After missing out on reaching the 2018 World Cup, and having underachieved with a second round exit at Euro 2020, the Dutch Football Association sought to tempt Louis van Gaal out of retirement for one last assignment: reach Qatar 2022.
Van Gaal had been in charge when the Netherlands finished third at Brazil 2014, losing out to runners-up Argentina on penalties in the semi-finals and trouncing the tournament hosts in the third/fourth-place play-off.
His second appointment has paid off spectacularly so far, too, with the Dutch finishing top of Group G, two points clear of second-placed Turkey.
The goals flowed throughout, with Memphis Depay’s haul of 12 putting him seven clear at the top of the group scoring charts, five ahead of Norway talisman Erling Haaland.
Amid that process, Van Gaal shielded his players from the news that he was battling prostate cancer. “I didn’t want to tell my players because it could have influenced their performances,” said the 71-year-old, who would leave Dutch camps during the night to undergo treatment without his squad finding out.
Buoyed by the subsequent news that their manager had undergone successful treatment, the Netherlands go to Qatar armed with a healthy blend of youth and experience.
They have wise old heads Daley Blind and Virgil van Dijk balanced out by all-action youngsters such as Jurrien Timber and Cody Gakpo, not to mention a sizeable batch of prime talents including revitalised Ajax captain Davy Klaassen and Barcelona duo Depay and Frenkie de Jong, who both continue to perform despite less than stellar treatment from their club.
With such ingredients at his disposal, could Van Gaal mix up a potent blend for one last hurrah in Qatar?
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HOW THE NETHERLANDS QUALIFIED FOR WORLD CUP 2022: (Group G): March 24, 2021. Turkey 4 (Yilmaz (15', pen 34', 81'), Calhanoglu 46') Netherlands 2 (Klaassen 75', De Jong 76'): A disastrous start to the campaign for the Dutch as a Burak Yilmaz hat-trick condemned Frank de Boer's team to defeat, with Memphis Depay also missing a penalty. De Boer said: “Very disappointing result, and also the way that result came about. Our tempo should have been higher, especially before the break.” AFP -
![March 27, 2021. Netherlands 2 (Berghuis 32', L de Jong 69') Latvia 0. A much-needed pick-me-up for the Dutch after the Turkey defeat with Frank de Boer's side creating a remarkable 37 chances - although only finding the net twice - to kick-start their campaign. “I'm very happy with it and proud,” said Steven Berghuis, who scored his first international goal. “It's what you work hard for. I want to be important for Oranje. It's unbelievable it was [only] 1-0 after the first half.” Getty](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/7ESU4GS5JZFITNMPY75JFAIXDE.jpg?smart=true&auth=058b2626817638f7fc40e6bf8abfaac24a68bb0f62989ca9a7914a74d2d96985&width=400&height=225)
March 27, 2021. Netherlands 2 (Berghuis 32', L de Jong 69') Latvia 0. A much-needed pick-me-up for the Dutch after the Turkey defeat with Frank de Boer's side creating a remarkable 37 chances - although only finding the net twice - to kick-start their campaign. “I'm very happy with it and proud,” said Steven Berghuis, who scored his first international goal. “It's what you work hard for. I want to be important for Oranje. It's unbelievable it was [only] 1-0 after the first half.” Getty -
March 30, 2021. Gibraltar 0 Netherlands 7 (Berghuis 41', L de Jong 55', Depay 61', 88', Wijnaldum 62', Malen 64', Van de Beek 85'): Mission achieved for manager Frank de Boer who had said before the game that he wanted to win by at least five goals, although it took more than 40 minutes for the floodgates to open. De Boer said: “The first 20 minutes were difficult. After that we started creating chances, but we couldn’t convert them and ... it started to get frustrating. But we knew that eventually things would fall into place.” Getty -
September 1, 2021. Norway 1 (Haaland 20') Netherlands (Klaassen 37'): Davy Klaassen scored for the Dutch after Erling Haaland had put Norway into an early lead to earn a point for returning manager Louis van Gaal, who had replaced Frank de Boer who left the role after a disappointing Euro 2020. Van Gaal said: “I told the players that we had been careless. But that’s also because of the way Norway played. We can think that this Dutch national team is world-class, but it is not." AFP -
September 4, 2021. Netherlands 4 (Depay pen 38', 62', Wijnaldum 70', Gakpo 76') Montenegro 0. Memphis Depay reached 30 goals for his country with a double as manager Louis van Gaal earned the first win of his third reign in charge. Van Gaal said: "We started very badly – in the first 15 minutes, we seemed to have stress. But after 15-to-20 minutes we picked ourselves up ... I think that is very good in itself." EPA -
September 7, 2021. Netherlands 6 (Klaassen 1', Depay 16', 38' pen 54', Til 80', Malen 90') Turkey 1 (Under 90+2'): Sweet revenge for the Dutch after their defeat back in March. Memphis Depay grabbed a hat-trick to send Van Gaal's team top of the group. “I enjoy playing," Depay said. "I’m having a great time and I’m in great shape. I’m 27. I had a serious injury, which was now a while back, but I don’t forget it easily. I worked hard, but now I’m back." EPA -
October 8, 2021. Latvia 0 Netherlands 1 (Klaassen 19'): Davy Klaassen grabbed the only goal of the game to make it three victories on the spin for manager Louis van Gaal with the Dutch sitting top of the group by two points. "We should have been better. But three points are very important for qualification,” captain Virgil van Dijk said. AP -
October 11, 2021. Netherlands 6 (Van Dijk 9', Depay 21', pen 45+3'), Dumfries 48', Danjuma 75', Malen 86') Gibraltar 0: Memphis Depay was back in the goals with a double - while also missing a penalty - as the Dutch coasted to an easy victory to maintain their two-point lead at the top over Norway. Van Gaal said: "Aside from the six goals we created an incredible amount of chances and hardly gave any away. I complimented the team on the way they executed the plan, because it was nice to watch." AFP -
November 13, 2021. Montenegro 2 (Vukotic 82', Vujnovic 86') Netherlands 2 (Depay pen 25', 54'): Louis van Gaal's side had looked set to secure progress to Qatar with a game to spare until two goals in the final 10 minutes earned Montenegro a point. Van Gaal said: “We have not performed well, at a stage when we have had it in our hands. I cannot explain it ... we were 2-0 up, and all we had to do was play the ball around. We lost the ball at times when we shouldn't have.” Reuters -
November 16, 2021. Netherlands 2 (Bergwijn 84', Depay 90+1') Norway 0: Two late goals from Steven Bergwijn and Memphis Depay sealed the Dutch a place in Qatar after a drab game with neither team prepared to take too many attacking risks. "It's actually been a fantastic week because we got to know each other in lows, but also in highs," said Van Gaal. "I really think they executed the plan brilliantly today." EPA
![March 27, 2021. Netherlands 2 (Berghuis 32', L de Jong 69') Latvia 0. A much-needed pick-me-up for the Dutch after the Turkey defeat with Frank de Boer's side creating a remarkable 37 chances - although only finding the net twice - to kick-start their campaign. “I'm very happy with it and proud,” said Steven Berghuis, who scored his first international goal. “It's what you work hard for. I want to be important for Oranje. It's unbelievable it was [only] 1-0 after the first half.” Getty](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/7ESU4GS5JZFITNMPY75JFAIXDE.jpg?smart=true&auth=058b2626817638f7fc40e6bf8abfaac24a68bb0f62989ca9a7914a74d2d96985&width=800&height=450)
Manager: Louis van Gaal
Star player: Memphis Depay
One to watch: Cody Gakpo
World Cup finals appeared in: 1934, 1938, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010, 2014
Fixtures: Nov 21 - Senegal v Netherlands; Nov 25 - Netherlands v Ecuador; Nov 29 - Netherlands v Qatar
