World Cup 2022: Friday Night Showdown Offers Contrasting Styles

Argentina vs Netherlands

Two giants of the world game are set to clash in the Lusali Stadium and it’s all set to be a Friday night spectacular.

Few stages are greater and this quarter-final tie has all the hallmarks of a World Cup classic.

Of course, there can only be one winner as Argentina and Holland, two nations with a passion for football and a yearning for success, lock horns.

And while this observer does not feel the class of 2022 is a vintage XI for the Dutch, with the charismatic Louis van Gaal in charge – one of football’s greatest thinkers of his generation – anything is possible.

This tournament is said to be a swansong for the 71 year-old who has been undergoing treatment for serious illness.

For a manager who has masterminded upsets and shocks throughout his career, perhaps one final set of World Cup 2022 highlights are in his locker at the expense of another fine servant who, some believe, is destined to guide his own country to glory in Qatar.

Talking Points

As BBC reported during the 3-1 Dutch victory over the USA in the second round: ‘No-one would pretend this is a classic Dutch side but they have a sprinkling of quality in all areas and the beauty of their first goal, which would have delighted the purists in their homeland, was a graphic demonstration of their capabilities.’

That was a 21-pass move which culminated in Memphis Depay turning home a Denzel Dumfries delivery.

Dumfries and Depay are two of the players who have impressed me in an Oranje shirt, along with the likes of Frenkie de Jong and young PSV Eindhoven starlet Cody Gakpo who has been linked with moves to a bigger club and is using this platform to show the wider world what he is capable of.

Then there is their defensive leader and captain, centre back Virgil van Dijk, alongside Nathan Ake, while another man with Premier League experience, Danny Blind, also makes a crucial contribution.

All in all then, Holland 2022 still have much going for them.

As for Van Gaal, he has been an ardent supporter of the 4-3-3 philosophy that has shaped the Dutch school of football but it is never too late to learn something new. “The longer I have been a coach the more I have learned to love the 5-3-2 system,” he said recently. “You can attack with it and you can defend with it.”

Holland have certainly done that in this tournament and will be out to make their mark once more, up against an Argentinian side which has grown in stature in recent weeks.

In their last-16 victory against Australia, Lionel Messi opened the scoring and ran away to celebrate in front of his adoring faithful, further adding to the romantics who crave an Argentina World Cup triumph for a true magician of the game.

That was his ninth World Cup goal and means he is now just now one behind Gabriel Batistuta’s international record.

A further goal on Friday night would not only haul him level in that particular chart but, potentially, move his side within two matches of a crowning glory some believe is his destiny.

This match seems set to mark the end of a chapter for one of football’s greatest servants – whether that is in the dugout or on the field remains to be seen.

History

These teams have met nine times in total, often on the biggest stage of all.

The grandest of all their clashes was in the 1978 World Cup Final when, on home soil, Argentina beat the post-Johan Cruyff Dutch 3-1 after extra-time to be crowned world champions for the first time – an occasion when Mario Kempes was in his pomp in Buenos Aires.

It was a far cry from a group match in the tournament four years earlier when Cruyff scored twice as the Dutch, under legendary coach Rinus Michels, blew away their South American opponents 4-0.

More recently, who can forget that last minute Dennis Bergkamp goal which settled the 1998 quarter-final.

Of course, these teams also met in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals when, after a goalless 120 minutes, Argentina prevailed 4-2 in the penalty shoot-out to reach the final.

Betting Tip

Argentina have the edge with the SBOTOP World Cup betting odds.

The South American champions are available to back 1X2 @ 2.26 and Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 2.69.

Van Gaal’s Holland are a bit adrift of that with 1X2 @ 3.25 and Asian Handicap 0.00 @ 2.53 among the options.

The draw, which has been the outcome (excluding penalties) in their last two competitive meetings, is on offer @ 3.15.

I think this will be a fairly tight affair, although no less compelling for it, so am not expecting many goals.

The options include total goal 0-1 @ 2.55, 2-3 @ 1.92, 4-6 @ 4.90 and over 2.50 goals @ 2.42.

I do think Argentina will edge it but only just.

 

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