Dutch legend Marco van Basten has placed his faith on Ajax defender Jurrien Timber to be able to man-mark Argentine maestro Lionel Messi for the entire duration of Friday’s quarterfinal as the two sides meet for the fifth time in the World Cup.
Van Basten said that he believed the young right-back would be able to keep the great man quiet, and as a result, the Dutch will be able to gain an edge owing to Messi’s lesser involvement with the defensive side of things.
“If we have a player who can man mark Messi 90 minutes long, we have to do it. Italy did it too with Diego Maradona. Without Messi, Argentina is a lot less. Timber might be able to do it.
Messi totally doesn’t defend with the team, you pretty much play 11 vs 10. You just need to be aware that he’s not the one who receives the ball once we lose the ball.”
ex-AFC Ajax and AC Milan striker said.
Messi has been the focal point of the Argentine attack as he has for several years now and has seen the majority of the attacking plays go through him. The Paris Saint-Germain striker has been prolific himself, scoring three goals and an assist in the tournament so far.
The rest of Lionel Scaloni’s forward men have been off-colour, with the possible exceptions of veteran Angel di Maria and Manchester City attacker Julian Alvarez.
Although Timber did not start for Louis van Gaal in their first game against Senegal, he has played the entirety of their other three matches and has looked on top of his game. On December 3, Oranje claimed a 3-1 over the United States in the round of 16 clash.
