Former Netherlands men’s team manager Louis van Gaal gave a rousing team talk to the Dutch women’s team 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo on Saturday.
Netherlands, who qualified for the main Olympic tournament for the first time, were drawn in Group F alongside China, Brazil and Zambia.
– Stream LIVE games and replays on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– Van Gaal returns to coaching for first time since Man Utd sacking
“Just look at the [men’s] European Championship [side],” Van Gaal, who has been linked with the vacant men’s position, told the women’s team ahead of their flight to Tokyo.
“There you see a bunch of elite stars that can’t do it. I’ve always seen that under [coach] Sarina [Wiegman] there is a team that goes through fire. So make sure that you, as a team, go to the Olympics an go for gold.”
The Netherlands are the reigning European champions and finished as runners up to the United States at the 2019 World Cup, so go into the Olympic tournament with high expectations.
Van Gaal has twice been manager of the men’s national side — in his first stint, he failed to achieved qualification to the 2002 World Cup but Netherlands to third place in 2014 when he made his return.
At club level, he won the Champions League Ajax in 1995 and won major trophies with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, while he also led AZ Alkmaar to a surprise league title in the Eredivisie.