The Dutch coach's substitution in extra time proved to be a master stroke
Netherlands' head coach Louis van Gaal waves prior to the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between the Netherlands and Costa Rica (Photo: AP)
Louis van Gaal is proving to be the Einstein of the 2014 World Cup. A late substitution of the Dutch coach worked like a charm for the second match in succession on Saturday to ensure a place for Oranje in the semi-finals. But the gamble Van Gaal took against Costa Rica was fraught with dangers.With the match on the verge of ending goalless after 120 minutes, the coach brought in substitute goalkeeper Tim Krul for Jasper Cillessen as he felt the former was more likely to save penalties with an advantage in height. Krul answered his master’s call by making two crucial saves to send the Dutch into raptures.
Van Gaal told reporters in the post-match press conference that the plan wasn’t a psychological ploy conceived on the spot. According to him, Krul dived to the right corner when penalties were practised in training. “We always felt that Krul would be the most appropriate player to stop penalties,” he said.Midway through the second extra period, Krul was seen training with a coach on the sidelines. Van Gaal said he hadn’t told Cillessen that he would be replaced if the match went to penalties.
“It would have disappointed him if I had told him before the match,” he added. Not surprisingly, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss shone in the glow of his decision that proved critical in the end.Cillessen, who made a brilliant block in the dying minutes of second extra time to take the match to a shootout, was the first to run on to the pitch to congratulate Krul. The Dutch players joined him to suffocate the substitute and saviour in a pile of bodies.
In the round of 16, Van Gaal’s late substitute Klaas-Jan Huntelaar set up one and scored another to rescue the Netherlands from the jaws of defeat against Mexico. Humility isn’t a virtue of the Dutch coach. As long as he makes inspired substitutions, there is no need for him to eat humble pie.
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