Louis van Gaal hit out at claims he's ruined the legacy of Dutch football - insisting he has been a tactical trailblazer.
The veteran coach, 71, ran the gauntlet from his own media who believe he has compromised the principles of ‘Total Football’ ahead of a mouth-watering quarter-final clash against Argentina. However, the former Manchester United boss hit back, claiming that even Brazil have copied his methods.
Van Gaal established himself as a free-spirit when putting together an exciting Ajax side in the 90s that contained greats such as Dennis Bergkamp, Edgar Davids and Patrick Kluivert. But he moderated his approach eight years ago at the World Cup in Brazil. Despite finishing as beaten semi-finalists, he hasn’t shaken off suggestions that his new pragmatic style somehow betrayed his Oranje's core beliefs.
