Louis van Gaal praised the Netherlands' discipline in their 1-0 Nations League victory over Belgium on Sunday despite describing his team as having played "very badly".
Victory over Poland on Thursday meant the Oranje only needed to avoid a heavy defeat to their neighbours at the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam to seal top spot in Group A4 and progress to the Nations League Finals next year.
A result of that nature never looked like materialising, with Virgil van Dijk securing three points for the hosts in the 73rd minute – the centre-back's sixth goal for his country, four of those being headers from a corner.
The result extended Oranje's unbeaten run to 15 games (11 wins, four draws) since Van Gaal was reappointed for the third time in August last year, while it also saw Van Gaal move level with Dick Advocaat as the manager with the most wins in charge of the Netherlands (37).
"We lost the ball so much and in simple situations," he told NOS. "Just like against Poland, only now even more.
"That also had to do with Belgium, who put more pressure on the ball, especially in the second half. We certainly didn't play our best game.
"Belgium are very strong in terms of quality. They have a lot of individual quality. [Kevin] De Bruyne and [Eden] Hazard; those are top players. The Belgians did very well from the back. They were the better team today.
"I told the players that we played very badly, but we didn't give away many chances.
"We also had the greatest opportunities, especially at the end. I think [Steven] Bergwijn and [Davy] Klaassen should have scored.
"This is a disciplined victory and that's nice. Although we were second best for 90 minutes, we still continued playing our game and were disciplined."
Marten de Roon replaced the injured Frenkie de Jong in midfield and Van Gaal was pleased with how the Atalanta man contained De Bruyne.
"I thought [De Roon] was one of the better players," he added. "He gave few balls to the opposition and defensively picked up De Bruyne, who walked a little further away from our pit bulls. He did that very well."
One of those "pit bulls", substitute Tyrell Malacia, also received praise from Van Gaal, who said the Manchester United man also did well in shackling De Bruyne.
"I put him on the left of the central defence because De Bruyne played a lot on that side," Van Gaal explained. "It's better to have a pit bull like that instead of someone like [Daley] Blind who tries to solve it tactically.
"I had already discussed this with him the day before yesterday. The defensive work he did very well."
Djokovic recovers from slow start to move past Michelsen on Shanghai return
Novak Djokovic marked his Shanghai Masters return with a hard-fought straight-sets win over Alex Michelsen.
The four-time champion, who is appearing in this event for the first time since 2019, required two tie-breaks before prevailing 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (11-9) in just under two hours.
Djokovic, still donning a protective sleeve over his right knee, made a slow start in only his second match since losing to Alexei Popyrin in the US Open third round, winning just four points in the first three games as he fell 4-1 behind.
However, the 24-time major winner broke back in the seventh game before dominating the tie-break for first blood.
Roles were reversed in the second set as Michelsen cancelled out an earlier break in game seven.
However, the American squandered two set points to level and was eventually punished by Djokovic, who will play either 28th seed Flavio Cobolli or three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka in the next round.
Data Debrief: Djokovic continues American dominance
Djokovic was given an early scare, but his experience eventually showed as he came through.
Including team events, the Serb has now won his last 33 ATP-level matches against American opponents, with his last such defeat coming against Sam Querrey at Wimbledon in 2016.
The 24-time major winner also demonstrated his determination when the pressure intensified, and he has now come through 12 of his 16 tie-breaks played this season.
Luis Enrique defends decision to drop Dembele
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique does not regret dropping Ousmane Dembele for disciplinary reasons for their midweek Champions League defeat to Arsenal.
Dembele has stepped up to lead PSG's attack this season after Kylian Mbappe left for Real Madrid, scoring seven goals and adding four assists in all competitions.
However, the France international was left out of Luis Enrique's squad for Tuesday's 2-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, where they only managed two shots on target in a flat attacking display.
It was reported that Dembele's omission was the result of a dispute with Luis Enrique, who stands by his decision to leave him out.
"When a player doesn't meet their obligations, this is the sort of thing that can happen. Everything is now in order," Luis Enrique said ahead of Sunday's trip to Nice.
"I'm tough when I have to be tough and more permissive when it is needed. That is one of my big skills as a coach and as a person...
"Every player has a series of obligations to meet, so every player who does that is available.
"If they make a serious mistake, I will make the right decision, whether it is easy or difficult. I have no issue in doing that even if it seems difficult because we always think about what is best for the team."
Ligue 1 leaders PSG are unbeaten with 16 points, ahead of Monaco on goal difference.
"We're doing well. After analysing the game [against Arsenal], we've changed our mentality and we're back in league action, ready to compete. That is a good thing because if you lose, there is a game straight after," Luis Enrique said.
"We are imperfect, we will improve but I am certain that this team will fight in all competitions. If we replay this match against Arsenal, at home at the Parc des Princes, perhaps the result will not be the same."
Nice are ninth under new coach Franck Haise and Luis Enrique believes his side face a daunting task in breaking down a defence that has only been breached six times.
"They have a well-known coach with a personality that he instils in his teams... They play at a high level, so it will be difficult. They press high up the pitch and are strong on the ball," he said.
"They defend well and it will certainly be tough. It has always been a difficult place to go but we are motivated to continue doing what we are doing to stay top of the table."
Kompany relishing 'special game' when Bayern travel to Frankfurt
Vincent Kompany is relishing a "special game" when Bayern Munich face Eintracht Frankfurt in a battle of the Bundesliga's top two teams on Sunday.
Bayern top the table with 13 points after their first five games, with Eintracht just a point behind after recovering from losing their opener with four straight wins.
However, Kompany's side travel to Deutsche Bank Park seeking a response after two winless games.
After their perfect start to the Bundesliga campaign was ended by a 1-1 draw with reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen, they went down 1-0 to Aston Villa in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, Kompany is only looking forward.
"It is a special game in Frankfurt against a very tough team," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference. "They have a lot of young players with a lot of talent, so the team can grow.
"For us, it is a normal game. We have to get our points and keep going in the Bundesliga. I am only focused on the next game.
"It is always important after every game, win or lose, to say the game is now behind us and now comes the next game. We have a lot to take into our next game and that should be the reason for our success."
Once again, Bayern will be without Jamal Musiala, who remains sidelined with a hip injury, and Kompany hopes to have the Germany attacking midfielder available as soon as possible.
"We know how good and how important Jamal is for the club and Germany," the Bayern head coach added. "He is a young player and our total priority is to get him back fit and stay fit."
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