The Netherlands may not quite make it through to the round of 16 against Ecuador, but Louis van Gaal’s men are still aiming for the title. This is due to a supposedly golden part of the coach’s body – and because the team does not lose even bad games.
Netherlands versus Ecuador, that’s the top match in Group A. Both teams won the opening game and both would be in the last 16 of the World Cup with another win. In a battle-focused 1-1 (1-0), Louis van Gaal’s team can’t quite clear the knockout round yet, but the team never breaks down against Ecuadorians who are getting stronger and stronger. And since the last game is against Qatar, nothing should burn. Can the German national team learn something from Oranje in order to still reach the round of 16 against Spain and Costa Rica?
Outside the Khalifa Stadium in Doha, there is a clear answer to the question. A family, who even came with a small child, says that it would be an advantage for the Netherlands that the team “doesn’t have a big star” and that “the German stars, Gündoğan, Müller, or Havertz, think that they only give 95 percent would have to”. But both mother, father, as well as grandma and grandpa agree with all other respondents: Oranje has Louis van Gaal. And not Germany.
“Van Gaal is more experienced than Hansi Flick,” says one. “He tickles and pushes everything out of his players, Flick doesn’t quite manage it that way.” Another recognizes another advantage of the 71-year-old (oldest coach in the World Cup): “He doesn’t care a whit what anyone else thinks or says. He put a new goalkeeper between the posts in the first game that nobody has ever heard of had, and it worked great.”
Van Gaal also surprises against Ecuador
We’re talking about the 2.03 meter giant Andries Noppert, who hadn’t played a single (!) international match before. “It’s something you dream of as a little boy – but I never thought it was possible,” says the keeper and is self-confident, just like van Gaal, who has given the same goal, likes it: “I want world champions otherwise you shouldn’t come.”
The 28-year-old is eighth in the Dutch Eredivisie with his club SC Heerenveen and while not completely unknown, his line-up was a big surprise. At least he kept his goal clean against Ecuador with strong saves and good positional play in the first half and conceded just one goal after 180 minutes.
But that’s just van Gaal, who with the opening success in Qatar overtook Dick Advocaat as the most successful Bonds coach of all time (38 wins). In 2014, at the end of the extra time of the quarter-finals of the World Cup (!), he replaced the substitute goalkeeper Tim Krul. In the subsequent penalty shoot-out against Costa Rica, he saved two balls from the spot and heroically parried Holland into the semi-finals.
The coach also surprises against Ecuador, standing up only once in the entire game while Ecuador’s Gustavo Julio Alfaro is constantly on the sidelines giving orders, and makes three changes at once. While ex-Bremer Davy Klaassen is in the starting XI, Bayern defender Matthies de Ligt has to go to the bench. And van Gaal’s change paid off immediately because Klaassen captured a ball in Ecuador’s penalty area and passed it on in the 6th minute. Cody Gakpo hammers the conclusion into the mesh again. Who else? The goalscorer in the 1-0 win against Senegal is preparing to become one of the stars of the World Cup. This greed for goals and this dry finish right next to the post, the DFB offensive can learn something from that until Sunday. You can read more about Gakpo later in our diary.
“Golden Spade”
At that time, before van Gaal’s change strategy, the Netherlands were not expected to do much at the World Cup in Brazil. Their squad was a mishmash of real star players – Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie – and rather mediocre Eredivisie players. But thanks to tactical tricks and van Gaal’s strong leadership style, the national team only lost on penalties in the semifinals against Germany’s final opponents Argentina. It is so far the only World Cup bankruptcy of the successful coach. His tournament record is: nine games, seven wins, one draw, one loss.
At this World Cup, Van Gaal repeatedly emphasized that his team was better than in 2014 and could win the title. That – the Dutch press speculates (once again) – could also be due to his “golden spade”, his golden penis. Sounds weird, especially given the fact that the coach is currently battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer, but it is (according to the narration) true.
So, watch out DFB, the story goes as follows: When the Netherlands didn’t get anything going in the group match of the 2014 World Cup against Chile for a long time, but van Gaal’s substitutions finally forced a 2-0 win, ex-Bayer Arjen Robben explained: His coach just has “a golden tail”. Van Gaal’s response: “I don’t know. Truus [seine Frau] never told me that!”
The term “golden spade” is now circulating in the Netherlands again as a lucky formula, because van Gaal answered the question of which opponent from pot one his team would probably be drawn with before the World Cup group draw in April with “Qatar”. “Luck is always hanging out of my ass,” he added in familiar fashion. So De Heer Gouden Pik had done it again. Added to this was the fact that Sadio Mané, top striker of group opponents Senegal, was injured before the World Cup and Argentina, as group winner and a possible quarter-final opponent of the Netherlands, botched the opener against Saudi Arabia.
The Netherlands don’t lose even a bad game
It may also be van Gaal’s Gouden-Pik luck that prevented Ecuador’s equalizer just before half-time. To the displeasure of the many fans in yellow in the Khalifa Stadium, the goal was called off for offside because a player in the punishable area probably blocked Noppert’s view. The well-deserved 1-1 draw shortly after the break, which Énner Valencia scored with his third goal of the tournament, was unable to prevent either the keeper or van Gaal’s presumably golden limb. When Gonzalo Plata hit the bar in the 59th minute, both are back.
“That wasn’t enough, we gave the ball away too often. We didn’t use the ball well, Ecuador were more physical and quicker,” said van Gaal at the press conference after the game. “If we want to be world champions, we have to improve.” But: As much as Ecuador is now pressing and winning the duels, Holland does not fall. Although it’s a bad game by Oranje. With calm and ball safety, the balance is soon restored, albeit without great chances. Flick’s team could have used this level of composure after the Japanese were 1-1 up. It’s just stupid that the DFB-Elf doesn’t have a Virgil van Dijk anchor in the center of defense.
A fan explains before the game that “gouden Pik” also means “good guy” in Dutch and that there is therefore an ambiguity. “The players all like van Gaal.” Another added: “But I think he really has a golden cock.” So how, that’s probably the real question, does Germany get this “golden spade”?
What the DFB-Elf has to learn
The fact that this is difficult is shown by the failed last-minute substitution attempts by Gareth Southgate (substituted on for a penalty shootout in the 2021 European Championship final) or David Moyes (substituted a penalty taker for West Ham against Manchester United last season, who then misses). Not everyone can have a golden spade. Perhaps Germany should better memorize an old motto of van Gaal, which is not only well-known in Munich, and which a Dutch woman reminds us of: De Dood of de Gladiolen. Death or Gladioli.
All or nothing. Go for victory with aggressiveness. Ecuador, for example, played in the second half this Friday evening, as van Gaal remarked appreciatively: “Ecuador was hot, won every duel.” In the DFB-Elf you weren’t always sure against Japan if you really wanted it. İlkay Gündoğan also criticized the maturity of the team and that nobody asked for the ball in the closing stages. Burning right from the start, leading tough duels, offering deep runs, greedy for the end – and above all wanting the goals so badly that they are forced to fall at some point. that they are being forced.
Oranje only manages to do that once against Ecuador. However, under van Gaal the side are now 18 games unbeaten and with a bit of improvement could become something of the surprise team of the tournament. The Netherlands do not play attractive and intoxicating football. But they are very difficult to conquer, even on bad days. This is often rewarded in big tournaments and leads to great success. Of course, you also need a bit of Golden Spade luck.