Lionel Messi who crosses swords with Virgil van Dijk. The youngest coach at the Soccer World Cup who is measured against the eldest of the group. South America versus Europe. In short, a prestigious poster.
The quarter-final duel between Argentina and the Netherlands, scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m., has all the ingredients of a classic. And the possibility of this being Messi’s last game on soccer’s biggest stage only adds to the anticipation.
Seven times winner of the Golden Ball awarded to the player of the year, Messi needs only three victories to realize the biggest dream of his sporting career. However, two people in particular could be blocking his path.
First there is van Dijk, one of the best defenders in the world over the last five years. If any player can stop Messi on one of his signature dribbles, it’s the elegant centre-back, who combines pace on the pitch with an excellent reading of the game.
And then there’s Louis van Gaal, the wily 71-year-old strategist who recently underwent successful treatment for prostate cancer and is now hoping to win the World Cup in what could be the last term of his 26 years of coaching career.
Van Gaal, long one of soccer’s most charismatic personalities, approaches this task with great pleasure, even on the eve of one of the most important games of his career.
On Thursday, he was told that Angel Di Maria, a color bearer for the Argentine team, thinks he is the worst head coach he has ever played for, following their association with Manchester United in 2014-2015.
Van Gaal responded by saying it was a shame Di Maria saw it that way — “he’s one of the few players to have said that,” he noted, when “usually it’s the ‘reverse’ — and added that he once had a dispute with Netherlands captain Memphis Depay, who sat alongside him.
“Now we kiss,” van Gaal launched while leaning towards Depay, his arms outstretched.
Van Gaal has also been asked how he plans to stop Messi, a question many managers over the years have been unable to answer.
“It would be pretty stupid to reveal your own strategy,” he said, smiling. But it’s not that hard to come up with an answer. You could have given an answer yourself. You could try to block and close passing lanes. Am I right, Memphis? »
As for his rival, Lionel Scaloni could be seen as a novice after taking the job in 2018 in what became his first head coaching role at senior level.
Despite that, the 44-year-old coach already led Argentina to a Copa America triumph last year — the country’s first major championship since 1993 — and managed to revive his side after the stunning loss to Barcelona. Saudi Arabia in group stage curtain raiser.
A battle between powers
While van Gaal predicted a tight game whose outcome will be determined by a “decisive moment”, Scanoli said he predicted a “superb game because we are talking about two national formations inclined to attack, but also able to defend”.
It should be a battle of styles between two historical powerhouses in football. Two-time champions Argentina favor possession and the Netherlands, three-time runners-up, are now keen on the counter-attack under van Gaal.
The two countries have faced each other in high-profile matches at the World Cup, but none more significant than the 1978 final, which Argentina won on home soil.
There was also a quarter-final duel in 1998, won by the Netherlands thanks to a beautiful goal from Dennis Bergkamp, during the 90th minute of play. And also the victory of Argentina in the penalty shootout in the 2014 semi-finals.
Messi took part in this game and had been inconspicuous against a team that van Gaal also managed.
Eight years later, Messi remains Argentina’s star player and delivered his best performance at the current edition of the World Cup in a 2-1 win against Australia in the round of 16.
“The tournament starts tomorrow for us, for real,” said van Gaal. Without wanting to diminish the importance of the other countries we have beaten, Argentina and, possibly, Brazil in the next round, are different nations than those we have faced so far. »