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Virgil van Dijk insists his Netherlands team-mates are centered on Argentina’s collective menace quite than simply stopping Lionel Messi.
The edges meet in a World Cup quarter-final on Friday night, with a last-four spot towards Brazil or Croatia at stake.
Messi, who has mentioned this may possible be his final World Cup, has scored three targets to date in Qatar — together with the opener towards Australia within the final 16 — as he seeks to elevate the one main trophy that has to date eluded him.
And whereas Liverpool defender Van Dijk is stuffed with admiration for Messi’s achievements within the recreation, he says Louis van Gaal’s workforce should not lose sight of their general technique.
“Messi has carried out it for thus a few years; I might say him and Cristiano (Ronaldo) have been the 2 standout gamers of the final twenty years and there’s solely respect to what they’ve achieved,” Van Dijk instructed reporters.
“For us now, it’s not the case of making a plan for him however to beat Argentina.
“It’s not about me, or the Netherlands, towards Messi, it’s in regards to the Netherlands towards Argentina.
“To be truthful I don’t fear, I’m very cautious of how Argentina play as a result of they’re a incredible workforce with incredible gamers. So we have now to be superb in all departments, so we have now to arrange properly and prepare for that.”
(Photograph: Getty Pictures)
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