Virgil van Dijk was involved in a heated confrontation with a journalist during the Netherlands' pre-match press conference ahead of their Nations League clash with Germany. The Liverpool defender was responding to accusations of "betrayal" following the Netherlands' World Cup elimination last summer.
The Dutch side were beaten by Morocco on penalties in the last 16, sparking fierce criticism from the national press. The defeat led to the dismissal of Ronald Koeman, with both the former manager and Van Dijk drawing sharp criticism from De Telegraaf journalist Valentijn Driessen.
Accusations of betrayal
Driessen had alleged that Van Dijk and Koeman "betrayed everything our national team stands for" by deploying a back five. The reporter suggested the tactical adjustment was made to shield Van Dijk, now 32, claiming he was no longer operating at the very pinnacle of his abilities.
Under new manager Xavi, the Liverpool stalwart remains a key figure, but clearly had unfinished business with Driessen. When quizzed on what had gone wrong at the tournament, Van Dijk replied: "Well, it's easy to say in hindsight: 'We should have done this differently' or 'We should have done that differently'."
He added: "One of your colleagues also said, of course, that it was my idea to switch to playing with a back five. That is utter nonsense. The fact is we simply failed at the World Cup; those are the hard facts."
Exchange escalates
Driessen responded: "I feel like you aren't acting like your usual self. A bit curt, as if the media is still getting under your skin."
Van Dijk hit back, insisting his sole aim was to correct the falsehoods that had been peddled by the press: "I've never had anything against the media, but when nonsense is being sent out there... (I have to respond)."
He continued: "We didn't play a good World Cup. It's not about me. You perform together; you're a team. Your claim that I destroyed Dutch football after the World Cup – that sort of thing is completely baseless."
Further criticism
Before the journalist had an opportunity to respond, the Dutch press officer stepped in, drawing their exchange to a close. The Netherlands will embark on their new chapter with a fixture against Germany before facing Serbia twice, with a match against Greece in between.
However, the back and forth did not stop there, with Driessen taking to Vandaad Insider to add further fuel to the fire. He said: "He's always had the wind in his sails. And now he's completely rattled because someone dares to criticise him. He's not used to that."
He added: "But you're only a star if you don't have any trouble with that either. It's a bit childish that the great Van Dijk is losing sleep over a few sentences he doesn't like. He is very vulnerable. Van Dijk needs four people around him so that he can play Beckenbauer."
Driessen also recalled a previous incident: "A few years ago I said something. And then Van Dijk decided that the Netherlands national team would no longer speak to VI. That was very pleasant, because not a single footballer has anything left to say after a match. Idle chatter and stating the obvious."
