Now the battle really begins

Netherlands vs Argentina

After battling cancer, Louis van Gaal is back to his belligerent best. Watching the stroppy Dutchman outwit media and opponents has been one of the unexpected joys of this tournament. "Write down that it's boring and that you're going home tomorrow because you couldn't care less," growled Van Gaal at one brave journalist. "I'm here until the final," responded the hack, before Louis had the last laugh: "Excellent, I'll see you there." Pure bravado or pure belief? The way the Dutch expertly picked off an albeit naive US team, one has to surmise the latter. Allowing the opponent to have the ball and playing on the counterattack against Argentina, however, is an altogether different proposition. How Van Gaal will try to minimize the threat of Lionel Messi and, at the other end of the pitch, maximize the talents of breakout star Cody Gapko makes this a fascinating encounter. Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk was keen to debunk the perception that Argentina is a one-man team. "Argentina has many good footballers who can make a difference. They are players we must watch. That's what we're going to do," Van Dijk insisted. The Liverpool man was likely to referring to Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez. The late injury withdrawal of Giovanni Lo Celso before the tournament had deprived Argentina of a key midfield cog, however the promotion off the bench of Fernandez following the shock opening defeat to Saudi Arabia has oiled the wheels again, thereby enabling Messi to weave his magic. If the 'Little Maestro' can dispatch the Dutch, then a possible blockbuster final showdown with Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal draws enticingly closer.