Now Reading: Xavi Hernandez becomes Netherlands head coach, breaks 48-year streak
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Xavi Hernandez becomes Netherlands head coach, breaks 48-year streak
Xavi Hernandez has been appointed head coach of the Netherlands national football team, becoming the first foreigner to hold the post in 48 years. The 46-year-old Spaniard, who left Barcelona in May…
The Story in Brief
Xavi Hernandez has been appointed head coach of the Netherlands national football team, becoming the first foreigner to hold the post in 48 years. The 46-year-old Spaniard, who left Barcelona in May 2024, signed a deal through the 2030 World Cup. He replaces Ronald Koeman. The last foreign coach was Austria's Ernst Happel in 1977-78.
Xavi said he feels a 'special connection to Dutch football', citing influences from Johan Cruyff, Rinus Michels, Louis van Gaal, and Frank Rijkaard. Nigel de Jong, Dutch federation director and Xavi's opponent in the 2010 World Cup final, praised his vision of dominant, attractive football. Xavi previously coached Barcelona to a La Liga title in 2022-23.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative that Xavi's appointment is a 'homecoming' to his Dutch football roots is overdone. His Barcelona schooling under Cruyff and Van Gaal is real, but he is a Spaniard who beat the Dutch in a World Cup final. The real test is whether his possession philosophy can survive against modern pressing, which his Barcelona could not. Watch how he handles Euro 2028 qualifiers against physical sides like France.
Source: timesnownews.com
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