Overview
- Xavi arrived at the KNVB campus in Zeist to start work and was officially presented by the federation after meetings with staff and executives.
- The KNVB has confirmed a technical team mixing Xavi’s long-time assistants — Sergio Alegre, Óscar Hernández and Iván Torres — with Dutch coaches Ruud van Nistelrooy, Adil Ramzi and goalkeeper coach Patrick Lodewijks.
- KNVB director Nigel de Jong publicly said the federation first approached Pep Guardiola and Arne Slot before appointing Xavi, a detail Xavi downplayed at his presentation.
- Xavi says he will implement an attacking, possession-based (positional) style, will remain based in Matadepera and plans to travel across Europe to meet internationals ahead of competitive matches.
- His first competitive fixtures are the Nations League home games against Germany on September 24 and Serbia on September 27, which the KNVB has framed as the immediate tests of his project.