Depay to Be Protected in the Clash With Qatar, Van Gaal Assures His Well Being
Group A has the Netherlands leading the table with 4 points. Ecuador follows at the second spot with the same stats so far. The next fixture of the Netherlands is crucial for two reasons: it will decide if the side moves on in the tournament, and a larger goal difference will give the Netherlands the edge to qualify at the top.
Depay is currently at the center, with Van Gaal unwilling to change his attack in the next event. What strengthens the stand is that Gaal is eyeing to put him on the field in the knockout stages. The factor cannot be ignored that Depay will play ดูบอลออนไลน์ an important role in taking the Netherlands to the final stage.
Depay suffered a hamstring injury and was benched for two months before landing in Qatar. He is yet to set foot on the field in the tournament. The third match will not be his moment as Van Gaal, the manager of the Netherlands, has clarified that the side will continue to play Vincent Jansen as the leading attacker.
Saying that the team will not take risks with Depay, Gaal has stated that the team still needs him to become the champion. He has assured us that everything that can be done to advance in the tournament will be done no matter what.
The decision to play Vincent has attracted criticism. Gaal has sidelined those criticisms by calling Vincent a team player, adding that he can play at a very high level.
Gaal is currently introspecting about the performance against Ecuador. The match should not have ended in a draw. Even the prediction reports were in the favor of Netherlands till the match end. The Netherlands needs to show strength to improve the game. Victory over Senegal was a last-minute thing.
Cody netted the ball in the 84th minute, and Davy scored in the extra time after the usual 90. Their performance still came under scrutiny, for the win should have landed easily. Plus, the overall display was not up to the reputation that the team holds at the international level.
The fixture against Ecuador looked convincing as Cody backed himself for the successful shot in the 6th minute. There was no match to that throughout the first half. Enter charged in the 49th minute to equalize the score, with that being it for the entire match. The tie went on with the Netherlands registering only 1 out of 2 shots on target.
Ecuador turned out to be a more aggressive side. While the Netherlands held on to the possession for the maximum time, Ecuador could still go for 15 shots, with four being on target.
Qatar plays for its reputation against the Netherlands as Ecuador takes on Senegal to confirm the spot in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16. Group A concludes today with all four teams playing at different venues at 8:30 pm IST on November 29, 2022.
