Louis Van Gaal has never been afraid to invest his faith in young players, which is why, when the Netherlands take on reigning champions Spain in their opening World Cup game this summer, the Dutch manager sees Kevin Strootman as one of his key men.
Strootman is not a household name yet, certainly nowhere near as famous as more illustrious team-mates such as Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder. But as a manager who was so important in developing the Barcelona style that Spain now employ to huge success, Van Gaal knows more than most how best to counter it, and he sees the 23-year-old AS Roma midfielder Strootman playing a central role in those plans.
The box-to-box midfielder’s ability to break up the intricate tiki-taka of Xavi, Iniesta and the rest will be as important to the Dutch as the attacking prowess of Van Persie and Robben, according to their boss.
He said: “You need a minimum of three ‘big’ players in your team. For me, Van Persie is one of the three most important players, a creative player who can make a difference, and Robben is the same. The third key player is Strootman. He’s a very strong midfielder and can give our midfield balance, so he’s a very important player for me, although not so much a creative player.”
Strootman will not be fazed by his manager’s expectations. The former Utrecht and PSV Eindhoven midfielder has made a big impression since moving to the Eternal City last summer, and has attracted interest from David Moyes as a player who can do for Manchester United what Yaya Toure does for their rivals Manchester City.
The Netherlands begin their World Cup campaign on Friday the 13th of June against the best team in the world, but Van Gaal believes they have the players capable of doing well.
Their task is not easy. After playing Spain in the heat of Salvador, games against a highly-rated Chile and Australia will follow in Group B. And should they progress, they’ll face a side from Brazil’s group in the last 16.
Bert van Marwijk took an unfancied and unloved Netherlands side all the way to the final in South Africa four years ago, before losing to Spain in one of the ugliest World Cup finals in recent history. It’s safe to assume Van Gaal’s side will play with more flair and attacking intent, under a coach who was brought up on the sacred principles of Dutch ‘totalvoetbal’.
At Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Van Gaal won trophies by playing the Cruyff way, with an emphasis on possession and rotation of the ball and a tremendous team ethic.
At Ajax Amsterdam he won three league titles and the Champions League, before winning La Liga twice with Barcelona, and then the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, where he signed Robben and brought through youngsters such as Thomas Muller, Bastien Schweinsteiger and Holger Badstuber.
So it is little wonder he sees the relatively inexperienced Strootman as another leader in the making, having given him the captain’s armband in some of Holland’s qualifying campaign.
Van Gaal has a wealth of world-class players at his disposal, and if they are all available he believes his country have a chance in Brazil. He is, however, fully aware that no European country has ever won a World Cup in South America.
“Yes, it’s very difficult because of the climate and the circumstances. You have to travel a lot but the climate is very nasty for European players, and especially for Dutch or English players. The draw was not so good for England and nor for us, I believe, because in the first round we have to play against the world champions in a hot city (Salvador).
"The Spanish are more used to this kind of climate. Chile is a very interesting country, and then we have to play against Australia. It’s a little bit curious but the Netherlands have not won one game against Australia; they have played only two games but they lost both so it’s a very nasty group.”
Nevertheless, Van Gaal did not hesitate to have another go when his country came calling after he left Bayern Munich in 2011, having built the foundations for their subsequent success.
His previous stint in charge of the national team was a short-lived disaster, failing to qualify for the 2002 World Cup in between his two spells at Barcelona. It was when he first took over at Barca in 1997 that he took on a little-known young coach to be his number two.
Jose Mourinho had been Bobby Robson’s interpreter and assistant when Van Gaal arrived to replace the much-loved Englishman, and it was Mourinho’s passionate defence of his former boss, in front of Barcelona’s president in a top Barcelona restaurant that impressed the Dutchman.
He said: “Jose was there and he defended the position of Bobby Robson with a lot of patience and also with his life, almost. He was shouting to the president of Barcelona and to me. I remember that I said to him: ‘I want you to be my assistant’, and he was rather surprised after his fanatical support for Bobby Robson, but I liked his behaviour because he was loyal, honest and passionate to his head coach, and what else does a head coach need?”
Mourinho flourished as Van Gaal gave him more responsibility, having spotted his understanding of football and its players.
“I saw he could read the game very well. Part of his work was that he had to analyse our opponents in advance, and normally I would expect to have to correct a lot of things.
“But Jose did it very well, followed my philosophy, and in the second year I started letting him coach and take matches. I chose Jose so it would stimulate him. And then after that he went on to Benfica, Uniao de Leiria, to Porto and that changed his life. But it did not change the human being.
"Apart from the shouting session in that restaurant I also know another side of Jose Mourinho; he is also modest and shy. He is an ambitious man like me, outspoken, and always wants to win. He loves the game like me but now he’s better than me!”
Van Gaal could lock horns with Mourinho in the Premier League next season, if he takes over at Tottenham who wanted him to replace Andre Villas-Boas. He turned it down because of his commitment to Holland.
He said: “I don’t do things in a double role. I think you have to focus, you have to show an example to your players that they have to focus and I have to focus on the national team.
“So I refused (Tottenham’s offer) but maybe there comes another chance. After the World Cup, either I shall retire or if there’s interest from a Premier League club, then I shall think about it. I’m always open to offers."
