According to football icons Arsène Wenger and Jürgen Klinsmann (and statistics), there is nothing to complain about, no matter how much we discuss the Orange game at the World Cup in Qatar in the Netherlands.
The duo will sit in the massive press room in Doha on behalf of the FIFA Technical Committee to discuss their results so far. Louis van Gaal’s play, which seems to some to be defensive, is also discussed.
“The best way to end the debate in the Netherlands is to go home with the World Cup,” Wenger said when asked. “The Netherlands have three of the best defenders in the centre. You must use them to the fullest. I don’t want to label Van Gaal as a conservative coach.”
“Historically, Dutch football has always been very offensive. They have fewer balls this World Cup, but it’s working for them right now. “Van Gaal, the manager who made a mess at Arsenal, knows very well what he is doing with all his experience.”
“Last night I thought he was going back to the orange team and he was in the quarterfinals. The Netherlands had a hard time before he came, so there is something special about Van Gaal and I respect him a lot.”
According to Klinsmann, who has played for Germany 108 times, as a manager you think all day: “Are we going forward or backward? Do we want the ball more or less? We could talk about it here or in the bar for hours.” .
The former striker provides a striking example. “We Germans scored the most shots on goal, but we went home. Because there is no Memphis Depay or Cody Gakpo to put the ball in.”
Klinsmann points to Dutch activity. Figures provided by the Technical Committee show that the Netherlands has the fewest attempts to score in the group stage of almost 32 countries, but needs the fewest attempts to actually score.
gaps on the side
Wenger, FIFA Head of Football Development and Head of Technical Committee, once again cites the Netherlands as an example. You notice that the rooms in this World Cup are next door.
“A good example of this was the Netherlands against the United States where wingers (Denzel Dumfries and Daley Blind, note wingers had the best chance of winning this World Cup both offensively and defensively).
Watch how the Netherlands won the match against the United States, thanks in part to the guards, here:
It turns out that much more is achieved with mids from the side. Here comes another example of the Netherlands. This time from Germany. Klinsmann: “As an offensive player, you have to be able to read the crosses and have good running action. Gakpo’s header against Senegal is a great example of that.”
“The importance of goalkeepers is increasing”
One more thing stands out: Goalkeepers are much more involved in the game compared to the previous 2018 World Cup. “The goalkeeper is the first quarterback,” says Klinsmann, who sees that goalkeepers have to defend under pressure. “You need a goalkeeper who has control of the ball these days.”
“Technically, it takes a lot more than goalkeepers,” Wenger said. “It has become part of the quality of a team. More and more field players. The question arises of how we should train goalkeepers in the future.
The Frenchman immediately responds: “As part of training, a goalkeeper needs to be on the field for at least a year or two before he can advance the game later on. This is a big change.”
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
