In preparation for the World Cup, the goalkeepers for the Netherlands will participate in a special training session devoted to practicing penalty kicks. The Netherlands is seeking to finish first in their group in the Nations League and earn a spot in the finals in June of next year. As a result, head coach Louis van Gaal has selected four goalkeepers for the next matches against Poland and Belgium.
However, Van Gaal stated that the top focus will be to complete preparations for the World Cup, which will take place in Qatar in November. The Netherlands will compete in Group A against the hosts Ecuador and Senegal. In statements that were cited by Reuters, he made the following statement during a press conference: “I’m searching for the best penalty taker so we test all goalkeepers.” On Wednesday, he invited two additional goalkeepers to participate in a special penalty save the session.
Van Gaal created a reputation for himself during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil by switching out his goalie just a few minutes before the end of extra time during their quarterfinal match against Costa Rica.