WHOEVER EMERGES VICTORIOUS in São Paulo this evening, it is likely the triumph will be largely attributed to one man.
Either Lionel Messi will have conjured a way into a World Cup final for an Argentina team that have become disturbingly reliant upon him, or Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal will have figured out how to stop the magician.
During his second, unhappy spell at Barcelona, Van Gaal may have taken a peek at the little attacker scoring goals for fun in the club’s Cadete teams and figured their paths would cross again at some point.
Victor R. Caivano
Victor R. Caivano
High Stakes
So here they are, both seemingly at the summit of their powers, facing off in a World Cup semi-final. The stakes could barely be higher, neither could the sense of responsibility on both men’s shoulders.
Messi has scored half of Argentina’s eight goals, as well as laying on another. Considering one of their goals was an own goal, that leaves two scored by the team without the captain’s fingerprints on them and one of those was set-up by Angel Di Maria, who is ruled out with a thigh injury.
It is hard to think of another World Cup semi-finalist so dependant on one player since Argentina’s last winning side were dragged to glory at Mexico ’86 on Diego Maradona’s coattails.
The current captain, with his cool, calm demeanour, will never be mistaken for his manic and much-loved predecessor but he is proving to be just as effective a leader of men. Even more so, if you believe the whispers coming out of the Argentinian camp.
They speak of Messi as a near-dictatorial presence in the dressing-room, holding sway on all matters, with Alejandro Sabella a mere puppet president. The coach surely has some hold on the reins but, on the pitch, the No10 is the unequivocal commander.
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Victor R. Caivano
Victor R. Caivano
Main Man
Everything goes through the 27 year old, to the point where you wonder what his team-mates would do were Messi to be injured, sent-off or, heaven forbid, have an off-day.
It has been noted that the four-time Ballon D’Or winner has slowed down his play at this World Cup but the relaxed rhythm means he is invariably involved in almost everything positive Argentina do and the trick for Van Gaal will be to stymie his influence.
Stop Messi and you stop Argentina.
It sounds simple but Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria, Switzerland and Belgium have all thus far tried and failed. Argentina’s defensive strength is not central defensive pairing Martin Demichelis and Ezequiel Garay, nor Barcelona snapper Javier Mascherano in midfield. Thus far their greatest form of defence has been their attacking maestro Messi.
Teams have been so preoccupied with detailing two, three or four men on the talisman that their own play has suffered and Van Gaal must manage to stop Messi and also find a way to release Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie, if he is fit to start.
Will Van Gaal trust his central defensive trio of Stefan de Vrij, Ron Vlaar and Bruno Martins Indi to muzzle Messi and quarter-final-winner Gonzalo Higuain, or will he detail one of his two central midfielders — Georginio Wijnaldum (or a fit Nigel de Jong) and Wesley Sneijder — to shadow him?
Wong Maye-E
Wong Maye-E
Boxing Clever
Finding an answer has so far not proved problematic for Van Gaal, and Manchester United fans must be seeming more and more satisfied with their club’s choice of successor to David Moyes. He has boxed clever to this point — beating Spain and Chile on the counter-attack before rolling with the punches against Mexico and eventually finding a route beyond the near-impenetrable Costa Rica.
No player, formation or tactic has been sacrosanct and Van Gaal has improvised to the point where Fenerbahce striker Dirk Kuyt is now the preferred right wing-back.
Where Messi is the conduit for Argentina, Robben is very much the destination for most Dutch attacks and the Bayern Munich man has been arguably the tournament’s form player — either creating and scoring goal chances or drawing an incredible number of fouls. The decisive penalty he “won” against Mexico grabbed the headlines but there is no denying his kickability — four Costa Rican defenders were booked for fouling him in the quarter-final.
EMPICS Sport
EMPICS Sport
Total Football
The 30 year old, no more than Messi, looks hell bent on taking his side to a World Cup final against neighbours Germany. It would be his and this team’s second in two tournaments, equalling the feat of the great Dutch sides of 1974 and ’78.
The “Total Football” poster boy, John Cruyff believes Van Gaal has moved away from that defining philosophy, but that is not to say he does not appreciate the new style’s worth.
“They have given up on the way of football we developed,” the 67-year-old said. “But something has come in the place of that creativity and dominance. And it works. It is direct and effective, and it is built on passion and team spirit.”
Can Van Gaal’s team prevail over Argentina’s one-man mission? This may be one Oranje hurdle too big even for the little maestro.
Mike Egerton
Mike Egerton
Probable Teams
Netherlands (5-4-1): Jasper Cillessen; Dirk Kuyt, Stefan de Vrij, Ron Vlaar, Bruno Martins Indi, Daley Blind; Arjen Robben, Georginio Wijnaldum, Wesley Sneijder, Memphis Depay; Robin van Persie.
Argentina (4-3-3): Sergio Romero; Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis, Ezequiel Garay, Marcos Rojo; Javier Mascherano, Lucas Biglia, Enzo Perez; Ezequiel Lavezzi, Gonzalo Higuain, Lionel Messi.
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
Kick-off: 5pm (9pm GMT), Arena Corinthians, São Paulo
Can Messi and Argentina surmount Van Gaal's Oranje hurdle tonight?
Mikey Stafford reports from Rio de Janeiro
WHOEVER EMERGES VICTORIOUS in São Paulo this evening, it is likely the triumph will be largely attributed to one man.
Either Lionel Messi will have conjured a way into a World Cup final for an Argentina team that have become disturbingly reliant upon him, or Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal will have figured out how to stop the magician.
During his second, unhappy spell at Barcelona, Van Gaal may have taken a peek at the little attacker scoring goals for fun in the club’s Cadete teams and figured their paths would cross again at some point.
High Stakes
So here they are, both seemingly at the summit of their powers, facing off in a World Cup semi-final. The stakes could barely be higher, neither could the sense of responsibility on both men’s shoulders.
Messi has scored half of Argentina’s eight goals, as well as laying on another. Considering one of their goals was an own goal, that leaves two scored by the team without the captain’s fingerprints on them and one of those was set-up by Angel Di Maria, who is ruled out with a thigh injury.
It is hard to think of another World Cup semi-finalist so dependant on one player since Argentina’s last winning side were dragged to glory at Mexico ’86 on Diego Maradona’s coattails.
The current captain, with his cool, calm demeanour, will never be mistaken for his manic and much-loved predecessor but he is proving to be just as effective a leader of men. Even more so, if you believe the whispers coming out of the Argentinian camp.
They speak of Messi as a near-dictatorial presence in the dressing-room, holding sway on all matters, with Alejandro Sabella a mere puppet president. The coach surely has some hold on the reins but, on the pitch, the No10 is the unequivocal commander.
Main Man
Everything goes through the 27 year old, to the point where you wonder what his team-mates would do were Messi to be injured, sent-off or, heaven forbid, have an off-day.
It has been noted that the four-time Ballon D’Or winner has slowed down his play at this World Cup but the relaxed rhythm means he is invariably involved in almost everything positive Argentina do and the trick for Van Gaal will be to stymie his influence.
Stop Messi and you stop Argentina.
It sounds simple but Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria, Switzerland and Belgium have all thus far tried and failed. Argentina’s defensive strength is not central defensive pairing Martin Demichelis and Ezequiel Garay, nor Barcelona snapper Javier Mascherano in midfield. Thus far their greatest form of defence has been their attacking maestro Messi.
Teams have been so preoccupied with detailing two, three or four men on the talisman that their own play has suffered and Van Gaal must manage to stop Messi and also find a way to release Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie, if he is fit to start.
Will Van Gaal trust his central defensive trio of Stefan de Vrij, Ron Vlaar and Bruno Martins Indi to muzzle Messi and quarter-final-winner Gonzalo Higuain, or will he detail one of his two central midfielders — Georginio Wijnaldum (or a fit Nigel de Jong) and Wesley Sneijder — to shadow him?
Boxing Clever
Finding an answer has so far not proved problematic for Van Gaal, and Manchester United fans must be seeming more and more satisfied with their club’s choice of successor to David Moyes. He has boxed clever to this point — beating Spain and Chile on the counter-attack before rolling with the punches against Mexico and eventually finding a route beyond the near-impenetrable Costa Rica.
No player, formation or tactic has been sacrosanct and Van Gaal has improvised to the point where Fenerbahce striker Dirk Kuyt is now the preferred right wing-back.
Where Messi is the conduit for Argentina, Robben is very much the destination for most Dutch attacks and the Bayern Munich man has been arguably the tournament’s form player — either creating and scoring goal chances or drawing an incredible number of fouls. The decisive penalty he “won” against Mexico grabbed the headlines but there is no denying his kickability — four Costa Rican defenders were booked for fouling him in the quarter-final.
Total Football
The 30 year old, no more than Messi, looks hell bent on taking his side to a World Cup final against neighbours Germany. It would be his and this team’s second in two tournaments, equalling the feat of the great Dutch sides of 1974 and ’78.
The “Total Football” poster boy, John Cruyff believes Van Gaal has moved away from that defining philosophy, but that is not to say he does not appreciate the new style’s worth.
“They have given up on the way of football we developed,” the 67-year-old said. “But something has come in the place of that creativity and dominance. And it works. It is direct and effective, and it is built on passion and team spirit.”
Can Van Gaal’s team prevail over Argentina’s one-man mission? This may be one Oranje hurdle too big even for the little maestro.
Probable Teams
Netherlands (5-4-1): Jasper Cillessen; Dirk Kuyt, Stefan de Vrij, Ron Vlaar, Bruno Martins Indi, Daley Blind; Arjen Robben, Georginio Wijnaldum, Wesley Sneijder, Memphis Depay; Robin van Persie.
Argentina (4-3-3): Sergio Romero; Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis, Ezequiel Garay, Marcos Rojo; Javier Mascherano, Lucas Biglia, Enzo Perez; Ezequiel Lavezzi, Gonzalo Higuain, Lionel Messi.
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
Kick-off: 5pm (9pm GMT), Arena Corinthians, São Paulo
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All-Ireland Senior HC Lionel V Louis Messi Argentina Netherlands Van Gaal World Cup 2014