DUTCH MASTER'S SECRETS

Louis Van Gaal has been hailed as a football genius. His decision to replace Ajax goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen with Newcastle’s Tim Krul for the penalty shootout against Costa Rica on Saturday has reinforced the view. Despite that, penalties as we all know can go either way.
The mere courage, however, to try out something different adds to Van Gaal’s reputation as one man who does not shy away from making decisions, even if it means driving home his point by dropping his pants.
He does not have joyriders in his team. The 26 backroom staff assisting him from the kit men to cooks to cameraman and video analyst have made Van Gaal look a genius.
At a Press conference before the clash with Costa Rica, Van Gaal played down The Netherlands’ credentials saying, “We are not a fantastic team. We are just a team that is difficult to beat.”
A deeper analysis of how Louis Van Gaal has built that image of a genius tells a story of a man, who harnesses the attributes of people around him to his good.
Van Gaal has a very powerful backroom staff at this World Cup.
Secondly, the Manchester United-bound gaffer has brought experienced players closer to him and thrust on them the onus of guiding the young ones.
Under Van Gaal, there are 26 other people working to manage Fifa’s mandatory squad of 23 players.
You may have noticed any time The Netherlands are playing Van Gaal’s assistants Danny Blind, Patrick Kluivert, Frans Hoek (goalkeeping coach) are busy taking notes.
Someone somewhere (David Maurik, cameraman) is ensuring there will be footage for analysis. Then Max Reckers (Video Analyst) comes in to breakdown the footage for easy use by the coaching staff for review purposes.
(Harambee Stars coach Adel Amrouche has been doing all these using his tablet).
Then there is the head of Sports Medicine Edwin Goedhart, who has a mini staff that includes a team doctor Piet Bon.
Rien Heijboer (orthopedic surgeon), Ricardo Sanders, Arno Philips, Raymond Meijer (physiotherapists), Piet van den Burg, Rob Koster (masseurs) are tasked with ensuring the physical condition of the Oranje is tip-top.
When naming his squad he revealed he had talked to senior players so as to buy into his ideas.
Two of those players; Wesley Sneijder and Dirk Kuyt were considered past their sell-by date while the other two; Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben are considered very much part of the Dutch plot.
Dutch journalists here say, Van Gaal made special calls to all of them and they discussed his team set up, the team tactics basically around the 5-3-2 and 4-3-3 systems.
Kuyt, who was used on the wings at Liverpool and generally as a forward player was told he would play bit part but his leadership would be crucial. He agreed.
Incredibly, besides playing all the matches Kuyt has been used as an extra defender whenever Van Gaal goes for a 5-3-2 system.
The future Manchester United coach keeps repeating here that “We have four or five older players and their influence is quite substantial. We have a young group and Robin (van Persie) is the captain, the man responsible for the younger ones.
“He does that with (Arjen) Robben, (Dirk) Kuyt and (Wesley) Sneijder. That’s good and pleasant for a coach to have players who will do everything it takes and look after the young players, in the spirit of the coach. I’m pleased with that.”

LOUIS VAN GAAL STAFF

Danny Blind, Patrick Kluivert (assistants), Frans Hoek (goalkeeping coach), René Wormhoudt (physical trainer), Jos van Dijk (exercise physiologist), Max Reckers (Video Analyst), David Maurik (cameraman), Edwin Goedhart (sports medicine), Rien Heijboer (orthopedic surgeon), Piet Bon (Doctor), Ricardo Sanders, Arno Philips, Raymond Meijer (physiotherapists), Piet van den Burg, Rob Koster (masseurs), Rob Kocken Arend de Kruijf, Carlo de Leeuw (Kit men), Rosanne Briggeman (Data analyst), Johan Klein Gebbink, Jürgen Mulder (cooks), Eugène Lebon (security), Kees Jansma (Press Secretary), Monique Kessels, Martiene Bruggink (Back Office press cases/KNVB office), Hans Jorritsma (team manager) and Maaike for Bergen (Office Manager Technical Issues).