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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 18 JUNE 2014 24 24 Van Gaal's tactical dilemma ahead of Australia date The Dutch may have made a major impression with their 5-1 defeat of holders Spain, but Louis van Gaal now faces a dilemma whether to keep the 5-3-2 formation against Australia or return to a 4-3-3 setup. DUTCH coach Louis van Gaal fac- es a luxury dilemma for the next World Cup game against Australia on Wednesday. Does he stick to the 5-3-2 forma- tion that resulted in a 5-1 ham- mering of holders Spain, or return to the nation's preferred 4-3-3 sys- tem? Unlike Argentina, for whom the 5-3-2 didn't really work Sunday, van Gaal's men showed that the slightly more defensive scheme doesn't rule out an attacking game. However, it does collide with the Total Football concept that has dominated their game ever since the 1970s. "Of course we could play 4-3-3 against Australia but we have made a statement with the 5-3-2," playmaker Wesley Snijder said. Snijder's statements carry some weight again as he returned to form in his 100th cap in the re- match of the 2010 final. It was just a few months ago that van Gaal dismissed the Galatasaray midfielder as captain, but now he is a team leader again with fellow- midfielder Nigel de Jong and Fri- day's two-goal heroes Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben. The quartet can lead a young team by example and will likely be consulted by Van Gaal as well when it comes to the line-up in Porto Alegre against the Socceroos who lost their opener 2-1 against Chile. Van Persie, whose by now fa- mous diving header ignited the big comeback win against Spain, has an especially good relationship with Van Gaal, who will also be his club coach at Manchester United after the World Cup. "Van Gaal is not only a top coach but also a very sociable person. Almost everything he predicts be- comes reality," Van Persie said in praise of the Bondscoach. Robben, who also had Van Gaal as club coach - between 2009 and 2011 at Bayern Munich - has stated as well that "I feel really well with- in this new system." Van Gaal has so far not revealed anything about the formation, but the first training after the memo- rable win against Spain has sug- gested that he will stick to 5-3-2 after all. Total Football is mainly associ- ated with national icon Johan Cru- yff but the 1974 runner-up is more concerned about the players' atti- tude than the tactical concept. "No one will underestimate the Dutch anymore. Therefore it is es- sential that everyone keeps their feet firmly on the ground," Cruyff said in his column for the Telegraaf daily Monday. The Dutch can reach the last 16 prematurely on Wednesday if they win and Spain don't beat Chile a few hours later, but Robben also remained cautious - recalling a quarter-final exit at Euro 2008 against Russia after big wins in the group stage. "We want a lot more. Whether or not this 5-1 is historic depends on how the rest of the tournament turns out," he said. "Back then we won 3-0 against world champions Italy and 4-1 against France but then lost to Russia. That must be a lesson to us." Head coach Louis van Gaal (C) during the training session of the Dutch national soccer team at the training ground of Brazilian soccer team Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro. Photo EPA/STANLEY GONTHA Croatia, Cameroon desperate for victory CAMEROON and Croatia both need a victory in Manaus to set themselves up for the final group game. But preparations for both have been far from perfect. It's all or nothing for Croatia and Cameroon on Wednesday when the teams meet in the magnificent Man- aus stadium in a game that will likely decide their 2014 World Cup fate. Croatia lost the opening match of the tournament to Brazil 3-1 after conceding a controversial penalty that allowed an unconvincing Sele- cao to level and eventually win. And with Cameroon going down 1-0 to Mexico, both teams need a victory in Manaus to have a realis- tic chance of progressing to the next round. But preparations for both have been far from perfect. The Indomitable Lions will have to manage without their talismanic striker Samuel Eto'o who is ruled out through a knee injury he suffered for Chelsea at the end of last season. At age 33, the former FIFA World Player of the Year in 2005 may no longer be at his best, but he still represents a potent goal threat and could now have played his last World Cup game. "The doctors confirm! I would probably not be able to play the match vs Croatia on Wed, june18th due to an injury on my knee causing me pain," he tweeted. "I am hoping the gods grant me a miracle and that I am able to defend my dear, beautiful country," Eto'o told Cameroon Radio-Television (CRTV). "If this is not the case, I will always play my role as captain and especially as the big brother to push my young teammates to victory." His absence leaves Cameroon coach Voler Finke likely to call up Fenerbahce's Pierre Webo to lead the attack for a team which arrived a day late to the tournament following a dispute over player bonuses. Croatia has also found its prepa- rations interrupted. The country's mercurial midfielder Luka Modric may not be fully fit for the game due to a foot injury. The Real Madrid playmaker only returned to training Monday following Thursday's loss to Brazil, but is expected to make it for the game. "It was dramatic but Luka will be ready for Cameroon," said coach Niko Kovac. The players' mood must also have suffered from a major media scandal after photographers hid in the bush- es of the team's training camp and snapped pictures of Southampton defender Dejan Lovren and Lokomo- tiv Moscow defender Vedran Cor- luka swimming in the nude. The pair adopted a blanket media ban in retaliation and were backed by Kovac who asked the attending jour- nalists: "How would you feel if some- one took naked pictures of you?" But Kovac will be telling his play- ers to put that incident and the Brazil result behind them and try and pro- duce the same performance which pushed the home country to the limit to get the win. "What we showed on the (field) was great," Kovac said. "What I can see in the players' eyes is their desire to make up for what we have lost in the opener." Even with Eto'o on the field, Cameroon were clearly second- best to Mexico. And despite being the first African team to reach the quarter-finals in 1990 they have a dismal World Cup record since then. They also look unlikely to progress unless they can find a new source of inspiration. Finke, however, did not sound too inspired. "We will analyze this together be- cause the match against Croatia is very important if we want to stay alive," he said after the Mexico game. Both teams will also have to cope with a long trip to the Amazonian capital of Manaus and the steamy conditions in the stadium. And with the weather forecast showing a chance of thunderstorms the players may also face a deluge.