Louis van Gaal thinks he is leaving behind a talented Netherlands squad but adds that the nation is missing quality wingers.
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Van Gaal and the Netherlands squad are now back home after losing on penalties to Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals. Van Gaal will now pass the coaching job over to Ronald Koeman.
Speaking to Algemeen Dagblad, Van Gaal reflected on what he is now leaving behind, “What I leave behind with the Orange? A good, close-knit group with a lot of football ability. But without wingers who can pass a man at the highest level.”
Van Gaal thinks there is plenty of quality, “That’s why we haven’t lost twenty games since we started together last summer. That’s not for nothing. Only we don’t have a right and left striker as I had at Ajax. No Overmars, no Finidi George. If we play with wingers playing football, it can only be done in plan B or C. But setting up two long strikers and pumping balls into the box as quickly as possible, you won’t always do that. You don’t want to play opportunistically all the time.
“You need wingers who pass a man. Our football doesn’t have that at the moment, not for the very highest level of a World Cup and the battle with top countries. That’s why I started playing differently. And we’ve come a long way. Just short of a semi-final. Out on penalties.”
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No we do not lack wingers. You are just too stubborn to see what’s in front of us you.
Frimpong, Danjuma, Karsdorp, all could have been great help on the flanks. But Berghuis was your preference….so plz retire in health
No we don’t. You just prefer Berghuis to real wingers like Frimpong, Karsdorp or Danjuma. Please just go and retire in health
That’s more or less unconvincing, if you need wingers that pass a man, isn’t Danjuma better than Bergwijn, Lang or even Depay? Not to mention if Berghuis can play the winger, doesn’t Frimpong have way much better dribbling skill?
Says it all about Van Gaal that of all the fine Dutch players around, and all the ways he could of played, he plays the way he did because he didn’t have the right wingers.
Look forward to Oranje moving on from Dutch conservatism they have been ensnared by.