Van Gaal on Netherlands goalkeeper switch: We didn’t tell Cillessen

Date: 6th July 2014 at 2:24am
Written by:

The Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal  has explained why he substituted starting goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen and brought on Tim Krul in extra time before the Oranje went on to beat Costa Rica 4-3 in the penalty shootout.  

It was a decision that paid off with Krul saving two spot-kicks to send the Dutch through to a semi-final against Argentina.

“We told Krul that he would be a possibility for the penalties, we didn’t tell Cillessen as we didn’t want to ruin his preparation,” revealed van Gaal in his post-match comments.

The Dutch coach also reiterated that Cillessen certainly remains his number one choice goalkeeper as the Oranje begin preparations for their next fixture against Argentina in Sao Paulo on July 9.

“There is no question about who will start next game, it will be Cillessen,” said van Gaal.

“But, we felt Krul was the better choice here.”

“We know Krul is the better penalty killer, he has a bigger reach too.

“We have practiced penalties, I believe when you’re used to a certain shot you’ll be more comfortable taking that shot.”

The 62-year-old coach also took a moment to land some special praise on the Netherlands squad of 2014:

“This is the best group I’ve worked with. In terms of team spirit, togetherness.”

 

Comments are closed.