Piet de Visser is not a fan of the 5-3-2 system of national coach Louis van Gaal. The 88-year-old master scout believes that the the Dutch comes into its own better in a different formation. In addition, De Visser argues for some changes in the basic eleven of the Dutch national team.
The Dutch defeated the United States (3-1) in the eighth finals of the World Cup in Qatar with ‘provocative pressing’, according to Van Gaal. However, De Visser does not get excited about the tactics used. “Louis van Gaal says he plays chess. I think: football is not a game of chess”, says the scout opposite Football International. “Now we let the opponent come and make mistakes and then we strike. It’s effective, we win. But to say it makes me excited? In my eyes, the fancier gets off badly.”
“Despite my admiration for Van Gaal, I am not very enthusiastic about the system,” continues De Visser, who believes that the the Dutch comes out better with more attacking football and therefore opts for a 4-3-2-1 formation . “Then they would also have won against the relatively simple opponents we have had. Anyway, I was raised with attacking football. Look at Japan, how they play. Full on the attack, with a lot of movement. I enjoy that.”
In his favorite 4-3-2-1 system, De Visser sees a role for Jurriën Timber as a controlling midfielder. “Slide Frenkie de Jong forward and put Timber on 6. Now De Jong collects the ball completely from Van Dijk. You take away the power from both. Timber can also fill that position, he is strong on the ball. De Ligt can play in his place.” The master scout also makes room in midfield for Berghuis, who started in the base during the first group match against Senegal, but had to do it with a substitute against Ecuador and Qatar. He even stayed on the bench for ninety minutes against the United States. “Berghuis can play great football in possession. I also don’t understand why he’s next to it.”
Related
More sports news
