With Louis van Gaal’s polder catenaccio, the Dutch national team is in the quarter finals of the World Cup. In the Khalifa International stadium in Doha, the Orange squad needed a team goal, a countergoal and a volley after a sparse attack to beat the United States 3-1. Van Gaal called the match an “almost flawless” performance by the Orange. “We scored fantastic goals, that gives us confidence,” said the national coach, who did criticize the game in possession.
It was significant that the courtwingback Denzel Dumfries was the man of the match with a goal and two assists. For the seventh time in history, the Netherlands joined the last eight at a World Cup.
Super efficient
The Orange presents itself in Qatar as a Dutch team with a different face than the international football world had expected. A super efficient Orange. But no seasoning. And national coach Van Gaal does that consciously. The trainer who once, in 1995, won the Champions League with an offensive Ajax, is a results trainer with the Orange of 2022. According to Van Gaal, it is the only way to achieve success with this team on a major international stage. In other words: winning is more important than beautiful football.
Van Gaal started his third term as national coach in the summer of 2021 with the aim of becoming world champion. Even though some of his internationals – including captain Virgil van Dijk – initially preferred to play in a 1-4-3-3 system with two wingers – the house style of the ‘Hollandse School’. Van Gaal responded to the wishes of the players during the qualifying matches for the World Cup. Then he put the team to his will.
In the run-up to Qatar, the national coach switched to the 1-5-3-2 system, previously tested during the 2014 World Cup. Eight years ago, this resulted in third place. The conservative way of playing, in which when the opponent has the ball, five defenders are often lined up at the back, is again effective in Qatar. The Dutch national team leaves the initiative to the opponent and patiently waits for a mistake to be made. Then the Orange switches quickly and tries to position the attackers as immediately as possible. They succeeded against the US, in front of a few hundred Dutch fans in the stands.
The Dutch national team played its match of the tournament on Saturday after difficult performances in the group matches against Senegal (2-0), Ecuador (1-1) and Qatar (2-0). But again it was not very spectacular for the neutral spectator. Van Gaal shrugs it off. “I get enough appreciation from the people around me,” said the coach after the win over the US. “I get my pleasure from working with the group of players and the results.” Van Gaal had already coolly established that the Orange had “simply reached the goal” as group winner.
Van Gaal dismissed the fact that criticism nevertheless came, including from TV analyst and former national coach Marco van Basten. He simply stated to continue on the same path, with the approval of his 26 selection players. The national coach prepared his team for a ‘tactical encounter’ with the US with discussions in the St. Regis hotel and at the training complex of the University of Qatar. This time he stuck to the starting team he had started against Qatar. With Memphis Depay in the striker and ‘the breakwater’ Marten de Roon in midfield next to playmaker Frenkie De Jong. And with the experienced wingbacks Daley Blind and Dumfries on the left and on the right.
Dancing in the Khalifa
It became the game of the wingbacks. Blind and Dumfries took sporting revenge for their weak performances in the group stage and now had a share in all three goals of the Orange. After ten minutes, Dumfries gave an assist to Depay after a beautiful combination of twenty passes. Van Gaal called it “a team goal”. In the stoppage time of the first half, Dumfries enabled Blind to score with a nice cross. Dumfries himself scored in the 81st minute from a cross from Blind. Haji Wright scored the only goal for the US in the 76th minute.
Read this interview with Daley Blind: ‘I too am a human being with feelings’
The discharge was great at the Orange after the final whistle. The entire selection celebrated together with the technical staff, dancing in the center circle. The champion song of 1988, by André Hazes, sounded from the speakers of the Khalifa International stadium: “The Netherlands oh the Netherlands, we will be champions.”
In the catacombs of the stadium, Denzel Dumfries said afterwards that he had found it quite hard, all the criticism he – and Blind – had received. Dumfries had also talked about it with his sports psychologist Annemieke Zijerveld, he said, to find “inner peace”. He has been in contact with her since his time at Sparta, where he played only five years ago. “We sometimes forget the person behind the footballer,” said Dumfries.
One of the best scenes of the match took place after Daley Blind’s goal. He ran to the reserve bench and – after a group hug – briefly grabbed the head of his father Danny, who is Louis van Gaal’s assistant. Daley was smiling from ear to ear, but Danny was so busy giving directions to teammates that he didn’t even seem to notice. Moments later, a smile broke through at Danny Blind. It will also have to do with Daley Blind’s history. He developed heart problems in 2019 and threatened to end his career. With a ‘heart box’ he came back to the highest level, where he has received loads of criticism this season about his poor game at Ajax. Nevertheless, Blind has always had the confidence of Louis van Gaal, who remained convinced that his contribution is of great value to the Dutch national team. Finally Blind could show that this tournament. Afterwards he said: “I don’t really want to talk about all that criticism anymore, let’s enjoy this victory.”
Van Gaal has always said that he thinks a world title is possible. He sticks to that. But with polder catenaccio instead of total football. With that he would do away with the image of a country that plays beautifully, but never wins. The Orange took a step closer, but it is still a long way off.
Correction December 3, 2022: an earlier version stated that the Orange reached the last eight at a World Cup for the eighth time. It is the seventh time: 1974, 1978, 1994, 1998, 2010, 2014 and 2022.