Virgil van Dijk has conceded he personally thinks his Netherlands side are playing the wrong formation under the guidance of Louis van Gaal even though his national team toppled Denmark 4-2 on Saturday.
The Liverpool stalwart was deployed in the middle of a back three as Van Gaal opted to set-up in a 3-4-1-2 system against the Danes, but Van Dijk was not all smiles come full-time at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam. The win ensures Van Gaal's unbeaten start to life as national team boss in his third stint continues, with the former Manchester United boss overseeing six wins in eight games.
The 70-year-old has also managed the Oranje from 2000 to 2001 and again in 2012 to 2014, where he guided the Netherland to a third-placed finish in the Brazil World Cup and will get the chance to take charge of his country on the world's biggest stage once again in Qatar later this year.
The game against the Danes also marked an emotional return to the international scene for Christian Eriksen, who notched a goal within two minutes of his first Denmark game since he suffered an on-pitch cardiac arrest during Euro 2020. His strike could not thwart the efforts of an in-form Dutch side that saw a brace from Steven Bergwijn either side of goals from Nathan Ake and Memphis Depay.
Though Van Dijk admitted the game presented plenty of positives for his side, he conceded he feels improvements could be made and declared his preference for a 4-3-3 formation.
"Until today we have been training hard, with lots of tactics and meetings. There are good times but also things to improve," the 30-year-old told NOS, via footmercato. "We will analyse this. Of course, we are playing in a new system, different things are required of the players. But I think we showed a lot of good things.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Was Van Dijk wrong to publicly question Van Gaal's tactics? Comment below
"Do I like the system? Well, I'm still in favour of 4-3-3 but I'm not the national coach and the national coach has a very strong opinion about it." Van Dijk's comments did not go unnoticed by his boss, who responded soon after during his own post-match media duties.
"I know he has that preference, he always said this publicly. We already had this debate when I came here. The manager decides the tactics," Van Gaal hit back. The tone of the comments suggest the manager is not best pleased with the remarks of his captain.
A stern test awaits the Netherlands in the form of Hansi Flick's in-form Germany side on Tuesday, before attentions turn to the Nations League in the summer. Van Gaal's side have been drawn in the same group as Belgium, Wales and Poland.
