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Virgil van Dijk has claimed that the Netherlands’ upcoming World Cup quarter-final against Argentina will not just be about the battle between he and Lionel Messi. Still, the center-back said his team would act with caution when it comes to dealing with the superstar forward.
The Netherlands captain was speaking at a recent press conference where he fielded a number of questions regarding how his country would deal with Messi in their quarter-final clash at the Lusail Stadium in Doha. The Liverpool defender claimed it would be a team effort from the Dutch to stop Argentina’s star man.
“It’s not about me, or the Netherlands, against Messi, it’s about the Netherlands against Argentina,” Van Dijk told the media at the press conference on Wednesday.
Responding to a question regarding whether or not he and his side were worried about the threat of Messi, Van Dijk stated, “Worried no, but cautious of what Argentina can bring to the game.”
“They are a fantastic team with fantastic players, and we are going to have to do well in all departments of the match,” the Dutch skipper continued.
Stopping Messi and Argentina
The Netherlands ‘Could Have Been Better’
Though the Netherlands progressed from their group and the final round of 16 without enduring a defeat, Van Dijk did say that his nation could have been even better in Qatar so far, even if they won their group.
“We also feel that our play in the last game could have been better,” Van Dijk said of his team’s 3-1 victory over the USA in the final round of 16, “We are all perfectionists and would like to have performed better.”
“But what is nice is that we are still in the competition and playing in the quarterfinals,” he said.
Van Dijk also spoke of his side’s eagerness to finally break the Netherlands duck at World Cup tournaments. The Dutch have reached three World Cup finals in their history but have claimed runner-up position on each occasion.
“There is a hunger, dreams and a feeling that we really want to get it,” Van Dijk said. “When you are in the quarterfinals you are only three games from glory.”
“This is our opportunity,” he stated, “But obviously we have to get past an Argentina side with one of the best players of all time.”
Dutch Fan Trouble
Another topic which arose in the press conference was the fact that not many of the usually fanatical orange-clad Dutch support has made the journey to cheer on their country in Qatar. It was claimed at the media event that most of the 80,000 supporters that will attend the Lusail Stadium will be Argentinean fans.
Van Dijk said that in that case, that the Netherlands may have to get the first goal to quite their South American opposition’s supporters in the stadium.
“Then it becomes a whole different game,” Van Dijk told reporters, “But I think it will be nice to play in such an ambiance.”
The Liverpool center back has been at the heart of the Netherlands’ defense at the Qatar World Cup. Mostly accompanied by Man City’s Nathan Aké and Ajax’s Jurrien Timber, the back line has conceded just twice in four games and will hope to hold off Argentina’s firepower to advance to the semi-final stage of the tournament.
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