Countdown to the Netherlands against the US in the eighth finals, Argentina also in action

How Frenkie de Jong looks

“Very important” thinks national coach Louis van Gaal him for his team. Without Frenkie de Jong, the midfield of Orange, which will play this Saturday in the eighth finals of the World Cup against the United States, was much less dangerous, according to the national coach. Less dynamic, less creative. Opponents could put pressure on the Netherlands more easily and prevent the Orange from attacking. Why is De Jong so important? What can he do that others can’t, even at the very highest level? The answer: look. Or, in modern football terms: scanning.

Read also: Frenkie de Jong doesn’t pay attention to the ball, that’s what makes him so good

Welcome to this blog

The eighth finals of the World Cup in Qatar start today and the Orange kicks off. In the first game of the day, at 4 p.m., the Dutch national team and the United States will play for a place in the quarterfinals. Louis van Gaal’s team became group winner of group A, but did not make a great impression in the first three games.

Van Gaal announced on Friday that a number of players were suffering from a cold, without going into further detail.

Later in the day, at 8 p.m., Argentina will play against Australia. If the Netherlands wins the game, it will play in the quarterfinals against the winner of that game.

Read here the previous World Cup blog back from December 2