sport news Louis van Gaal ready for final roll of dice as he bids to finally end wait for ... trends now

sport news Louis van Gaal ready for final roll of dice as he bids to finally end wait for ... trends now
sport news Louis van Gaal ready for final roll of dice as he bids to finally end wait for ... trends now

sport news Louis van Gaal ready for final roll of dice as he bids to finally end wait for ... trends now

Louis van Gaal slipped effortlessly into his role as the wise old man of this World Cup, as he made a case for the Netherlands finally winning football's biggest prize and offered a few reasons why they might not.

He held court for half an hour in Doha, insisting on speaking in Dutch, dodging a question about Memphis Depay's rap music and happily posing for selfies on his way out of the auditorium.

This is probably Van Gaal's last dance.

Holland boss Louis van Gaal (left) speaks to the media ahead of their match against Senegal

Holland boss Louis van Gaal (left) speaks to the media ahead of their match against Senegal

He is 71, into his third spell in charge of the Dutch national team, taking the job after five years out of football following his two seasons at Manchester United.

In April, he revealed on a TV show he had been undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, having kept this quiet during the qualification campaign.

'Whether it's my last tournament as national coach, I think so but you never know and I keep insisting on that,' Van Gaal said. 'I accepted this job because there was no one else available at the time, and I took the job five years after I left Manchester so that tells you enough.'

He was in charge in 2014 in Brazil when a Dutch team featuring Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder lost on penalties to Argentina in the semi-final and claims this vintage is better.

'I believe in this group of players,' said Van Gaal. 'In 2014, we came third with a squad of lesser quality and with this group I expect more. But it depends. Not only on technical and tactical skills but also on luck that you score at the right time or the other team

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