Not just Lionel Messi, this Argentina player will be tough to stop: Netherlands defender Nathan Ake

In Manchester City’s training sessions, Ake finds it challenging to mark Julian Alvarez. When Argentina and the Netherlands square off in the FIFA World Cup 2022 on December 10, he anticipates that his assignment will be much more difficult.

Ake is a regular in the Dutch defence and knows he’ll have more than just Lionel Messi to deal with. While every defender would be concerned about Messi’s swift moves, there are occasions when other Argentine players take advantage of the opponent focusing a lot on Leo and score goals themselves.

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Julian Alvarez has already scored twice in the tournament, once against Australia and the other against Poland. In the encounter with the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, he will be attempting to score for the third game in a row.

Ake called the 22-year-old Argentine forward as a “very technical” player who is “very difficult to mark even in training. Alvarez is Ake’s teammate in Manchester City. “He’s very sharp, a good finisher. So it will be tough to face him,” the Dutch defender said about Alvarez.

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As per Ake, the match between the Netherlands and Argentina will be a “good challenge” not only for the defenders but for the entire team. “We have more players also to worry about because the whole team, there are very good players in the team. So we just have to make sure we are tactically very good, organised,” he added.

The Netherlands and Argentina will fight for a spot in the final four and face the winner of the Croatia vs Brazil match in the semi-finals to be held on December 14.

(With agency inputs)