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Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal believes Lionel Messi's reduced involvement off the ball will give his team a chance to beat Argentina in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
Argentina had a disastrous start to the 2022 FIFA World Cup as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opener. However, Lionel Messi and Co. have since won each of their three games and have now booked a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
La Albiceleste will now be hopeful of going all the way and getting their hands on the trophy in Qatar. First, though, they will have to get past the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Like Argentina, Holland have also claimed their stake as contenders to win the FIFA World Cup this year. They are one of only four sides yet to taste defeat in the tournament so far.
Netherlands manager Van Gaal is aware of the threats posed by Lionel Scaloni and Co. Looking forward to the game, he admitted that Lionel Messi is one of the most dangerous players in the world.
However, the former Manchester United boss is positive about his chances of beating Argentina. He is of the view that Lionel Messi's poor work rate off the ball is a weakness his side can exploit. He told Dutch broadcasters NOS [via @TheEuropeanLad on Twitter]:
"Messi is the most dangerous creative player, he is able to create a lot and to score goals himself. But when they lose the ball he doesn't participate much, this gives us chances."
The Netherlands booked their place in the quarter-finals with a comfortable 3-1 win over the USA in the Round of 16 at the weekend. Goals from Memphis Depay, Daley Blind and Denzel Dumfries earned them the victory that evening.
Van Gaal will be hoping that his players can repeat the trick when they face Argentina on Friday (9 December). The winner of the match will face Croatia or Brazil in the semi-finals.
Lionel Messi has been in fine form this FIFA World Cup
Van Gaal believes Lionel Messi's lack of work rate without the ball is one of Argentina's weaknesses. However, there is no denying that the 35-year-old is capable of hurting Holland when he is in possession.
The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar has been in fine form for La Albiceleste during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He has found the back of the net thrice and has provided one assist in four matches so far.
