Netherlands (National Football)

Despite their place in the final in 2010, few people gave the Netherlands a chance to go far during the World Cup in Brazil. Too many of their players were still inexperienced, it was said, not ready to compete on football’s biggest stage.

This was, of course, not a far-fetched assertion. With a defence largely consisting of players from the Dutch Eredivisie, like Stefan de Vrij and Bruno Martins Indi, it was difficult to expect the Netherlands to win against nations like reigning world champions Spain and dangerous outsiders Chile.

What’s more, Kevin Strootman, one of their key players during the qualifiers, had just suffered a serious injury, and the Netherlands had not done well during their preparatory campaign. Surely, the Dutch would be forced to leave the Brazilian party early.

How different would proceedings unfold themselves once the tournament got underway. The Netherlands demolished the once-invincible Spanish tiki-taka machine during their first group match, and later, Australia and Chile were dealt with. In the knockout stage, Mexico and Costa Rica were beaten in thrilling but empowering knockout-stage matches.

As it turned out, this Dutch team was not as bad as was expected. As it turned out, this Dutch team could be seen as one of the contestants to win the World Cup.  

Although it was the players on the pitch who scored the goals and won the matches, this success could largely be ascribed Louis van Gaal. Time and again, it was the Dutch manager who changed the Oranje’s fortunes by making exactly the right call at exactly the right time.

Take the tactical change Van Gaal made, shortly before the Netherlands’ opening match against Spain. Defying expectations and stepping away from his favoured 4-3-3 formation, he switched to 5-3-2.

Friend and foe were shocked, but it worked like charm. Against Spain, a liberated Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie put goal after goal past the Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The lost final of 2010 had been avenged.

Against Australia, the Netherlands were forced to make a comeback after falling 2-1 behind. Thanks to Van Gaal, who switched back to 4-3-3 to allow for more options up front, the Oranje eventually won 3-2.

During the Netherlands’ round-of-16 match, against Mexico, it was Van Gaal’s man-management skills that won the day. Fighting back from being 1-0 behind, a deeply motivated Wesley Sneijder, who was once heavily criticised by his boss, and a raging Klaas-Jan Huntelaar changed their team’s fortunes.

Against Costa Rica, Van Gaal’s audacious move to substitute first-choice goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen for apparent penalty killer Tim Krul in the dying minutes of extra time fundamentally changed the penalty shootout that followed.

Should you have predicted this turn of events a couple of months ago, you would have been called a madman. But it was true: The Netherlands had reached the semi-final of the World Cup in Brazil. And in many ways, this was thanks to their manager.

Sure, Van Gaal ran out of tricks in the semi-final. The manager was unable to directly influence the match from the dugout, and the Netherlands lost to Argentina after a penalty shootout. But the simple truth is that it had been an amazing achievement to even get that far.

As a fan of the Netherlands, it will be difficult to look back at this World Cup without a feeling of satisfaction. By rising above themselves match after match, the Oranje managed to exceed expectations immeasurably.

Louis van Gaal, too, can look back with pride. Before starting a new chapter in his career at Manchester United, he has shown how far a well-managed collective can get.

Netherlands couldn't quite manage to match their World Cup achievements of four years ago, as the 2010 losing finalists this time bowed out at the semi-final stage of the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

After a cautious and unambitious 120 minutes of action against Argentina, Netherlands were eliminated by way of a penalty shootout, losing 4-2 to the South Americans with Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder missing the decisive spot-kicks.

Despite the expected disappointment of being eliminated just one step away from the final, Netherlands can arguably be crowned one of the biggest over-achievers of the finals, having gone far beyond most expectations in reaching the last four.

Not 2010 Vintage

Four years ago, the Dutch might not always have played the fast-flowing, attacking football they have been noted for, but they had a number of key players in prime ages to make an impact.

Nigel de Jong, Robin van Persie, Dirk Kuyt, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder were all between 25 and 29, with Rafael van der Vaart still on the scene, experienced captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst still a force and a selection of experienced defenders to call on.

This time around, those initial five players are all 30 and above with the exception of De Jong, 29, with a host of younger, home-based defenders charged with keeping guard at the back.

Kevin Strootman, a key midfielder for Louis van Gaal, was absent with injury, Van der Vaart suffered an injury pre-tournament and none of the newer additions to the squad had been able to make an impact with goalscoring at the international level. Of the players aged under 30 in the World Cup squad, only Jeremain Lens has managed to hit more than two goals for the Oranje.

All told, despite there being some undoubted class remaining, it certainly wasn't a squad with the expectation and experience of four years previous—plus a disastrous Euro 2012 campaign was far closer to mind than a four-years-past final.

Spain have picked 12 of the 14 players used in the 2010 World Cup final in their squad. Only 6 of Holland's likely to make their initial 30!

— Simon Gleave (@SimonGleave) May 13, 2014

Former goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar commented pre-tournament, as per FIFA.com, that Brazil 2014 would be about seeing which youngsters could step up for the future:

We are in a little bit more of a difficult time now, we don't have the 10 or 11 world class players in our team – we have maybe three or four and they are getting older. So it's about time that the young Dutch generation pick up the laurels from the older ones and hopefully can achieve, first with their clubs and then the national team, a little more success than over the last three or four years. No, three years, as four years ago we were in the final!

Group of Death?

It wasn't just the playing staff that had onlookers doubting Netherlands' ability to make an impact: Chile and Spain were hugely fancied to take the top two spots, with the fast-paced, all-action style of Chile an exciting proposition and Spain, of course, the reigning champions.

Australia weren't expected to put up much competition, though as it transpired, that was the game Netherlands had most trouble with.

Nobody, nobody, expected Netherlands to avenge their 2010 final defeat in such an extraordinary way.

It might have been different had David Silva taken the chance to put Spain 2-0 up before half-time, but instead 1-0 down became 5-1 up and Netherlands grew from that moment, trusting in Van Gaal's tactical alterations, their own ability to attack and outscore the opposition.

It could be argued that their failure to follow that plan against Argentina was ultimately their downfall in going even further.

Van Gaal Gone

Despite being unfancied, despite missing a key player or two and despite having agreed to a new job before the tournament started, Van Gaal led Netherlands to the last four, an admirable finish, all things considered.

Being the driven, expectant manager he is, though, it will still be seen as a missed opportunity and something of a defeat by the boss, who could feasibly use this as great motivation to be an instant success in his new role next season, returning to club football with Manchester United.

While Van Gaal certainly had success with Bayern Munich—the Bundesliga title and German Cup double in 2010—it must be acknowledged that he runs the risk of being seen as becoming something of a "nearly man." Since his success with Barcelona in his first spell ended with the 1999 league title, the ensuing decade-and-a-half has yielded only two further titles: that Bayern league win, and one with AZ in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Meanwhile, a title defeat in 2000, a runner-up spot with AZ in 2006, third a year later alongside a Cup final defeat, a surrendering of his title with Bayern and now a World Cup semi-final knockout make it a longer list of close calls than actual victories since the turn of the century.

If the Dutch tactician needed any further motivation to prove his worth, perhaps the disappointing semi-final exit—no matter how much further than expected Netherlands went—might prove to be a crucial kick-starter to Van Gaal's winning habit.

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He had changed his team’s formation to combat Spain. He had used Klaas-Jan Huntelaar as a super sub against Mexico. He had substituted his first-choice goalkeeper and brought on Tim Krul in the dying seconds of extra time against Costa Rica, fundamentally changing the context of the penalty shootout that followed.

But on Wednesday, during the Oranje’s semi-final effort against Argentina, Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal finally ran out of tricks.

How different this match was from the Netherlands’ opener against Spain just a few weeks ago. A liberated Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie ran riot on their opponents, scoring goals and taking the Spanish tiki-taka machine apart piece by piece.

Then there was the match against Australia. For a moment, the Dutch faltered and actually had to chase their opponents, who were 2-1 up at one point. But by bringing on Memphis Depay and switching to a 4-3-3, Van Gaal changed this match around with apparent ease.

In the round-of-16 match against Mexico, Van Gaal made a similar change, and this time again, it was exactly the right call. By providing an assist and converting a penalty, Huntelaar repaid the faith his boss had put in him and then some.

Finally, of course, there was the famous trick he pulled on Costa Rica, who couldn’t believe what their eyes were telling them when Van Gaal used his final substitution to switch goalkeepers.

Time and again, Van Gaal had directly influenced proceedings on the pitch. Time and again, he had changed things around through clever management.

But against Argentina, it felt like nothing could be done. Van Gaal tried it with Huntelaar, but no offensive substitution would have increased the Netherlands’ luck in front of their opponents’ goal.

Possibly, Van Gaal could have switched to a 4-3-3 again, bringing on Memphis Depay to play as a left-winger or pushing Dirk Kuyt, who played as a wing-back, further upfield. But the manager had already used two of his substitutions on Nigel de Jong, who wasn’t fully fit, and Bruno Martins Indi, who seemed close to receiving a second yellow card.

This state of affairs exemplified Van Gaal’s lack of power, his lack of ability to exert his influence. As if the bridles had slipped from his controlling hands, it seemed as if the match had started to live its own life.

Against his will and against his nature, the Netherlands boss had to wait and hope for the best. But the best didn’t come. When it came to penalties and Ron Vlaar missed the first spot-kick, it felt as if the Dutch had given up.

The Netherlands performed better than expected at the World Cup. They were able to do that because the players rose above themselves, but also because Van Gaal kept making exactly the right calls.

But against Argentina, in the semi-final, all options were depleted. Things took their course, and there wasn’t anything Van Gaal could do.

With a bit more luck, the Netherlands could have still won the match. But luck is not what Van Gaal is about. He is about control, about ruling out coincidence, about taking matters into his own hands.

Followers of Manchester United will undoubtedly look forward to Van Gaal’s influence next year. But for now, fans of the Netherlands will mourn.

In terms of entertainment, Argentina and the Netherlands must feel like a local pub band booked to follow the Beatles.

How could their semi-final on Wednesday possibly top or even go part of the way to matching the spectacle of Germany's utterly extraordinary dismantling of Brazil?

Of course, the game might be thrilling in its own way, but it will have to go some in order to rank anywhere near what came before it.

One of the things that might help that quest along is a brilliant individual performance from one of the teams' star men, the obvious candidates of course being Lionel Messi, Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie.

While all three have produced moments of brilliance in the World Cup so far, Van Persie has been curiously quiet in the Netherlands' two knockout games.

Against Mexico he was withdrawn for tactical reasons, and his retreat to the bench without anything close to complaint at least shows the regard in which he and the rest of the Dutch team hold Louis van Gaal.

Against Costa Rica he was frankly awful, missing a few entirely presentable chances and being far too easily caught out by an admittedly well-planned offside trap.

One of the main reasons the Dutch could not break Costa Rica down was Van Persie's profligacy. Van Gaal had selected an attacking team, with Memphis Depay and Robben supporting Van Persie and Wesley Sneijder as part of a two-man midfield.

It was done in anticipation of Costa Rica putting nine men behind the ball and hoping for either a counter-attack, to get lucky or penalties.

That's exactly what happened, but the plan didn't work largely because his centre-forward threw away so many chances to clinch the game. There is only so much a manager can do.

Of course, that's all if Van Persie actually plays. His participation is in some doubt after missing training on Tuesday. The Manchester United man was ill and thus rested, as Van Gaal explains, quoted by The Guardian's Owen Gibson: 

He had some stomach problems, some intestinal problems, so it’s better not to train then because you make it worse.

Van Persie is our captain. So in that capacity alone he is very important. In principle my captain will always play but they have to be in good shape.

In better news for the Dutch, Nigel de Jong trained this week, a surprise after he was supposedly ruled out of the tournament following a groin strain picked up against Mexico. If he is fit, it would obviously be a huge boost for the Netherlands, primarily as they try to keep Messi quiet.

In De Jong's absence, Van Gaal will either stick with Georginio Wijnaldum, bring in Jonathan de Guzman or possibly move Daley Blind into the middle.

However, all of those would be inferior options to De Jong, who would of course bring bite, leadership and organisation into their midfield, all of which will be required if they are to prevent Messi from running the game.

Not that Van Gaal is particularly preoccupied by Messi, saying, per Gibson: "We are playing against Argentina. We always refer to teams and not individual players. We have a plan ready for Argentina."

He is, as is often the case, quite right, but that plan will only work if Van Persie and his other stars play well enough to carry it out effectively.

After the Netherlands narrowly escaped with a penalty shootout win in their matchup against Costa Rica, they will look ahead to Argentina, where they will need to find a way to stop Lionel Messi if they want to advance to the World Cup final on Sunday.

Messi, who is widely regarded as one of the world’s most prolific players, won’t be easy to contain, but the Dutch have a slew of weapons at their disposal, most notably in superstar Arjen Robben.

With the World Cup trophy on the line, the Dutch will need to do everything in their power to stop Messi—and with enough talent and a bit of luck, they just may be able to do so.

The Netherlands’ first plan will be to “cut the supply line to Messi,” defender Bruno Martins Indi told Dutch website nu.nl, according to Fox News (via the Associated Press).

In order to stifle Messi’s ability, the Dutch will need to play tough and consistent defense to keep the ball away from the Argentine forward. This was considered a weak point coming into the World Cup, but the team has shown that it can hang tough when it needs to.

Their challenge will be actually being able to accomplish this, which they will need to do by playing more physically against him and limiting his time with the ball.

Take a look at the following video to see all of Messi’s World Cup goals thus far. Especially impressive is his shot featured at 42 seconds—the man makes it look too easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sALGxHpNYLw

Messi has earned himself an average of 9.41 on FIFA.com’s Castrol Index. While Messi finds himself coming in as the fourth ranked forward, the Netherlands’ Robben has a slightly higher average score of 9.59.

Wednesday’s matchup should prove to be one of the most exciting games of the competition, as both Robben and Messi are known for being two of the world’s most aggressive forwards, with Messi having scored four goals thus far in the World Cup and Robben three.

Robben will need to stay consistent and play even harder in Wednesday’s game if the team wants to win, considering he was unable to score a goal against Costa Rica last week until the game came down to penalty kicks. However, his contribution so far has been invaluable, according to Bleacher Report’s Daniel Edwards.

With three goals and one assist, Robben has been directly involved in four of the Oranje's 12 strikes so far in the tournament. He has broken into the area an astonishing 26 times with the ball, and 94 percent of his shots have been on target. Even against Costa Rica, without a doubt the poorest match of his World Cup so far, the Bayern star passed with an accuracy of over 80 percent and beat his man on seven out of 10 attempts over the 120 minutes.

Take a look at the following video clip starting at 23 seconds as Robben runs down the field and outwits two defenders and the goalie to score.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_SFVmcWL8M

Robben, who Football Funnys' Twitter account says is the tournament's best player, just might be able to give Messi a run for his money in Wednesday’s matchup when it comes to scoring. Though the quote may be in jest, it's nearly impossible to deny his impact on the team's wins.

As long as the team’s defense can help slow down Messi, balanced with a strong offensive attack from Robben and the rest of the team, the Dutch will have a legitimate shot at beating Argentina and advancing the Netherlands to the World Cup final on Sunday.

From a player point of view, this World Cup has graced us with individual displays of pure entertainment.

We often praise and critique some of the tournament's stars like Lionel Messi, James Rodriguez, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo, while we gloss over the familiar yet unsung players who have caught our eyes from time to time.

Many are rubbing their eyes with the numerous talents that have emerged in Brazil, but for me, there is only one name thus far that confirms what I already knew in terms of quality, even if he is, at least for now, short of greatness: Arjen Robben.

Although his hint of self-confessed diving antics has often overshadowed his tireless work ethic and tenacious dribbling, Robben has been the most outstanding player of this tournament.

Until now, some defenders have tried, and maybe only temporarily succeeded, to keep Robben off his favored left foot, but you always sense the danger when he begins to run at you.

As Owen Gibson wrote for The Guardian:

While so much of the attention has, perhaps by design, been on the manager Louis van Gaal's tactics and tics, it is Robben who has powered the side to the semi-finals.

The statistics – three man of the match awards, three goals, one assist and that last-minute penalty against Mexico that highlighted the best and worst of his game (it was both a foul and a dive) – don't tell the whole story. From Holland's first game, that 5-1 evisceration of Spain that signalled not only the end of an era but also sent confidence coursing through Oranje veins, to their nervy, attritional victory over Costa Rica on penalties, he has been Van Gaal's one constant.

For defenders, it's not as simple as saying "force him to his right" and job well done. Frankly, I'm not sure I have the answer, which proves my point even more. Had we found the solution to stop his penetrating runs, we would not be having this discussion.

Why do we love him? Well, Robben's insatiable thirst for goal and darting runs catch the eye immediately. Every defender shudders at the thought of being tasked with standing in his way when he picks up the ball in the attacking half. Still, he finds a way through more often than not. Whether it's the first or the last minute, his body is a mechanism with an unyielding instinct to sustain relentless pressure as he bears down on the opposition.

He is the sort of player who, in any moment, can break you. As a defender, it's frightening to know that he always wants to take you on. You may succeed once or twice, but the thought of dealing with him for 90 minutes must be extremely intimidating.

As you all know, you can do well defensively for 90 minutes, but the one time he beats you, you have then failed at your job. Robben, like Messi, Ronaldo and other great players, can continue to fail until they get it right. Robben is never satisfied until he gets what he wants the majority of the time.

Healthy and technically impeccable, Robben plays with an extra gear or two these days, as he alluded to recently, while saying that even when in a full sprint, he can sprint within the sprint.

For the Netherlands, he is without a doubt the team's most prized possession. "At this tournament more than any other tournament, Robben is to the Netherlands what Lionel Messi is to Argentina," Wesley Sneijder said, per The Daily Telegraph's Jason Burt. "He constantly occupies two or three opponents, creating space for others. Against Costa Rica (in the quarterfinal) he did that a number of times and that helped us."

What we mustn't forget, however, is that his performances while playing for his country are not inferior to that of his club, Bayern Munich. While Messi and Ronaldo must shoulder the burden of winning an elusive World Cup to finally etch their names in football history, as if they already hadn't, Robben seems to play with much more freedom.

He makes the transition from club to country painless. He has grown to become a leader and has put Robin van Persie in his shadow to a degree. He has the presence that through body language does not often look positive, but one that reassures teammates he will get the job when they are failing.

That sort of personality is in many ways similar to Louis van Gaal—both generals, one off the pitch and one on it. You love to hate them, but you would want them next to you in the foxhole in the time of war.

It would be wise to address the cynical side of Robben, as previously mentioned. He takes advantage of the grey area of what is deemed a foul and bends the rules by embellishing contact. There is a skill to that as long as the contact exists. In the absence of that contact, his antics, of course, shouldn't be part of the game.

While I was writing this, in many ways Messi's name was popping in my mind, as some of their characteristics are very similar—with the last part being the big difference in what you think of his legacy and his greatness.

Based on technical ability and what they bring to the table in terms of pure talent, I keep them in the same category. Messi, of course, is already great and will be one of the greatest even if he never wins a World Cup. I don't know that Robben can be considered one of the greatest, but maybe the gap between the two isn't as large as we sometimes think.

And maybe that gap could be narrowed Wednesday if Robben can lead the Netherlands past Argentina into the World Cup final.

Polish-born Janusz Michallik played 44 times for the United States national team and in MLS for Columbus Crew and New England Revolution. Now a respected commentator and pundit for ESPN, Fox, SiriusXM FC, OneWorldSports and others, Janusz will be writing for B/R during the World Cup.

When Andres Iniesta hit an extra-time winner for Spain in the World Cup final of 2010, it brought the familiar scene of heartache for millions of Dutch supporters. Once again, international football’s proverbial nearly men had promised so much only to falter at the final hurdle.

That defeat in Soccer City was the Oranje’s third in a World Cup final, and it is mind-blowing to think that a football nation as huge as the Netherlands has never lifted the sport’s ultimate crown.

In fact, a European Championship triumph in 1988 remains their only ever major title success, and apart from that it has been decades of agony for one of international football’s most exciting outfits.

But Louis van Gaal’s men are now potentially just 180 minutes away from finally ending that anguish.

As expected, the Oranje romped through their qualifying campaign. The Dutch scored 34 times en route to picking up 28 of a possible 30 points. In addition to that, Robin van Persie hit 11 goals to lead UEFA’s individual scoring charts.

After the disastrous campaign at Euro 2012, under predecessor Bert van Marwijk, Van Gaal had come in and helped his stars rediscover their form. The future looked bright for the Oranje.

However, their preparations for the tournament were badly dented by March’s devastating news of a season-ending injury to star midfielder Kevin Strootman. In the absence of the influential Roma man, Van Gaal saw no other option but to shuffle the pack by ditching the team’s usual 4-3-3 formation in favour of an experimental 5-3-2.

The change in tactics, combined with an immensely difficult group containing both Spain and Chile, inevitably led to more subdued expectations from the normally electric Oranje support.

When news of Van Gaal’s appointment as the next Manchester United manager broke just weeks before the tournament, Dutch fans could have been forgiven for pre-empting a similar outcome as that ill-fated campaign in Ukraine two years earlier.

But the Netherlands sent shock waves across the globe with their incredible 5-1 opening-game demolition of Spain. The Dutch had completely overwhelmed their tormentors of four years ago and followed that up with professional performances against both Chile and Australia to top Group B with a maximum nine points.

Netherlands	9 pts	GD +7
Chile	6 pts	GD +2
Spain	3 pts	GD -3
Australia	0 pts	GD -6

Van Gaal’s side had also netted 10 goals in those three group games, more than any of the other 31 competing nations in Brazil.

Perhaps more impressive, though, has been their resilience in the knockout phase. Those wins over Mexico and Costa Rica also demonstrated Van Gaal’s immense tactical knowledge, and the 62-year-old’s magic touch could help guide the Dutch to football’s ultimate prize for the first time.

With under 15 minutes to play and his side trailing Mexico by a goal in their last-16 encounter, Van Gaal took a huge gamble by withdrawing star striker Robin van Persie. Admittedly, the Manchester United attacker had been well off the pace throughout, but to replace your biggest goal threat at such a crucial time requires nerves of steal.

Fortunately, the Dutch manager possesses bags of confidence, and that decision to substitute paid dividends as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar turned the game on its head in a matter of minutes.

As per WhoScored.com, the Schalke 04 striker managed just seven touches during his time on the pitch, but that didn’t prevent him from firing the Netherlands to the quarter-final as the Dutch claimed a dramatic 2-1 victory.

The Netherlands had to endure another huge scare in the last eight. Despite dominating proceedings throughout and creating ample chances, they simply could not beat Costa Rica’s inspired goalkeeper, Keylor Nevas.

Even after firing that blank, the Netherlands remain the joint top-scoring team of the tournament alongside Colombia on 12 goals from five matches. Their lethal finishing was also evidenced by the emphatic manner in which they dispatched all four penalties with minimal fuss in that nerve-racking shootout.

Perhaps more telling, though, was the fascinating situation that developed regarding the Netherlands goalkeeper.

With just seconds remaining, Van Gaal decided to replace first-choice custodian Jasper Cillessen with understudy Tim Krul. This proved to be a masterstroke by the Dutch manager, as the Newcastle shot-stopper saved two of Costa Rica’s penalties to confirm another semi-final appearance for the European giants.

What’s more, as per BBC Sport, the extraordinary move had been pre-planned by the Dutch manager. Van Gaal was reported as saying: "We all thought Tim was the best keeper to stop penalties. He is taller and has a longer reach. It worked out. That was beautiful. I'm a bit proud of that."

Had the fearless ploy backfired, Van Gaal would’ve been open to mass scrutiny, and you can bet that the world’s media would have been firing bullets from all directions. However, the plan worked perfectly and saw the future Manchester United boss heralded as a genius.

Van Gaal’s brilliance wasn’t the substitution itself, but rather the fact he managed to convince the Costa Rican players that Krul would emerge as the hero.

The manager may have pointed toward the 26-year-old’s stature and 6'4" frame as vindication for the switch, but the Newcastle keeper has kept out just two of 20 penalties faced during his five-year spell in England, according to Nick Miller of The Guardian.

Nevertheless, the dramatic late substitution inevitably allowed doubts to creep into the minds of Costa Rica’s heroes, and that in turn helped to ensure it was the Netherlands who advanced to Wednesday’s semi-final in Sao Paulo.

As well as personifying Van Gaal’s "no fear" approach to management, it also highlighted the notion that it takes an entire squad to succeed at a World Cup. The unity among the Dutch squad has the potential to help them finally end their hoodoo in Brazil.

The Netherlands may boast the world-class attacking talents of Van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, but they are very much a team that work as one, and that could give them the edge against Argentina.

Alejandro Sabella’s South American giants may boast the world’s best player in Lionel Messi, but aside from the dazzling displays of their talisman, Argentina have largely been quite disappointing in Brazil.

Granted, they deserve to be commended for reaching this stage and are still very much in the hunt for a third World Cup crown. However, if the Oranje can keep the four-time Ballon d’Or winner quiet, then you have to say that the advantage is with Van Gaal’s men.

Angel Di Maria may have received heaps of abuse for his lackluster showing against Switzerland, yet it was the Real Madrid man’s tireless running that eventually led to cracks appearing in the Swiss defence. Inevitably it was the attacking midfielder who applied the finishing touch to score the game’s only goal from Messi’s killer pass.

Without Di Maria, who joins striker Sergio Aguero on the sidelines, the reliance on Messi increases tenfold.

Although the little magician has delivered so far, netting four goals en route to being named Man of the Match in the first four games, the alarm bells should be ringing due to the inadequate performances of several stars.

Additionally, the fact that their star man hasn’t scored in either of his country’s two knockout games will provide a boost for the Netherlands.

The Dutch have already shown their credentials in Brazil, particularly with that demolition of Spain, while they’ve also beaten strong South American opponents in Chile. The Oranje Army have every reason to believe their side will book a second successive World Cup final appearance—a feat that would match their previous best record of back-to-back finals in 1974 and 1978.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHvlrQilvkE

At this stage of the tournament, every game will be tight and tentative, particularly in the opening minutes. This could play perfectly into the hands of Holland, who tend to grow in stature as the games progress.

Of 12 Dutch goals at this year’s finals, 10 of them have come during the second half of matches. Combined with Van Gaal’s astute analysis of where a game can be won and lost, this has to be their best chance of finally getting their hands on the game’s most sought-after trophy.

The Netherlands have been far from perfect in this World Cup but then, for all its excitement, this hasn’t been a vintage tournament for any of the remaining sides. With Neymar’s tournament-ending injury casting serious doubts on Brazil’s ability to win a sixth title on home soil, along with Germany’s unmistakable lack of pace at the back, the doors have been wide-open for any of the remaining four teams to claim the title vacated by Spain.

Van Gaal’s appointment as the next Manchester United boss is absolutely huge news. Could it be written in the stars for him to enter the Old Trafford hot seat as a World Cup manager?

Of all the teams to never win a World Cup, the Netherlands are easily the highest profiled, and lifting the trophy at the Maracana on July 13 would be the perfect way to announce themselves at the summit of international football.

2014 may just be the year for Dutch glory.

Can the Netherlands finally get their hands on the World Cup trophy? Post your thoughts on who will win below.