Louis Van Gaal’s Netherlands are genuine contenders to win the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
That is the view of super-agent Jon Smith, who believes the Oranje could pull off a bit of an upset by not only reaching the prestigious tournament’s final but actually going on to lift the iconic international trophy.
After beating the USA 3-1 on Saturday afternoon, the Europeans became the first country to book their place in the quarter-finals.
Now waiting to learn who they will play in the tournament’s next round, Van Gaal will need to prepare for a quarter-final tie against either Australia or Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
Should Saturday night’s game between Argentina and Australia go the way it is expected to go, the Netherlands, in order to reach the semi-finals, will need to get past Lionel Scaloni’s resolute South Americans in the next round, and Smith believes that if Van Gaal were to pull off another tactical masterclass, the Dutchman could break a long-standing record that has seen the country reach three World Cup finals and lose those three World Cup finals.
“I believe they’re 19 games unbeaten now and as we all know, the more you win, the more you believe you can keep winning,” Smith said in an exclusive interview.
“However, Argentina is likely to be their next game but if they come through that one unscathed, they have as good a chance as anyone else of lifting the trophy.
“I actually wonder if we may see an England vs Netherlands final. I think Brazil will still have a say in that though.”
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