Van Gaal divides the number of the Dutch national team shirt by age
"I decide on a player's shirt number based on their age. I discussed this with the players," Van Gaal said at a press conference on November 16, after the Netherlands arrived in Qatar.
A reporter expressed disbelief and asked if Van Gaal was joking. The 71-year-old coach emphasized: "It's not a joke. I never joke in the press conference. The division of the real shirt numbers. based on the age of the players".
Earlier this week, the Netherlands announced the shirt numbers of 26 players for the 2022 World Cup. In which, the most notable is the 39-year-old goalkeeper Remko Pasveer wearing the number 1 shirt. The other two goalkeepers, Justin Bijlow and Andries Noppert No. 13 and 23 respectively. Van Gaal emphasized that wearing the No. 1 shirt does not mean that Pasveer - the oldest in the team - is guaranteed a starting spot.
Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiner - two midfielders that are expected to start the opening match against Senegal on November 21 - wear the number 21 and 20 respectively. The striker Luuk de Jong wears the number 9, Memphis Depay was given the shirt. shirt number 10, while captain Virgil van Dijk wears the familiar number 4.
Cody Gakpo - PSV striker who is in the sights of Man Utd - wears the number 8, while the number 11 belongs to Ajax midfielder Steven Berghuis. Two young players - Xavi Simons (19 years old, PSV) and Jeremie Frimpong (21 years old, Bayer Leverkusen) - wore 25 and 26 shirts respectively.
The goal the Netherlands set when appointing Van Gaal for the third time was to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. When asked about this ambition, he said: "Netherlands do not have the best players in the world, but I believe in team building and tactics. Holland also have players who can execute the plan well. my tactical plan".
Pasveer was a member of the Netherlands U21 team that won the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Portugal, but made his debut in a 2-0 victory over Poland in the UEFA Nations League on September 22. At 38 years and 318 days, Pasveer is the second oldest player to play for the Netherlands after Sander Boschker against Ghana in 2010 (39 years 224 days). This season, the 39-year-old goalkeeper has started 20 matches in all competitions for Ajax, including 14 in the Dutch league and all six Champions League group stage matches.
Similarly, Bijlow and Noppert do not have much international experience. While Bijlow has made six appearances for the Netherlands, Noppert has yet to play, and the two will spend their first World Cup together. According to Van Gaal, these two players were given the opportunity because they followed the tactical intentions of the coaching staff.
Van Gaal also crossed out famous goalkeepers Jasper Cillessen, Mark Flek and Tim Krul. In particular, the 71-year-old coach replaced Krul to catch a penalty in the quarter-finals against Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup. This decision was effective when Krul saved two, helping the Netherlands win 4-3.
