Van Gaal: I've proven Dutch media wrong

Holland have had a fantastic World Cup so far with Louis van Gaal stealing the limelight with fantastic substitutions winning game after game.

Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben have been particularly impressive but it takes more than two players to progress to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Good performances and top tactics have meant that some people are even claiming Holland are favourites, which must come as a surprise to the Dutch press who wrote them off before the tournament.

“Let me tell you, the Dutch media thought we would never survive the first round, so how we ended up becoming up favourites I’ll never know,” Van Gaal said. “This group of players is very modest. We have outstanding spirit, outstanding atmosphere and that led to victory. Costa Rica are very difficult opponents, otherwise they wouldn’t have ended up in a quarter final.”