New coach Xavi aims to usher period of success for the Oranje

For a man who spent almost the entirety of his early playing career under some of the biggest names in Dutch football, being appointed the new head coach of the Netherlands men’s national team might feel like a homecoming of sorts.

The former Barcelona player and head coach has called the Netherlands the “university of football”, a pretty apt analogy given that Barça’s famed “La Masia” academy, where Xavi himself learned his trade, was built on the very foundations of “total football” that were championed by Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff.

Speaking at his official unveiling as Netherlands head coach, Xavi said, “I learned a lot from this university of football during my career as a player and as a coach. I have many connections with this country.”

Xavi spoke about his relationship with Cruyff. When he opened a multipurpose sports space for children in his home town of Terrassa in 2014, called the Cruyff Court, even Cruyff was in attendance. He also spoke about meeting with Cruyff during the latter’s final years before he passed away in 2016.

“With Johan in the last period of his life I had some meetings,” he said. “And he was always positive. Even when he was sick, he was positive. This is what I learned: always smiling. This is what I want to show here to the players. My first goal is to help them, and then enjoy the process. And we will be in a process to win.”

Xavi was asked about his playing style, to which he answered, “I want to dominate the game, to take the initiative with the ball and at the same time our goal is to show everybody a team with passion, with desire and ambition. And this is very important for me as a coach.”

This was one of the primary reasons why Xavi was appointed head coach of the Dutch. Over the years, the Oranje have prided themselves on being the proponents of fast-paced attacking football with an emphasis on quick and intricate passing patterns. And Xavi must have surely earned further brownie points when he made it clear that he would not rely on back-five formations like his predecessors.

“That is not my idea,” he said. “We want to play in another system [like] 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 3-4-3. In those systems we can dominate the game more.”

Another aspect where he has proved to be different from previous coach Ronald Koeman is with his acceptance to pick players from the Saudi Pro League. Koeman was quick in making it clear that he would not be picking players from the league irrespective of performances. However, Xavi has ensured that this will not be the case in his reign. This makes the pathway to the Dutch team even more interesting, given that Tijjani Reijnders, one of the first names on the team sheet, recently made the move from Manchester City to Al-Qadsiah.

“It’s a good league as well,” Xavi said. “Maybe we choose some players from Saudi, from the Eredivisie, Premier League, La Liga. I don’t care about the leagues, I care about the performances and the players.”

Xavi’s first assignment as Netherlands boss will be in the UEFA Nations League against Germany on September 24. The Mannschaft themselves have a new head coach in the form of Jürgen Klopp. “I feel excited, I feel motivated,” Xavi said, “because we are playing against Germany, one of the best teams in Europe, one of the best coaches in recent years.”

Xavi signed off by talking about his aim to shape this Dutch side. “I remember when I was a kid, watching the Netherlands and watching good football,” he said, “and this is my way, this is my target.”