On June 30th at 01:00 UTC, the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match between the Netherlands and Morocco will take place. Captain Van Dijk said at the pre-match press conference that the team would give their all in the knockout stage.
When facing Morocco in Mexico tomorrow, do you expect there to be many Moroccan fans in the stadium?
I disagree with you. I think there will be plenty of orange jerseys tomorrow—you will see. At least, that is how I feel right now. We have already received a very warm welcome at the hotel, and the information I have heard is quite different from what you said.
Of course, as you mentioned, there is a historical connection between the Netherlands and Morocco, but I expect many Dutch fans tomorrow. The Moroccan fan section could also be very impressive, but perhaps I am wrong.
On paper, you could have faced easier opponents in the Round of 16, but you were not so lucky. This feels like a match that should have been in the quarterfinals. Do you see it more as a risk or as an opportunity to prove yourselves?
Personally, I don’t think we have anything to prove. This is where we are now, and it will be a very exciting match for neutral fans. For us, this is the reality. We’re here now, and we’re ready for Morocco. It will be a special match because of the special connection between the Netherlands and Morocco. But this is the situation, and we will deal with it as it comes. As I said, it’s knockout football—win or go home—and we will give it our all.
Tomorrow is an important match, but football is not always the most important thing in life. We were reminded of that again this week by the sad news about Cody Gakpo and his girlfriend. What has this week meant for the team?
As the coach said, the most important thing is to be there for him when he needs it. Of course, it is very difficult, and you were right at the beginning—it shows once again that football is secondary in life, and that there are more important things.
It is very sad. But, as the coach said, from what I know about Gakpo and what we have seen over the past few days, he is very eager to help the team reach the next round tomorrow, and he will give everything to achieve that. Everyone is fully focused on the match now.
You know Gakpo well, and if he wanted to go home, you would certainly understand. Have you learned anything about him through this—seeing that he can still focus on playing for the Netherlands despite what he is going through?
I can’t say I’ve learned anything new about him. No one wants to go through something like this, so you never know how someone will ultimately handle it. But from what I’ve seen, and from knowing him, it truly reflects his character. He is very mature in that respect. I have great respect for him, his partner, and their families for how they are handling this, no matter how terrible it is.
Wout Weghorst has played in this stadium before and also took part in the FIFA World Cup with you. Did you contact him to get any details about the venue?
No, I don't think that's necessary. I think it was good to see the stadium today. For me, it's not always necessary to visit the stadium in advance, but I haven't been to Mexico or Monterrey before. I have to say, it's a beautiful stadium.
It is said that the roof here could trap heat, and such details may have an impact.
Yes, that could have an impact.
The coach emphasized that the team needs to be more compact, with a better defensive shape and less space between the lines. As a defender responsible for organizing the back line, what will you do?
Yes, I am one of the people jointly responsible. Over the past two days, we have trained and emphasized these points very seriously. As the coach said, I am confident that the team’s positioning will be much better tomorrow.
But what exactly will you do differently than before?
Defending is not done by one person—it is about organizing distances and maintaining team compactness with multiple players. I am certainly not the only one responsible, but I do feel a sense of responsibility for it. As I said, we have worked a lot on this over the past two days and reviewed videos. It is clear, as the coach said, that if we face stronger teams—which will definitely be the case tomorrow—these aspects must improve significantly. After these two days, I feel more positive about tomorrow.
The coach has previously spoken about players solving problems on the field themselves. Reijnders also said this week that it is not easy for the players because everyone has a different understanding of football. Are there moments when you want the team to drop back, while some midfielders want to push forward?
Which moment are you referring to? Who said that some people want to push forward and others want to drop back?
There was a moment in the game when you seemed to be telling everyone to drop back, while Frenkie de Jong wanted to push forward.
I don’t even remember that scenario. We have a game plan that the coaching staff developed with us. There will be moments in the game when you have to press forward one-on-one, and there will also be moments when the whole team has to drop deep. This requires communication, initiative, and football intelligence. If the ball goes back to the wrong opponent and you see an opportunity to press, you have to go. If not, you have to come back. This doesn’t just come from the back line—everyone has responsibility.
But I do think we live in a different era. Not just in football—many things are different compared to ten years ago. So whether you can expect exactly the same as before is another question.
You scored all of your penalties in training during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but then missed your first penalty in a match. Have you thought about that often? What did you do differently afterward?
I think that is what the coach meant when he said you cannot train for certain moments. At such an important moment, all I could hear was the Argentine fans booing me, and I did not even really hear the referee’s whistle. That is not an excuse, but of course, that does not happen on the training ground. As you said, in Qatar we practiced penalties every day, and they all went in. But in the actual match, unfortunately, that one did not. I was affected for a while after the World Cup because I was very disappointed. But it does not stay with me forever. You still have to move forward. I have taken quite a few penalties since then, including an important one away against Greece, so you just keep moving on.
One more thing: penalty training should not focus only on the first few penalty takers, because you can make five or six substitutions in a match. Normally, the first, second, and third penalty takers might already be sitting on the bench with their jackets on and no longer able to take penalties, so more players need to be involved in penalty preparation.
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