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“If you check your images…”

Monday, September 6, 2021 at 13:56
• Yanick Vos • Last update: 14:11

Daley Blind returns to the base with the Orange on Tuesday evening in the World Cup qualifier against Turkey. The left leg was suspended against Montenegro (4-0) and was replaced in that game in left back position by debutant Tyrell Malacia, who in turn will have to settle for a place on the bench. Louis van Gaal does not want to make the Turkish national coach any wiser, but nevertheless indicated that the Ajax player will appear at the kick-off.

The KNVB announced on Monday morning that Cody Gakpo and Nathan Aké have left the Orange training camp. Van Gaal experiences the loss of Gakpo in particular as a major setback. “They are important players in the selection. Cody in particular has gone through a development. We will miss them. Also because we are thin in terms of wingers,” said Van Gaal at the press conference on Monday.

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Van Gaal did not want to say whether he should change his battle plan by the disappearance of Gakpo, who was in the base for the past two international matches. “The bad thing is that I don’t want to let the coach of Turkey get any wiser. He is already very good and has allowed his team to play very disciplined. That’s really good to let Turks play in a game discipline. Turkey has cool players and also only players who play at top clubs. They only have two players playing in Turkey, at least in the team we expected. They also play at Fenerbahçe and Besiktas, which are top clubs.”

At the previous press conference prior to the duel with Montenegro, Van Gaal revealed that Stefan de Vrij, Denzel Dumfries and Steven Berghuis would be in the base. The trainer hopes that his line-up for the duel with Turkey will not leak out, although he knows that he must be careful. “I was just on the field and then I said a name. I immediately thought: oh, I shouldn’t mention that one. But I did mention him. So if you check your images, you have it.” After the match against Montenegro, Van Gaal already revealed that Van Dijk will start against Turkey.

ESPN reporter Pascal Kamperman noted during the press conference that Van Gaal had been talking to Blind for a long time. “It seems clear to me that Daley Blind is coming back, yes. I can be positive about that,” said Van Gaal, who has Virgil van Dijk return to the center. That will be at the expense of a base place for Matthijs de Ligt or Stefan de Vrij. “I’m not going to say anything about that. Or is that a difficult choice? No, that is not a difficult choice. You follow your vision. It’s hard to tell, to disappoint a player, but not to follow your vision. And I always explain.”


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