FIFA World Cup 2022: The Netherlands can’t afford to go Dutch

Coach Louis Van Gaal and wife Truss during The Netherlands’ training session in Doha yesterday. Pic/AFP

The Netherlands put it across the USA quite comfortably in the end winning their Round-of-16 match 3-1 at the Khalifa Stadium, but coach Louis van Gaal felt his team shared too much ball possession with their opponents. Memphis Depay (10th minute) and Daley Blind (46th) put the Dutch comfortably 2-0 ahead, scoring off well-constructed team efforts before USA's Haji Wright (76th) pulled one back to give them a scare. Denzel Dumfries (81st) however, sealed the tie in favour of the Dutch.

Improvement needed

Later, veteran coach van Gaal, was at his analytical best. "I was very critical during the half-time analysis that I usually do with my players. In the first half, we gave away the ball far too much, unnecessarily, despite that we were 2-0 up. We need to improve on the transition and keeping possession [of the ball]. We cannot give that away. We suffered so much as we were dispossessed so often early on in the match and that is not acceptable at a World Cup. If you play top-notch countries, that's not acceptable," Van Gaal said at the post-match press conference.

The Netherlands face Lionel Messi's Argentina in the quarter-finals and van Gaal's assessment was spot-on. Tyler Adams & Co time and again dispossessed the Dutch, but somehow could not get the ball into the back of their net. Van Gaal was happier with his team's effort in the second session. "We did much better in the second half though we scored fewer goals. However, we were all really happy and it gives us tremendous confidence as we played flawlessly. But then they got a goal because, again, we lost possession unnecessarily and that's a pity," he added. Going forward however, the former Manchester United and Barcelona head coach is confident that his team can only improve from here.

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‘We have a big chance'

"Tomorrow, we will analyse the match and get to work again. I imagine the stronger the country we're playing, the less they'll adjust their tactics. I don't expect France, Argentina or Spain to adjust their strategy to ours, so we have a big chance. Top countries have exited the preliminary rounds and we are still here, only three matches removed from what I've been talking about for a year - for us to be able to become World Champions. Not that we are going to be World Champions, but that we can become World Champions," he concluded.