Xavi named his first Netherlands team on Friday and called up Oranje captain Virgil van Dijk, who was unsure about his future with the Netherlands at 35. The Catalan manager confirmed he'll stay captain throughout his reign.
"Virgil van Dijk will remain captain of the Dutch national team for the next two years. I had a very good conversation with him. He is a good leader. He is positive and motivated about this project. He is ready to continue as the leader of this team. I saw no reason whatsoever not to continue with Virgil, so for me the intention was clear when I went to Liverpool for that meeting with him."
Xavi, who was appointed in August after Ronald Koeman's departure, had to deal with two late injuries to Justin Kluivert and in-form striker Donyell Malen. Even before Malen's withdrawal, Xavi opted to leave all-time top scorer Memphis Depay out of the squad - a decision he did not take lightly.
“I have a good relationship with him. He was brilliant in his response. He handled it with great maturity," Xavi said about Memphis.
"I have a great deal of respect for him. The door is open for him and for all the players who aren’t in the squad at the moment. If they perform well and fit into our team, they can always come back," Xavi continued, while saying he'd like to see Mexx Meerdink in action with Malen now out.
"He's in really good form. It happened in the dying moments of the match against Inter. Same with Justin (Kluivert). But that’s part and parcel of football; we have to adapt to it. I don’t know how long he’ll need to recover from this injury, but it’s nothing serious."
With Brian Brobbey and Mexx Meerdink the only strikers in the squad, and Guus Til, who's often played as PSV's false nine, now added, questions arose whether Xavi would use a false nine in the same way as Spain did at Euro 2012.
Xavi is not opposed to the idea: "Why not? We have different ways to play. We can adapt tactically."
44-man squad and Saudi football
With many expecting a revolution in the Netherlands squad following Xavi's arrival, some thought the Spaniard would follow Jurgen Klopp's example and call up more than 26 players. That was not Xavi's idea of introducing himself to his players, as he stuck with a 26-man squad.
"I think this is the best way for us to get to know our players. As well as the four matches we’re going to play, we’ll also be holding lots of one-to-one meetings with the players to see how they’re feeling, what their ambitions are and how they see their role within the team. For me, 26 is the perfect number at the moment."
In Crysencio Summerville and Tijjani Reijnders, two Netherlands stars moved to Saudi Arabia during the summer. The pair likely would've been omitted from the squad under Koeman, but Xavi is embracing the change Saudi football brings to the game.
"It’s a change that’s taking place in football. If you follow the Saudi Pro League, you’ll know it’s a good league. It’s professional football, but if the players perform well there, they’ll simply be called up. I know the football in that region well, because I spent a few years as a player and coach at Al-Sadd. We look at the players’ qualities, not at the quality of the league or the clubs.”
Another player who would've been omitted under Koeman, and was for two years, was Borussia Dortmund's Joey Veerman. The former PSV star returned to the Dutch squad and could count on compliments from the new head coach: "He plays, and he plays well. With his technique and passing, he can help us in our build-up play and in the way we play. I think he’s a very good player. I think he’s ready."
The Netherlands play Germany (24-09), Serbia (27-09 & 04-10), and Greece (01-10) in the UEFA Nations League during this international break.
