LOUIS VAN GAAL SAYS if he becomes World Champion he will be open to another big job in football.
The 71-year-old’s last club job was at Manchester United where he was sacked in 2016 but he came back from self-imposed retirement last year for his third stint in charge of the Dutch national side.
With four points from his opening two games out here he has them on the brink of reaching the last 16 as Group A winners, with already eliminated hosts Qatar the opponents in their final game tomorrow.
And while Ronaldo Koeman has already agreed to take the reigns of the side after the tournament Van Gaal says the game may not be lost to him just yet.
Van Gaal said: “My successor has already been appointed so that is not really an issue. I only did this to support Dutch football and thank them for this opportunity.
“I’m doing this because I’m grateful and if we become world champion then the football world is a very opportunistic world so you never know?”
To become World Champions out here in Qatar, however, he knows his team are going to have to improve on their opening two games.
They left it late in beating Senegal 2-0 and after taking an early lead through Cody Gakpo against Ecuador they fell flat and could easily have lost, ending up with a 1-1 draw.
After both games he criticised their poor ball possession and claimed against that they lost every duel.
Back home in Holland there has been plenty of criticism for him changing from the 4-3-3 formation he mostly used in an impressive qualifying campaign to what is seen as a more defensive negative 5-3-2 with the wing-backs sat back.
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People close to the Dutch camp suggest the players would prefer that 4-3-3 too.
His tactics are viewed as not the football that made the Dutch famous, not on the front foot, but sitting back and preferring to counter attack.
Although that same system served him well in his last stint in charge when in Brazil in 2014 he somehow got the team to within penalty kicks of the final.
And they have not lost since Van Gaal resumed control, now unbeaten in 17 matches.
Van Gaal said: “I reflected on this system for a year and a half and it may be at some point I adjust it but at this moment in time I see no need to do that.
“We want improvement in our ball possession, and make better decisions.
“Against Ecuador we didn’t pass to the right colour shirt.
“But we are not gloomy – the characteristics of this squad is that we will always go that extra mile so in my view this Ecuador game was an exception to the rule.
“We are unbeaten for 17 matches and I think if you look at the goal difference too we deserve some respect.”
From the outset Van Gaal has admitted he does not have the best squad here but still says they can win the tournament, something he denies puts any extra pressure on the players.
He said: “I hope this is no pressure at all because always you have to identify the goal and if you say the quarter finals is enough you won’t become world champions.
“I never said we will become world champions, I said we have a chance to become world champions and the players are convinced of that.”
Van Gaal was in good form again yesterday in Doha as he has been in all his press conferences.
This time he was flanked by Frenkie de Jong in the Doha media centre and the Barcelona midfielder was looking noticeably pale.
This was pointed out to him by a member of the Dutch media and De Jong admitted to having a sore throat and not having slept.
Van Gaal said: “Thank you for saying Frenkie looks a bit pale because I’ve seen that as well. The rest of us have been lying at the poolside.
“Me not so much but my mother when she died had rosy cheeks – it’s a case of genes.”
