Louis van Gaal has unveiled his secret weapon to beat Argentina - Bastian Schweinsteiger.
The ex- Manchester United chief has been tapping into his erstwhile player’s knowledge in his bid to unseat the Argentinians.
Schweinsteiger has turned to punditry for German television since quitting the game and van Gaal wanted to see if the ex- Bayern Munich midfielder had picked up any titbits to help him.
He said: “I just think Sebastian [sic] is great at doing this - I’ve asked him what he thinks - he sees all these matches.
“Now, he’s a reporter - but he was a player who had brains. And football is played with brains.
“I have learnt things that my own scouts haven’t seen so far.
“I can’t say anything about it - it’s private - but he’s a fan of the Netherlands now that Germany are out.”
Van Gaal was taken on a trip down memory lane during his pre-match musings. Sat alongside Memphis Depay, he said it was time to create new heroes after Dennis Bergkamp’s winner in 1998 was flagged.
Depay said: “That was an amazing moment. What a goal. The game is going to be decided by moments. We believe we can catch a moment and go through.”
His boss chipped in, saying: “It’s going to be tactical but you can have moments that you remember for years afterwards. Bergkamp’s goal was one we will continue to remember forever.”
How will the Netherlands fare against Argentina? Have your say in the comments section
Van Gaal's Dutch side go into their game against Argentina having not lost a game since they were eliminated from Euro 2020 by the Czech Republic. The Oranje topped their group with seven points before impressing in a 3-1 victory over the United States in the round of 16.
Argentina, meanwhile, have recovered from a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening game to set up a repeat of the 2014 semi-final. Goals from Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez took them past Australia in the last 16, though they survived a scare as the Socceroos rallied late on.
Back in 2014, Argentina and the Netherlands were inseparable, with neither side able to find a goal in 120 minutes of football. The South Americans prevailed on penalties, though, before going on to fall narrowly short against Schweinsteiger and Germany in the final.
"He’s one of the best players of all time, obviously," Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk said of seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi. "He has done it for so many years. I would say he and Cristiano Ronaldo have been the standout players of the last two decades," he said.
"There is only respect towards what they have achieved but, for us now, it is not a case of preparing just to face him. We are preparing to beat Argentina. Obviously we know how big a part of their success he has been over the years."
