The captain of the Netherlands national football team, Virgil van Dyck, responded to the criticism of his compatriots, former game stars Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit, after the humiliating loss of the “mills” team against France, 0-4, in the start of its campaign in the 2024 European Cup qualifiers.
Van Dyck and his comrades were subjected to harsh criticism after losing to Kylian Mbappe and his comrades last Saturday. The Liverpool defense pole was described as “creating chaos,” according to Van Basten, who led the Netherlands to its only major title in the 1988 European Cup.
“It’s not clear. A good leader thinks out loud and makes things clear,” the three-time Ballon d’Or holder added.
In turn, Gullit, one of the makers of the 1988 coronation and an analyst alongside Van Basten on the “Ziggo Sport” channel, said: “He believes that he is better than the rest of the players.”
The former midfielder added, “We see things, and then I say, ‘You are the leader, and you have to find solutions.’ But he suffices with a simple comment about what is going on in front of him.”
While Van Dyck admitted that he was not in his best days, the Liverpool defender said, “We are not robots.”
“Obviously we played badly (against France)… anyone can have an opinion these days. Did I raise the bar too high? I was never perfect,” he added after beating Gibraltar 3-0 on Monday.
“But we’ve achieved great success with the team. The footballers (Van Basten and Gullit) know that better than anyone… It’s normal not to always play with stability,” the 31-year-old, who has 56 international matches, explained.
“I am optimistic about the future and try to do the best… We are not robots. This should not be forgotten,” added the player, whose form also declined this season with his team, Liverpool.
