Argentina: I Don’t Have Secret Plans To Stop Messi – Dejong

Frenkie  de Jong has played with Lionel Messi at Barcelona, but the Netherlands star still acknowledges that: “I don’t know how to stop him!”

A Dutch team that has advanced to the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals in remarkable fashion is getting ready to play Messi and Argentina in the round of eight on Friday. Louis van Gaal’s team faces clear challenges in trying to control a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, and De Jong admits that despite having worked with Messi for two seasons at Camp Nou, he has no relevant inside information to share.

When asked by reporters if he knows how to keep the legendary great quiet, De Jong responded as follows: “Well, no. I know him, but I don’t know how to stop him. He’s been making the difference for 15 years and there is not one way to stop him. Usually he would still make the difference during training too. We just have to stop him as a team. We haven’t texted each other. I am not planning to. We will see each other on Friday.”

The Dutch camp believes that one small breach in Messi’s armor could work in their favor, despite the fact that they are fully aware of his capacity to make their lives very uncomfortable.

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When asked about his strategies for stopping the legendary 35-year-old, Van Gaal said: “Messi is the most dangerous creative player, he is able to create a lot and to score goals on his own. However, when they lose the ball, he doesn’t play as much, which offers us opportunities.

Messi has never been one to track back and assist with defensive responsibilities because his game is all about the outcome at the other end of the field.

He scored against Australia in his most recent game, his 1,000th competitive appearance for club and country, adding another 789 attempts to an impressive resume.