Louis van Gaal is a taste that many football purists in the Netherlands are still struggling to acquire, but he can counter the complaints with results by successfully paving the way to another World Cup quarter-final.
Van Gaal is fighting the same accusations of negativity he faced when he took the Dutch to third place at the 2014 World Cup, when they only lost on penalties to Argentina in the semis -final.
This highly experienced coach was generally outspoken in his response to his detractors. And the 3-1 win over the United States in the last 16 here in Qatar means he has now gone 19 games unbeaten since replacing Frank de Boer in August 2021 to begin his third stint as a manager. coach of the Netherlands.
The Netherlands produced a ruthless display of finishing to punish a wasteful USA side and it was a satisfied Van Gaal who put away his notebook and trademark pen before a cursory wave to the stands after the comprehensive victory.
Van Gaal is a notoriously hands-on micromanager of a coach, which, according to people so well-liked in famous Dutch ‘total football’, suppresses free speech and flair.
There is no doubt that his methods and his outspokenness are not unanimous, but there is also no doubt that he is obtaining results at this level, which means that the Dutch are not a team to be underestimated.
And Van Gaal is still on course to make his biggest statement to those who ask him as he approaches the World Cup finals again.
The Netherlands didn’t exactly light up the group stages but they finished top of their group, beating Senegal and Qatar while drawing with Ecuador and here they are again. Here comes Van Gaal again.
Van Gaal will never be overwhelmed by the modesty of his accomplishments in the game, but he has plenty to be shameless about.
He is, after all, the manager who won the Champions League, the UEFA Cup and three Eredivisie titles with Ajax, two La Liga titles with Barcelona and another Eredivisie with AZ Alkmaar. . He also won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, which he also led to the 2010 Champions League final where they were beaten by Inter Milan.
And, of course, Van Gaal won the FA Cup with Manchester United in 2016.
Van Gaal is still unlikely to claim the biggest triumph of them all, given the countries still in the World Cup, but if the Dutch fail it won’t be for lack of confidence from their coach.
The big plus was that it was their best performance so far, containing a goal that will have purists purring in Van Gaal’s homeland.
Christian Pulisic had already missed USA’s best chance before the Netherlands pieced together a magnificent 21-pass streak in their finest traditions, with Memphis Depay giving the move the shine it deserved by converting a center dropped by Denzel Dumfries.
Dumfries was again provider with a similar pass from the right wing on the stroke of half-time, with Daley Blind the beneficiary.
USA snatched a lifeline with Haji Wright’s bizarre deflection before Dumfries got the goal he deserved for all his creation, Blind rewarding the compliment with a cross his fellow defender met on the volley at the far post.
It was a graphic demonstration of what Van Gaal’s team can produce because, despite all the criticism of conservatism, there is skill and quality in this whole team.
Van Gaal has a world-class defensive leader and captain at Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk, who clearly has a big influence on Nathan Ake at his side, while Dumfries and Blind provide powerful attacking options from the starting positions. full-back in the Dutch counterattack game. .
Inter Milan defender Dumfries earned player of the match honors, Van Gaal’s main weapon as the left side of the USA defense was brutally and repeatedly exposed.
Frenkie de Jong provides measure and authority in the midfield while Cody Gakpo, one of the emerging stars of this Qatar World Cup, is a serious threat alongside the rejuvenated Depay.
Depay, 28 and often remembered for his failure at Manchester United, was threatening throughout, scoring a goal and almost returning to the scoresheet.
He is currently surplus to requirements from Barcelona after joining them from Lyon in June 2021. The move follows a successful stint in France, where he scored 76 goals in 178 games over four seasons.
Depay has even been linked with an unlikely return to Manchester United and he’ll surely get more attention if he can put on more eye-catching displays like this.
There was certainly a hint of Manchester United’s bygone days in the win, as the goals were scored by former Old Trafford duo Depay and Blind with all the spectacle overseen by former manager Van Gaal.
Van Gaal, in typically prickly form, insisted before the game that if he listened to the Dutch media he would never believe the country that lost finals in 1974, 1978 and 2010 would win a World Cup.
If there’s one man aboard the coach of the team that left Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday who thinks the Netherlands can win the World Cup, it’s Louis van Gaal.
And it is this concrete confidence that makes him one of the most successful, interesting and intriguing figures in the game.
