Netherlands Game Plan Worked Against Morocco Despite Exit – Van Dijk

Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk has said that the team’s game plan worked despite their dramatic World Cup round-of-32 exit against Morocco. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.

Playing down criticism of his country’s deeply conservative performance that ultimately backfired in a painful penalty shootout, Van Dijk argued that adopting a deeper block has become a tactical necessity for elite nations navigating the modern tournament landscape.

The Liverpool defender added that despite the premature exit, the game plan worked because Morocco didn’t have space to exploit.

His words, “It’s very difficult to analyse it right now. An intense match. I think we were solid defensively.

They couldn’t really find the free man between the lines, so the gameplan worked, of course. I think we scored a good goal.

Ultimately, in stoppage time, we got pinned back. Then it went to penalties, and unfortunately, we’re out.

If you look at almost all the big teams at the World Cup, they also drop deep and wait for the right moment to press. We trained hard on this for two days, and at times it went well. Of course, things can always be better, but well, that’s of no use to us now.

Right now, I want to get inside as quickly as possible to be with the boys. That’s my only thought at this moment.”

WOW.