considered the most successful Dutch immigrant ever. Marc Overmars and Arjen Robben demonstrated scorching acceleration, emphasising the Dutch preference for wingers.

Despite the fact that the idea of Dutch football focuses around Ajax and Cruyff, Total Football and its supporters, some of English football's greatest Netherlanders possessed a variety of skills. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink had a cannonball of a shot and is now on England's coaching staff. Ruud van Nistelrooy possessed the selfish attitude of a specialist striker; in terms of Dutch centre-forwards, he was the polar opposite of Cruyff. Nigel de Jong made the most notably ugly tackle in Dutch football history. Dirk Kuyt brought sweat but not flair, and he won over the locals with his English work ethic.

Then there's the peculiar case of perhaps the Premier League's greatest ever centre-back (a title that, if Sir Alex Ferguson hadn't dumped him after three seasons in a decision he later regretted, could have gone to Jaap Stam). Virgil van Dijk has received more criticism in his native Netherlands than in England. He is not a typical Dutch central defender; he is a right-footer who prefers to play on the pass, but the Cruyff school prefers left-footers for passing angles, a long passer who rarely ventures into midfield, and a defender who was left out of the 2014 World Cup squad in favor of Terence Kongolo.

Van Dijk and Gini Wijnaldum were, however, perhaps the two most consistent mainstays of Jurgen Klopp's title Liverpool club.

 The current Netherlands squad reflects a split in opinion across the English channel: Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst, both underachievers in front of goal for United, play key roles; Micky van de Ven, a revelation for Tottenham, is on the bench; and Bart Verbruggen, who spent half of his first season at Brighton understudying Jason Steele, is in the team. However, it is possible that two countries with superiority complexes see things differently. Ten Hag will sign anyone with an Amsterdam Schiphol stamp on their passport; he is accused of overrating the Dutch league.

The fact that the Dutch have exported so many players, managers, and football brands is a sign of their success. Even in England's most successful football season, there was evidence that the Dutch were to be envied and emulated. An Ajax team led by a young Cruyff defeated Bill Shankly's Liverpool 5-1. Almost six decades later, England wants to go back to 1966. Just not that particular game from 1966.