Virgil van Dijk has hit back at criticism following the Netherlands\u2019 World Cup failure and dismissed claims that he was responsible for the team changing tactics.<\/p>\n
The Netherlands defender insisted tactical decisions were made by the coaching staff and described suggestions that he and Ronald Koeman had \u201cdestroyed Dutch football\u201d as \u201cutter nonsense\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of your colleagues also said, of course, that it was my idea to switch to playing with a back five. That is utter nonsense,\u201d Van Dijk told one reporter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact is we simply failed at the World Cup. Those are the hard facts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t play a good World Cup. It\u2019s not about me. You perform together; you\u2019re a team.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour claim that I destroyed Dutch football after the World Cup, that sort of thing is completely baseless.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Dijk said he had been unfairly singled out for the Netherlands\u2019 tactical approach and stressed that the system was devised by Koeman and his staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe plan is devised by the staff,\u201d he continued. \u201cNonsense is being spread so that I look even worse. That happens far too often.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told that it was my fault we played with five, that Ronald Koeman and I have destroyed Dutch football.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe plan worked for 89 minutes, even though it was a bad match. We almost broke through.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea that I destroyed Dutch football makes absolutely no sense. I didn\u2019t decide that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"