A day before the last group match of the Dutch national team, Louis van Gaal spoke to the international news again. Outspoken, but also self-critical, he looked ahead to opponent Qatar. “We have to make better choices in possession of the ball, little else is needed when the opponent has the ball.”
“I’ve been thinking about the system for a year and a half,” says Louis van Gaal about the 5-3-2 arrangement of how the Dutch national team now operates. Unfortunately, that did not work out very well in the first two group matches. “At the moment I see no reason to change the system.”
Chess match
“My impression is that almost every team is having a hard time here. You can also see that in the small results,” Van Gaal analyzes the current World Cup. For example, the Orange won the first game against Senegal in the final phase 2-0 and played a difficult draw against Ecuador last Friday, 1-1. “Qatar also plays in a 5-3-2 formation. Until now, you often see when both teams use this system that it becomes a chess match. And that is not always fun to watch.”
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In addition to Van Gaal, Frenkie de Jong was also behind the press table. The former Ajax player looked a bit pale, journalist Valentijn Driessen of De Telegraaf also noticed. “I’m fit, just a little sore throat. I didn’t sleep very well last night.” The dynamic midfielder also acknowledged his team’s mediocre play at this World Cup, but there is no doubt. “We have a very good team, after all we are unbeaten in seventeen games in a row. At the moment we have four points against two good opponents. Of course the last game could have been much better, but everyone is still confident.”
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Xavi Simons
Furthermore, Xavi Simons was regularly discussed at the press conference. The Amsterdam native is going through a stormy development at PSV this season and is continuing his line in Qatar. The national coach also noticed that. “I told Simons today that he has made a step. I notice an increasing development with him. Whether that leads to playing minutes, I cannot say anything about that yet. That also depends on how the opponent plays.”
A draw is enough for the Orange to qualify for the knockout phase. Although the big goal for Van Gaal is the world title. The national coach does not notice that it is a heavy burden for his players. “I don’t see this as pressure, because you always have to name your goal. And I never said that we will be, but that we have a chance.”
The Netherlands – Qatar starts tomorrow at 4 p.m. in Doha.
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