Tim Krul admitted that only he, manager Louis van Gaal, and keeping coach Hoek knew of the plan to make the late switch. (EPA)
DPA/Rio de Janeiro
Goalkeeper Tim Krul said he told the Costa Rica players he knew where they would put their penalties in the World Cup quarter-final, and promised to have a plan against Argentina should tomorrow’s semi-final go the same way.
The Dutch number two keeper who came on for Jasper Cillenssen defended himself against accusations of bad sportsmanship saying: “I have done nothing wrong. All I told them was that I knew what way they were going to go with their kicks. It’s the way I do it and it works for me. I was trying to get into their heads, psyche them out but there is nothing wrong with that.
“I watched the way they took their kicks against Greece. The penalty takers are under massive pressure and I have to use everything in my power to make an advantage.”
Asked about the prospect of a similar scenario in the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo with Leo Messi taking an Argentine kick he said: “We will sit down together tomorrow (Monday) the goalkeepers and Frans Hoek the goalkeeping coach and we will come up with a plan. But I don’t know if it will be the same hopefully we can do it in 90 minutes this time. If it goes to penalties then we will be ready.”
Krul came on in injury time of the second half of extra-time against Costa Rica and admitted on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro that only he, manager Louis van Gaal, and keeping coach Hoek knew of the plan to make the late switch.
Krul said: “The goalkeeping coach told me at the hotel as we got on the bus to the stadium and of course he said: ‘don’t say anything because it may not come to that’. It meant I was watching the whole match was a different view.”
The late change surprised Cillenssen and also stunned the Costa Rican bench. “Their whole bench was confused by me warming up,” said Krul. “Their coach looked at our coach, his face was priceless. It was just a fantastic move.”
The Netherlands coach Van Gaal will not change his number one keeper despite Krul’s two penalty saves. And with Cillenssen ready to take his place again for the semi-final he says he has long since calmed down after begin hauled off.
“I didn’t know before what was going to happen and so for me it was a big surprise,” he admitted.
“I was a little bit angry at first because I wanted to be in goal for the penalties but I celebrated as much as anyone when he made the saves; there is certainly no jealousy.”
In that spirit Krul said returning to the bench for the next match would not be a problem. “The relationship with Jesper is great. The manager has chosen Jesper as the number one. I would like to be the number one but we are all working towards the same aim. As second and third keepers we have to keep him sharp in training.”
Cillenssen echoed those sentiments when he said: “Without them and without that sharpness from training I would not have made the save I made late in the game. I could see Tim warming up but I stayed focussed on the match.”
Looking ahead to the match with Argentina, Krul was full of confidence saying: “I think we are fitter than most teams in the World Cup.”
That fitness has been boosted by the return to training of Nigel de Jong. He could be fit for the final while Ron Jaar missed the workout on Sunday with an ongoing knee problem that is not expected to rule him out of tomorrow’s game.
Cillenssen was asked if beating Argentina would be revenge for the two teams’ last World Cup match on South American soil when the Dutch lost the final in extra time in 1978. “It will only be revenge if we win the final” said Cillenssen.