"It's not a bad position after Guardiola and after Slot. Third position. At least we are on the podium. I don't care." That was Xavi Hernandez, unveiled as Netherlands head coach on Tuesday, and already the best quote in international football this summer.
The self-awareness is refreshing. KNVB technical director Nigel de Jong confirmed that Pep Guardiola was approached first, then Arne Slot — recently sacked by Liverpool — and both passed. Michael Reiziger, the Netherlands youth coach, was also on the four-man shortlist. Xavi got the job. And rather than spin it, he leaned into it.
What Xavi actually brings
The 46-year-old hasn't worked since leaving Barcelona in May 2024, so there's a question of sharpness. But his CV still dwarfs most candidates on any shortlist. Four Champions Leagues with Barca. Eight La Liga titles. The 2010 World Cup. Back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012. He wasn't just present for Spain's golden era — he was the axis it rotated around.
He's also coming in with a clear stylistic agenda, which is more than Koeman managed by the end. "We want to dominate the game, to take the initiative with the ball," Xavi said. That's a direct rebuke of the defensive, reactive football the Netherlands served up at the World Cup, where they went out on penalties to Morocco in the round of 32. Eighteen million Dutch football fans watched that and deserved better.
The Cruyff connection runs deep here too. Louis van Gaal gave Xavi his debut at Barcelona. The club's entire philosophy traces back to Johan Cruyff's Dutch roots. Xavi is essentially returning an intellectual debt — bringing those ideas back to where they started.
September 24 against Germany — and Klopp
There's no gentle start. His first match is a Nations League fixture at home to Germany on September 24, and Germany now have Jürgen Klopp in charge. Two of the biggest managerial names available this summer, both making their competitive debuts on the same night. Netherlands' odds in that one will be tightly contested — Klopp's Germany are going to come out with something to prove too.
"It's a big challenge from the beginning, but I think we will be ready," Xavi said. Whether his version of the Netherlands actually looks like the possession-dominant side he's describing by then is the real question. International coaches get weeks, not months. The margin for tactical overhaul is thin.
Xavi took the job knowing he wasn't the first call. He's made his peace with that. Now he has to make the Dutch forget it.
