The Netherlands are in the Round of 16 but even they will admit their progress at the World Cup has been far from impressive.

Though the Dutch topped Group A, they have been criticised for failing to play with any conviction or authority in their opening three games — victories over Senegal and Qatar and a fortunate draw against Ecuador.

“We are searching, that is clear. We hope it gets better, we all hope so,” midfielder Marten de Roon said ahead of their clash with the US on Saturday.

“But the first goal is to get through to the next round. We are not deliberately playing badly here. Maybe one of you has the solution?” he asked reporters.

But his manager thinks differently.

Louis van Gaal, at 71 the oldest coach at the tournament, is back for his third stint leading Oranje. He guided them to a third-place finish in 2014.

“If you say, well, the final 16 is enough or the quarter finals is enough, that isn’t the right way to do things,” he said through a translator.

“The right way to do things is to think that you’ll become champion, world champion.”

A losing finalist in 1974, 1978 and 2010, the Dutch failed to reach the 2018 World Cup. They opened this tournament with a 2-0 win over Senegal, tied Ecuador 1-1 and beat host Qatar 2-0 to top Group A.

De Roon believes a win is all that matters.

“Of course, we would prefer to play everyone off the carpet and win 5-0 every time and become world champions, but it is not that simple. Winning counts on Saturday, but how we do it matters less. Even if necessary through penalty kicks,” he said.

The Netherlands are on an 18-game unbeaten streak since losing to the Czech Republic in the round of 16 at last year’s European Championship.

USA upbeat

Gregg Berhalter, who turned pro in the Netherlands 28 years ago, will look to draw on the lessons he learned there when he coaches the US against Oranje.

“We deserve to be in the position we’re in and we want to keep going,” he said. “It’s about how we recover and prepare to play against a very good Dutch team, very well coached, tons of quality all over the field, and we have to come up with an idea of how to beat them.”

Khazri quits on a high

Doha: Tunisia’s Wahbi Khazri announced his international retirement after his side’s elimination at the World Cup.

Khazri, who scored in Tunisia’s 1-0 win over France on Wednesday, joined Saudi duo Salem Al-Dawsari and Sami Al-Jaber as the all-time leading Arab scorers at World Cups with three goals each.

“After the Tunisia match... I told everyone that this moment is appropriate, and I thanked everyone and wished them success,” Khazri told Bein Sports French. “I am proud of what I gave my country over the past years, and I believe that the future for this generation is bright.”

Reuters