DUTCH COACH LOUIS van Gaal revealed he had not told Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen of his plan to switch him for Saturday’s penalty shoot-out victory over Costa Rica.
Van Gaal stunned onlookers at Salvador’s Fonte Nova Arena by bringing on Newcastle’s Tim Krul to replace Cillessen in the final seconds of extra-time with the scores deadlocked at 0-0.
The bold gambit paid off spectacularly as Krul, judged to be a better penalty stopper, saved two spot-kicks to help the Dutch into a semi-final meeting with Argentina.
Afterwards van Gaal disclosed that the strategy had been kept hidden from Cillessen right up to the moment the switch was made.
“We said nothing to Jasper,” van Gaal said. “We didn’t want him to be faced with this information before the match because of course that would be disappointing for him.”
But Krul — who has saved only two out of 20 penalties during his career with Newcastle — was seen as the safer pair of hands.
“Every keeper has specific qualities and we felt that he had a better reach, and a better track record to stop penalties,” van Gaal said.
“We’d discussed it with Tim, how Costa Rica would shoot their penalties, their sequence. So he was prepared.
“Fortunately it worked out because if it hadn’t worked out I would have taken the wrong decision.
“That’s usually how it works out in football.”
Don’t understand why so many people were going mad saying it was poor form on the first keeper, you have a squad with three goalkeepers for a reason, and this was one of those reasons! A great move by Van Gaal!
Totally agree, select the best player for the task at hand, the keeper coming on would be mentally fresher after not having played for the 120 minutes also.
Didn’t Sligo rovers do the same thing few yrs back in the fai cup final……maybe that’s were he got the idea
Was shocked with krul’s sportsmanship or lack of it
Nonsense! Nothing wrong with trying to psych out the opponent it’s part of competitive sport. Keano was a black belt at it
Alan that’s been going on for donkeys years , my earliest memory if it was Grobbelaar doing it in the 80′s
Didn’t like it myself but if you’ve played team sports you know players are saying stuff to each other all the time. Krul was telling them he knew which way they were going. They should have told him if he was so good why was he only the substitute keeper. Referee could maybe have done more
Agreed Alan
I agree with you guys, but I am a goalie and from my point of view out of order. I would of liked to seen a Costa Rica player, which score walk over to krul and point at him eye and wink
Yea a good “eye and wink” really would have shown him
It was a huge gamble to sacrifice a 3rd outfield sub though. I don’t think LvG cold afford not to use 3 subs against Argentina or in the final.