With the 2014 World Cup in Brazil drawing to a conclusion, Argentina and the Netherlands face each other on Wednesday evening to determine who will have their shot at glory in the Final. Dutch coach Loius van Gaal and Argentinian coach Alejandro Sabella will both be confident of reaching the final after a successful tournament. However, both side’s paths have not been without their complications.
Dutchman van Gaal has been instrumental in his side’s progression to the semi-final which has included several significant results, including the 5-1 demolition of champions Spain and the bold decision to substitute goalkeeper Jasper Cillissen with minutes to spare in extra time against Costa Rica. The Netherlands went on to progress after substitute goalkeeper Tim Krul saved two penalties defeating the Central Americans in the shoot out.
Sabella has seen his Argentina side win every game at the tournament so far but his side is yet to reach top gear with a series of mediocre performances and a reliance on star player and captain Lionel Messi. Argentina have not got further than the quarter-finals since they finished runners-up at the tournament in 1990 and will look to make amends on Wednesday in Sao Paulo, the same date as Argentina’s Independence Day.
Both Sabella and van Gaal have never met as opposition coaches so we investigate both coach’s credentials to determine who may come out on top to reach the final.
Experience: 
62-year-old van Gaal is one of Europe’s most successful coaches winning domestic titles in the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, in addition to a European Cup and a Uefa cup while coach of Ajax. The Dutchman previously managed the Dutch national team between 2000 and 2002 but was his side was unable to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. However, this remains one of few failures in an illustrious managerial career.
In contrast, Argentinian Sabella is in only his second coaching role at the age of 59 after assisting Daniel Passarella at several clubs including Parma, Mexican side Monterrey and Brazilian side Corinthians. He was also previously an assistant for Uruguay and Argentina. Sabella became head coach of Argentinian outfit Estudiantes in 2009 winning the Copa Libertadores in his first season in charge. He was made coach of Argentina in 2011.
Although van Gaal has had limited tournament experience at World Cups, with the present tournament being his first finals, his experience at club level has surely benefited his side throughout the tournament. Despite Sabella having experience at World Cup finals in his assistant roles, his inexperience as a head coach may be a hindrance at this stage of the tournament.
Tactics:
Van Gaal is an expert when facing opposition and has made a series of inspired decisions which have changed Dutch fortunes on the way to the final. The Dutchman has juggled his squad superbly and used substitutions to fantastic effect. In addition to the the introduction of Krul against Costa Rica, van Gaal replaced Robin van Persie with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar against Mexico with Huntelaar going on to score the winner, with a similar occurrence during the Australia game resulting in young substitute Memphis Depay scoring a late winner for the Oranje.
Praise of van Gaal’s tactics was present in the Dutch victory over Spain which attributed in part to Van Gaal’s use of counter-attacking tactics which disrupted the tiki-taka possession-based football of the Spanish team. Van Gaal has varied between a back three and a back five depending on the opposition and may look to make use of counter-attacks against the Argentinians. 
Sabella has relied heavily on captain Lionel Messi throughout the tournament who has scored four goals so far but some believe that the side is too dependent on the Barcelona forward who has gone missing for periods and has only shown flashes of his true ability. Sabella has shown he is not afraid to make changes, introducing Manchester City’s Martin Demichelis in place of Napoli’s Federico Fernandez against Belgium and reaped the rewards following a solid defensive display.
Sabella has favoured a 4-3-3 formation throughout the tournament which has brought balance between attacking prowess and defensive stability. It is likely the side will have a similar shape to that which defeated Belgium in the quarter-final. Despite Sabella having a comfortable route to the semi-final his side are yet to reach top form and van Gaal comes out on top for his tactics due to his inspired decision making on their journey to face the Argentinians.
Conclusion:
Although both tacticians have done well to achieve a semi-final place, van Gaal is the comfortable winner in the battle of the coaches thanks to his experience and success in Europe and his successful and sometimes remarkable tactics on route to the game in Sao Paulo. Despite this, it will be up to the players to do the coaches bidding come Wednesday evening and it will be the side that preforms best on the night who will progress to the final in Rio de Janeiro.
