Argentina coach wants to beat the Netherlands in 90 minutes
"It would be trivial to think about the possibility of kicking 120 minutes or penalties. Argentina only thinks about winning in official time," Scaloni said on December 8 in a pre-match press conference.
The 44-year-old coach affirmed that Argentina is not afraid to win and lose from the penalty spot, when they always practice penalty kicks in every training session. Scaloni also waits for the progress of the match as well as the Dutch way to enter to change the appropriate tactics.
"I don't want to say anything in advance," Scaloni said. "I don't know if Argentina ever played with a 4-3-3, because when the opponent attacks we have to go back, hold our position and vice versa. The most important thing is to find a way to damage the team. opponents while still ensuring safety in the home field.
According to Scaloni, his colleague Louis van Gaal has built a more balanced game, not so much the attack as the football he used and achieved much success with Ajax at the beginning. "Football is the way the players work for the team. With modern football, all must attack and defend," Scaloni analyzed. "In my opinion, the Netherlands is a very balanced team between attack and defence.
Van Gaal worked as youth team coach from 1988-1990, assistant coach from 1989-1991 and then coached the Ajax first team from 1991-1997. He and Ajax won three Dutch championships, one Dutch Cup, three Dutch Super Cups, one Champions League, one UEFA Cup, one European Super Cup and one Intercontinental Cup. In particular, the peak was the unbeaten Ajax in both the Dutch league and the Champions League in the 1994-1995 season. After leaving Ajax in 1997, Van Gaal was knighted in the Oranje-Nassau Royal Order.
Argentina received bad news when Rodrigo De Paul was absent from training on July 12 and had to undergo an examination to assess the severity of the injury. Meanwhile, Angel Di Maria was overloaded after the group stage and sat out the 2-1 win over Australia in the 1/8 round. Scaloni was angry when information was leaked by Argentina's closed episode on July 12. "What comes out in the press is very difficult to control. Our job is to make sure the players playing are in the best condition for the benefit of the collective," he added.
In 1998, the Netherlands eliminated Argentina in the quarterfinals with a score of 2-1. However, in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals, the South American representative overcame the "Orange vortex" on penalties. Regarding today's confrontation at Lusail, Scaloni said: "After all, this is just a sport and when the game is over we hope to be satisfied with the result. give your all."
