Virgil van Dijk will return to the basic eleven of the Dutch national team on Tuesday. Louis van Gaal reveals on Saturday evening after the 4-0 victory over Montenegro that he will make a starting place for the defender against Turkey. It is the only tip of the veil that Van Gaal lifts during the press conference. The match against Turkey is important in the battle for the group win and thus direct qualification for the World Cup.
“Van Dijk will come back against Turkey”, the national coach of the Dutch reveals at the press conference afterwards. “He’s the captain of the team, so it’s not that difficult.” Against Montenegro, Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt formed the central defense duo of the Dutch. It may be that one of the two defenders has to sit on the bench, but the the Dutch could also play with a three-man defense in the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
Van Dijk was on the bench for ninety minutes against Montenegro. Van Gaal did not want to take any chances, as his captain has just recovered from a serious knee injury. Because Van Dijk already played against Norway (1-1) on Wednesday, he was given a rest against Montenegro. In Oslo, Van Dijk formed a central duo with De Vrij; De Ligt was suspended for that match.
Van Gaal said to the NOS mostly satisfied with the game. “We started very badly, but in the end we were more careful than against Norway,” he said. “We started well in Norway, but the game over the whole game was not very good. Today the seventy minutes after the opening phase were good. We completely outplayed Montenegro. We have had little time and still have to get to know each other well. , but if you can beat such a defensive team 4-0, it gives a boost to the next game.”