Argentina’s Angel Correa (left) and Lionel Messi (right) take part in a training session with teammates. AFP
The Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal says the Dutch would begin their tournament today as they take on two-time champions Argentina today at the Lusail Stadium in the quarter-final of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The teams have met five times before at the World Cup, most notably in 1978 final, which Argentina won 3-1 after extra time in Buenos Aires to lift the trophy for the first time. The South Americans also won the most recent fixture, 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the 2014 semi-final. Van Gaal was also in charge of the Dutch side.
“Argentina is a top country with top players in the group. The tournament is starting tomorrow for real for us,” Van Gaal told reporters yesterday.
“Although I don’t want to downplay the importance of other countries, Argentina and potentially Brazil are quite different from the teams we played in the Round of 16,” he added.
The 71-year-old tactician also defended persistent criticisms of his playing strategy in Qatar. His decision to defend and hit opponents on the counter-attack has drawn opprobrium from the Dutch media, but Van Gaal insists his tactics are best for the tournament.
The Netherlands are unbeaten in 19 games since Louis van Gaal returned for a third spell at the helm in August last year.
“Football is evolving, and it is more difficult than it was to play offensive,” Van Gaal stressed.
“In 2014, I started developing a defensive system, people criticized me, and now they are all playing the same. At this World Cup, we see that the results are very tight; even between big teams and supposedly smaller countries, a packed defence is simply easier than attacking. We are trying to press and push and do so in various ways. Against some squad, we do that halfway down the pitch, and it all depends on the opponent.”
The Netherlands expect to have a fully-fit squad as they face Argentina in another knockout round. With penalties a possible major factor, the Dutch must be ready, and Memphis Depay believes they are.
“Well, I haven’t done this myself. In the Champions League, I had to take a penalty in the match itself, so I don’t have that experience,” Depay said of stepping up for a shootout.
“In 2014, I was there, but I didn’t have to take the penalty, but it is a lot of tension, and as professional players, we are preparing for that. We hope to win this game in 90 minutes, but we have seen in this tournament we may have to take them. The way the penalties have been taken so far, I have very little to say about that because there is a lot of pressure.”
Netherlands’ Virgil van Dijk (left), Marten de Roon and Davy Klaassen during a training session. AFP
Speaking on playing at the Lusail stadium, where Argentina have enjoyed significant support with a huge number of supporters, Van Gaal stressed that the Dutch are professional enough to deal with the atmosphere.
“Of course, it’s not easy if there are 40,000 Argentines and we have around 1,400, but I am pleased, because it is an upward trend for us.”
Argentina sweat over fitness
La Albiceleste coach Lionel Scaloni cut an irritated figure while addressing reports that midfielder Rodrigo De Paul is injured and not fit for today’s match.
Argentina are already sweating over Angel Di Maria, who missed the last two games. De Paul, on the other hand, has been a regular and a mainstay of the South Americans’ defence.
“They’re feeling well, and we will see in today’s (yesterday’s) training and come up with a lineup. Yesterday, we trained behind closed doors, so I don’t know where this information is coming from,” Scaloni told reporters yesterday.
The 44-year-old, who led Argentina to its first Copa America trophy since 1993, last year, said his side would no doubt give 100% against the Netherlands.
“We know our team will break their backs as we did in previous games. Sometimes we’ve played very well, sometimes not that well, but we have always stood up for ourselves, which is what our people value."
Speaking of shootouts, Scaloni said they practice penalties before and after matches, citing luck as a significant factor in shootouts.
“I hope we don’t get to the penalty shootout; we hope the match is over before that.”
Midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who has enjoyed a breakthrough tournament, indicated the players have enjoyed some downtime with their families after a gruelling run of matches. He also stated that the team would be ready for the challenge.
“We know they have great players and a clear vision, and at the same time, we have our weapons, and we will try to counterbalance this. We still have one more training to fine-tune our preparation, but we have to concentrate on ourselves and fine-tune the details.
“To be able to play these key matches is a great pride, and I always try to think about how I have gotten here with the support of family and friends,” the Brighton man said.
Argentina vs Netherlands
When: Today at 10:00pm
Where: Lusail Stadium
Capacity: 88,966
Key stats:
- This will be the sixth World Cup meeting between the two countries, the first being a 4-0 win for the Dutch in Gelsenkirchen in 1974 and the last two having ended goalless in Frankfurt in 2006 and Sao Paulo in 2014.
- The Netherlands are on a 19-match unbeaten run since elimination from the European Championship last year while Argentina have bounced back from defeat in their opening match in Qatar to Saudi Arabia, which ended their stretch of 36 internationals without defeat.
- Argentina’s first World Cup success in 1978 came at the expense of the Dutch in the final as Mario Kempes scored twice and the home side won 3-1 after extra time. Argentina also won the 1986 World Cup, while the Dutch have been runners-up three times, in 1974, 1978 and 2010.
- Lionel Messi has scored nine goals in 23 matches at the World Cup, spanning five editions (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022) and is one behind Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina’s top scorer in the tournament
- The Netherlands have lost two of three previous penalty shootout contests at the World Cup, in 1998 to Brazil and 2014 to Argentina. Their lone success was against Costa Rica in 2014.
Previous meetings
- The Netherlands have lost only one of the previous nine games against Argentina - the 1978 World Cup final in Buenos Aires - though they have been beaten in a shootout on two occasions. The two countries played out a goalless draw in their last meeting in Sao Paulo in the 2014 semi-final after which Argentina won on penalties.
