"We want to dominate the game, to take the initiative with the ball." Xavi Hernandez said it with the conviction of someone who spent 15 years doing exactly that. Now he's been handed the Netherlands job — and the brief to make Oranje worth watching again.
The appointment was confirmed Tuesday in Zeist. Xavi, 46, replaces Ronald Koeman, who departed after a World Cup campaign that ended in a penalty shootout defeat to Morocco in the Round of 32. The Netherlands played like a team afraid to lose. Xavi has never coached that way in his life.
Third choice, but not bothered
He wasn't the first call. Netherlands technical director Nigel de Jong confirmed Pep Guardiola was approached first, followed by Arne Slot — recently sacked by Liverpool — before Xavi emerged from a four-man shortlist that also included youth team coach Michael Reiziger. Both Guardiola and Slot declined.
Xavi wasn't hiding from that. "It's not a bad position after Guardiola and after Slot. Third position. At least we are on the podium. I don't care," he said. That's either refreshing honesty or a man who's comfortable enough in his own CV not to need the ego boost of being first pick. Given what's on his CV, probably the latter.
With Xavi at the center of its midfield, Barcelona won 25 trophies — four Champions Leagues, eight Spanish league titles. He was the engine behind Spain's golden decade: Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012. That 2010 final, incidentally, was won against the Netherlands in Johannesburg. Xavi knows exactly what Dutch football can be, and he knows what it costs when it falls short.
Germany first, and Klopp is waiting
His first match in charge arrives September 24 in Amsterdam — Netherlands vs. Germany, a fixture that tends to generate its own electricity regardless of context. This one has extra voltage: Germany's new coach is Jürgen Klopp, himself stepping in after Julian Nagelsmann's exit following another underwhelming World Cup.
Two new coaches, two footballing giants, one of European football's oldest rivalries. The Nations League odds on that opener deserve a second look from anyone paying attention.
"I feel excited," Xavi said. "We are playing against Germany, one of the best teams in Europe and one of the best coaches in the last years, Jürgen Klopp. It's a big challenge from the beginning, but I think we will be ready."
The Netherlands has reached three World Cup finals and lost every one. Xavi's record is the opposite of that. Whether his philosophy translates from club to international football — where you get days, not months, to build something — is the real question. Louis van Gaal, who gave Xavi his Barcelona debut, never quite cracked it either.
"We will try to change some things. Good habits, new energy," Xavi said. "We will work with passion, with ambition and with desire in order that people in Holland, the 18 million people, be proud of our team."
The Dutch haven't felt that in a while. September will be an early indicator of whether this is a genuine rebuild or just a press conference promise.
