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Louis van Gaal reveals he was ‘VERY critical’ of the Netherlands at half time in their win over the USA despite leading 2-0 at the interval and says his team ‘were very underprivileged’… but insists on who CAN win the World Cup
Louis van Gaal was not entirely satisfied with the Netherlands’ first half performance against the USA last weekend, despite going into half-time with two goals, as he believed the team had lost the ball too much .
The Netherlands led from the 10th minute after Memphis Depay converted Denzel Dumfries’ cross, but there were chances for the US when Christian Pulisic missed an early chance and Sergino Dest later blocked a shot from close range.
Midfielders Davy Klaassen and Marten de Roon were also dropped at half time after both had problems with the ball, completing just 56.3 and 70.6 percent of their passes, respectively.
Louis van Gaal was not entirely satisfied with the way the Netherlands played in the first half against the USA.
And while the USMNT’s relentless midfield deserves credit for making things a bit chaotic in midfield, van Gaal knows his team will have to be more orderly against Argentina.
“I was very critical at half time in my analysis that I share with my players,” he said after the 3-1 win. ‘Although we were 2-0 up, I think they were fantastic goals with beauty and team spirit.
‘However, in the first half they stripped us so much and it was not necessary. That is simply not acceptable in a World Cup. If you play in top tier countries, you just can’t make those mistakes.
I think in the second half they did a much better job, even though we scored fewer goals. However, we were all very, very happy and that gives us incredible confidence.
Tyler Adams and Frenkie de Jong battle for the ball during the Netherlands-USA match
While the Netherlands eventually got the better of the US, the Americans held their ground with their opponents, perhaps more than the score suggested.
The Oranje were certainly the more clinical of the two teams, but both teams had six shots on goal and the USMNT, possibly by Dutch design, won the battle for possession.
However, it was van Gaal’s team that went through after defensive errors by the US and will play Argentina on Friday in the quarterfinals.
And while they aren’t entirely favorites to win the tournament, van Gaal likes their chances after his team’s most prolific game of the tournament.
‘I think we have great opportunities here. We still have three games left. I have been talking about this for a year that we can become world champions.