The Liverpool captain had heard enough of the theory that he ran the tactics for the Netherlands at the World Cup.
At Thursday’s pre-match press conference, Virgil van Dijk snapped at a Dutch reporter who put to him the suggestion that he had convinced Ronald Koeman to switch to a back five during the tournament.
“One of your colleagues also said, of course, that it was my idea to switch to playing with a back five. That is utter nonsense,” Van Dijk told reporters.
The Netherlands were knocked out in the round of 32 by Morocco, losing on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Koeman, who had lined up with a back four throughout the group stage, reshaped the team for the knockout tie and left the job after the exit.
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‘The plan is devised by the staff’
Van Dijk laid the tactical choice with the coaching bench.
“The plan is devised by the staff. Nonsense is being spread so that I look even worse. That happens far too often.”
He rejected the broader charge that the failure was on him.
“The fact is we simply failed at the World Cup; those are the hard facts. We didn’t play a good World Cup. It’s not about me.”
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“Your claim that I destroyed Dutch football after the World Cup, that sort of thing is completely baseless.”
Xavi’s opening night
The row played out on the eve of Xavi Hernández’s first match in charge of the Netherlands, a UEFA Nations League opener against Germany at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam.
The Spaniard was appointed after Koeman departed and has kept Van Dijk as captain in his first squad.
Germany line up in the opposite dugout with Jürgen Klopp taking his first game as national coach, an appointment made after Julian Nagelsmann left his post following his own team’s disappointing World Cup. Both sides went out in the round of 32 in North America.
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