Louis van Gaal has been appointed the head coach of the Netherlands national team for the third time after the country failed to impress in Euro 2020.
The 69-year-old Dutch tactician replaced coach Frank de Boer who decided to resign from his position after the team crashed out of the just-concluded European Championship.
Recall that coach Frank de Boer who became the head coach of the Dutch team in 2020 after Ronald Koeman left the team to manage FC Barcelona, took the Netherlands to Euro 2020 as one of the favorites of the tournament.
In the group stage, Netherlands performed so well that they won all their three group games and finished the group stage as the leaders of their group.
They got a supposedly easier team which was the Czech Republic. To the dismay of many football fans in the world, Czech Republic stunned the Dutch team 2-0 in the round of 16. The defeat ended their journey in the tournament.
The exit of coach De Boer left the team with no substantive coach until the country’s FA announced the appointment of Van Gaal earlier today, August 4, 2021.
Our new head coach,
— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) August 4, 2021
𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐈𝐒 𝐕𝐀𝐍 𝐆𝐀𝐀𝐋. 🦁✨⁰
ℹ️ https://t.co/ySEoIRDE4E #VanGaal2022 pic.twitter.com/mC4xrGfREQ
As mentioned earlier, Van Gaal is not a new face in the national team. He headed the team between 2000 and 2002 before he left to coach FC Barcelona. From there, he coached AZ and then Bayern Munich.
In 2012, he was left without a job after Bayern Munich terminated his contract due to a poor run of games. In that same year, Netherlands came for him again and appointed him for the second time.
This time around, the veteran coach led the Netherlands to a third-place finish in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a performance that attracted Manchester United to him. Weeks after the World Cup, he became the coach of Manchester United.
1 – The Netherlands have lost only one of their last 28 international games under Louis van Gaal (W18 D9), scoring 62 goals and conceding only 16 in the process. Return. #NED pic.twitter.com/ZenEfAXUvT
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) August 4, 2021
He was sacked at Manchester United in 2016 and since then, he has remained out of football. He is suspected to have spent most of his free time with his wife Truus at their holiday home in Portugal.
“Dutch football has always been close to my heart and national coaching is in my view a key position for the further advancement of our football”, Van Gaal told the Dutch FA’s website after his latest appointment as the head coach of the country.
“Moreover, I consider it an honor to coach the Dutch national team.
“There is little time for the next qualifying matches, which are immediately crucial for participation in the World Cup.
“The focus is therefore immediately 100 percent on the players and the approach. After all, I was appointed for that.
“It is good to be back. By now I have already spoken to several players and the technical staff has been put together.
“I am very much looking forward to getting the job done together.”
The veteran coach is expected to put a team together that will qualify the country for the forthcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He will also lead the team to the tournament if the country qualifies.
🇳🇱 Louis van Gaal’s record as Netherlands coach 👏
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) August 4, 2021
🔶 Games: 44
🔶 Wins: 27
🔶 Draws: 13
🔶 Defeats: 4#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/VZJrd8Wpep
