Louis van Gaal still has faith in the victory of the World Cup in Qatar. The national coach of the Dutch national team believes ‘naturally’ that he can win the world title with the the Dutch, as long as the lower limit goes up with the the Dutch internationals and everyone also realizes who he is as a team player. In a big interview with the General Newspaper Van Gaal points to his book from 2019 when the sporting decline of Barcelona and Juventus is discussed.
Six months after the departure of Lionel Messi, Barcelona is seventh in LaLiga and even wintering in the Champions League turned out to be too difficult a task. Juventus does overwinter in the European billion-dollar ball, but also seems to miss the national title again this season. “Read my latest book, it’s all in there. That Barcelona hadn’t been a real team for a while. They had become dependent on that one man, Messi. Juventus was also such a close-knit team for years, and then suddenly Cristiano Ronaldo came along, against the culture of the club,” sums up the seventy-year-old national coach.
Van Gaal also finds it incredible that Italy must deliver a tour de force, via the play-offs first against Turkey and later possibly against Portugal, to qualify for the World Cup after having won the European Championship in the summer. He thinks it is due to a changed mindset among the players. “The coach won’t suddenly do other things, I assume. Who are you as a team player? That’s what it’s about. And so there are always opportunities, also for the Dutch national team. We can become that best team in Qatar.”
In that context, it is important that the Van Gaal path is followed. “It’s seen as arrogance to say that, but as a trainer it comes down to two essential things: leadership qualities and insight into the game and characters of players. It’s hard to say I don’t have it, I have both. And check my curriculum. I’ve won awards at all the clubs I’ve worked for. Why wouldn’t that be possible with the Dutch national team? Of course I believe in that.”
In that case, the players of the Dutch national team will have to lose the ball less in simple game moments. “In situations where there are playing options, but players still make a choice that results in a loss of ball and therefore a deadly counter,” Van Gaal teaches. “With three defenders in the center you should already be better armed than with two. But if you lose the ball unnecessarily, your teammates are often still in build-up/attack mode. What also needs to be improved: players have to realize where on the field they can and cannot dribble.”