MADRID, 3 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of the Netherlands, Louis Van Gaal, acknowledged that he prefers Argentina in the quarterfinals, as “revenge” for the elimination in the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup on penalties, after his team won (3-1) this Saturday against United States and will seal their qualification to the next phase of Qatar 2022.
“I played in 2014 against Australia and it was difficult. Against Argentina we drew and then we lost on penalties, so it’s just as good that it’s a rematch,” the coach said in statements to Gol Mundial, collected by Europa Press.
The coach was satisfied with his team’s performance against the North American team, although he criticized the large number of turnovers in the second half. “Our tactical plan has been good and we have benefited, but possession of the ball has been very bad, we have lost many balls unnecessarily,” he said.
Regarding the options of winning the World Cup for a Netherlands that hasn’t lost a match since the last EURO, Van Gaal is clear about the goal. “Our goal is to be world champions, but that is also the goal of the rest of the teams. I have to get the best out of the team and if we are the best it doesn’t matter that we have the best individuals, but it does matter that we are the best as a team”, concluded.