Alejandro Sabella is definitely not an amateur on the dugout. While little mention has been made of his tactical decisions, Sabella knows how to change his team according to the opposition. In the opener, he changed his team's formation against Bosnia and Herzegovina after realizing that five at the back was just not working. His team improved after the break. Against Belgium, he gave Martin Demichelis his chance, thus allowing the team to build on a solid defensive foundation. Argentina were difficult to break down.
Unfortunately for Sabella, his counterpart, Louis Van Gaal knows a thing or two about adjusting his side during a match or setting up his team accordingly for one though. He has allowed Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben free roles and this has largely worked. He started with a back five against Spain and allowed his team to counterattack, resulting in a 1-5 demolition of the holders. His team were solid in their final group game against Chile, playing with a different style.
Against Mexico, he, unlike Van Persie's former club coach David Moyes, bravely substituted his captain for the "forgotten man" Klaas Jan Huntelaar. The "Hunter" helped set up Wesley Sneijder's goal and then scored the winner from the spot in a remarkable turnaround. The Dutch turned the game around against Mexico after almost 88 minutes on the clock had passed. And finally, the masterstroke came against Costa Rica.
Faced with penalties, Van Gaal took Jasper Cillesen out of the side and put Tim Krul in. He saved only two out of twenty penalties for Newcastle but Krul knew what to do. He played mind games with Costa Rica's takers, eventually saving two penalties and guessing the direction of the placement correctly of the ones he did not save. Even Cillesen was cheering on the sidelines.
While ego has not been an issue for the Argentines in the dressing room in recent years, it always has been for the Dutch. Van Gaal has managed to keep all his veterans happy but he has given his youngsters plenty of chances. Amongst the newcomers, some have done very well including Daley Blind and Memphis Depay. This man loves a team which follows his every word and he has built exactly one.
Sometimes, Van Gaal is not given enough credit for his achievements. He built the brilliant Ajax team which won the UEFA Champions League in 1995. He helped form the foundation of Barcelona's all-conquering side by handing Carles Puyol and Xavi their chances in the first team.
Also, he built the foundation for Bayern's all-conquering 2012-13 side by rebuilding the team in 2009-10. He reinvented Bastian Schweinsteiger by switching the former winger to a defensive midfield role, gave Thomas Müller a regular berth in the first team. He also gave David Alaba and later, Toni Kroos, regular playing time. Van Gaal took Bayern to their first European Champions League in nine years in 2010.
Perhaps, his track record shows us that Van Gaal has the keys needed to unlock Argentina in Part II of the South American-European semifinal battles.
Watch the 2014 World Cup Semi-Final Argentina vs Netherlands
Don’t miss the highly anticipated match featuring South America's last hopefuls Argentina against Louis van Gaal's mighty Netherlands. Guided by captain Lionel Messi, the Argentines will do everything they possibly can to ensure they make the final which will be played at the Maracanã. The match kicks-off at 4pm EST / 1pm PST / 8pm GMT.
Check our complete and comprehensive global broadcast listings across all platforms (Internet, TV and Radio) Check Argentina vs Netherlands LIVE broadcast listings.
