JAKARTA - The Dutch national team will face Argentina in the quarter-finals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Lionel Messi will be a big threat to De Oranje's defense.
The Netherlands must have a "good plan" against Argentina. This was conveyed by Dutch mainstay defender Virgil van Dijk.
Van Dijk has fought Messi, who has scored three goals in Qatar. At that time, Van Dijk helped Liverpool beat Barcelona in the second leg of the 2018-19 Champions League semi-finals.
However, in the first leg, Liverpool gave up with a score of 0-3. Of course Van Dijk knows how to face Paris Saint-Germain.
"The hard thing about him is when we attack, he relaxes in the corner or something," said Van Dijk.
"You have to be very strong in terms of defense organizations. His colleagues are always looking for him to try to make it difficult for us to counterattack."
It is an honor to play against him. No one can do it alone, we have to make a good plan," he continued.
Previously, the Dutch national team coach, Louis van Gaal, also asked his players to be aware of Messi. He even ordered his team to "turn off" the Argentine star.
"Messi is a player who can decide the game in individual action. We played against Argentina in the 2014 semifinals, he didn't touch the ball and we lost on penalties," said Van Gaal.
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