The Dutch National Team has run into an unexpected scenario following Louis Van Gaal's cancer diagnosis, and if the coach's condition worsens, then they might need to come up with a Plan B to lead them to the next FIFA World Cup.
Luckily for them, the man that was in charge before Van Gaal is still available to take the job, and apparently, the Dutch team execs are willing to offer him his old job despite the way in which he left them to join Barcelona a couple of years ago.
The man who could lead the Netherlands to the FIFA World Cup is none other than Ronald Koeman, who as things stand is the frontrunner to replace Van Gaal as the team's coach in the quadrennial tournament. Koeman coached the Netherlands for over two years between 2018 and 2020, but he resigned from the team to join Barcelona in August 2020. He was in charge of the national team for 20 games, winning eleven of those, drawing five, and losing four times.
Koeman's stint as coach started months after the Netherlands failed to qualify to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He was supposed to lead the team to the 2022 edition of the competition, but his decision to join Barcelona seemed to put an end to those plans. Now, things have fallen in place for him and with his exit from Los Culés back in October, the 59-year-old coach may be able to fulfill his dream.
Van Gaal is yet to make a decision regarding his commitment to the team after being diagnosed with an "aggresive prostate cancer," according to the coach himself. The 70-year-old boss may decide to step down before the World Cup if his condition worsens, which might incline his employers to execute an alternate plan to keep their hopes of winning their first FIFA World Cup title next winter.
The Dutch side was drawn in Group A along with hosts Qatar, Ecuador, and Senegal, and their debut is scheduled for November 21, 2022 against Senegal.
