Xavi has had a long break since he resigned from Barcelona in 2024, was persuaded to return and then fired a few weeks later. Now it’s all about the Dutch national team. Barcelona have had close ties with Dutch players since the days of Johan Cruyff, now the Barca icon will lead the orange on the international stage. On Friday, the team selection came.
This is Xavi’s first selection since he took over from Ronald Koeman in the summer. It starts against Germany in the first of four Nations League games.
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The Spaniard has unsurprisingly stuck with Ronald Koeman’s key players, such as Virgil Van Dijk, Frenkie De Jong, Cody Gakpo and Denzel Dumfries, while two Koeman’s regulars are out.
Memphis Depay is not part of the Dutch national team, although he was in the World Cup and has 112 appearances. Xavi has also chosen to ignore Wout Weghorst, who has also played in most international matches in recent years. Xavi Simons is also not part of the Dutch squad.
Newcomers include PSV winger Van Bommel, Feyenoord player Gjivai Zechiël, Lazio midfielder Kenneth Taylor and Joey Veerman from Dortmund.
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