Messi’s World Cup chase takes centrestage in quarterfinal clash against Van Gaal’s Netherlands
DOHA, Qatar: The upcoming clash between Argentina and the Netherlands has all the ingredients of a nerve-wracking thriller that could make it the ultimate match of the century, a report in The Tribune, chanddigarh, says.
With extraordinary talent, skills, experience and records on both sides, it could be anybody’s game in the end. And the tension and excitement is more than palpable, not just on both sides but among millions of fans both in Qatar and around the world.
This will be the sixth World Cup meeting between the two countries, the first being a 4-0 win for the Dutch in 1974 and the last two having ended goalless in 2006 and 2014
Some of the questions being heatedly tossed around are Lionel Messi up against Virgil van Dijk? The youngest coach at the World Cup taking on the oldest? South America versus Europe.?
Here’s a basic overview of what’s possibly in store for everyone.
The quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands has all the ingredients of a classic. And the possibility of it being Messi’s final game on football’s biggest stage just adds to the anticipation.
The seven-time world player of the year is just three wins away from achieving his ultimate dream, but he has two people in particular, blocking his path.
First, there’s the almost unsurpassable Dutch player Van Dijk, who has been one of the world’s best defenders over the past five years. If there’s anyone who can stop Messi on one of his trademark dribbles, it is the graceful Liverpool centre-back who combines pace with a great reading of the game.
And then there’s the 71 year-old Netherland’s coach and manager Louis van Gaal, the wily tactician. He has recently undergone successful treatment for prostate cancer, and is now plotting to win the World Cup in perhaps the final job of his 26-year coaching career.
Van Gaal, who has long been one of the most charismatic characters in soccer, is approaching this task with a lot of fun — even on the eve of one of the biggest matches of his career.
Today, he was told that Angel Di Maria, who plays for Argentina, thinks he is the worst coach he has ever played under following their time together at Manchester United in 2014-15.
This will be the sixth World Cup meeting between the two countries, the first being a 4-0 win for the Dutch in 1974 and the last two having ended goalless in 2006 and 2014
Van Gaal said it was a pity Di Maria felt this way — “he is one of the few players to have said that,” he remarked, “as usually it is the other way round”
Van Gaal was also asked how he was planning to stop Messi — a question for which many coaches down the years have failed to come up with an answer. “It’d be pretty stupid to reveal your own tactics,” he said, smiling.
His Argentina counterpart, the 44-year-old Lionel Scaloni is a comparative novice after taking charge of his country in 2018 for his first senior coaching role. Yet, he led Argentina to the Copa America title last year.
A stupendous run of form has seen Netherlands go 19 games without defeat since Van Gaal returned to the hot seat for a third spell 15 months ago.
But after the agonising speculation over the endless array of possibilities, the only thing left to do is wait and see what happens as history unfolds irrevocably and at a blurring speed.
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