Xavi's Netherlands Era Begins: Major Cuts and New Talent

The Xavi era with the Netherlands has begun with a jolt, and Memphis Depay is the first major casualty.

The new national team coach has dropped the country’s joint-second all-time scorer from his inaugural squad, a call that cuts straight through sentiment and status. Memphis, still hunting the national scoring record, is out for the upcoming international window.

Right now, his numbers don’t help his case. The forward has yet to score in Brazil for Corinthians, and Xavi has made it clear: current form and match sharpness beat past glory. The message is blunt and unmistakable. The hierarchy that survived the Ronald Koeman years no longer applies.

Big names out, new rules in

Memphis isn’t alone. Marten de Roon and Wout Weghorst have also been left at home, more evidence that Xavi is not interested in gentle transition or half-measures.

Injuries have shaped parts of the list as well. Frenkie de Jong is still out with the knee problem he picked up at the World Cup, delaying a high-profile reunion between the midfielder and his former Barcelona coach. Mats Wieffer also misses out through injury, while Stefan de Vrij’s omission, after his move to Greece, underlines the sense that his international career is drifting toward its conclusion.

There is better news at the back. Jurrien Timber returns after a long layoff with a serious knee injury that cost him the World Cup. His comeback adds both composure and versatility to a defence that Xavi will build around.

Youth takes centre stage

If the cuts feel ruthless, the call-ups reveal the plan.

Ruben van Bommel, son of former Oranje midfielder Mark van Bommel, headlines the new wave. The PSV Eindhoven winger has exploded out of the blocks this season, already producing two goals and two assists in the league after coming back from a cruciate ligament injury. Xavi has rewarded that surge, not the surname.

Gjivai Zechiel’s rise has been just as sharp. The Feyenoord midfielder has turned himself into a regular starter and added goals to his game, finding the net five times already this season. His blend of technical quality and penalty-box instinct fits the profile Xavi wants in his attacking midfielders.

This is not a token youth movement. It’s a recalibration of who gets picked and why.

Veerman’s way back

One of the most striking decisions involves Joey Veerman.

The Borussia Dortmund playmaker had been frozen out under Koeman after a poor display against Austria at Euro 2024, a performance that sparked a very public debate in the Netherlands about his tactical fit at international level. He went from key hope to lightning rod almost overnight.

A move to the Bundesliga has changed the conversation. Veerman’s form there has persuaded Xavi that the 27-year-old still has something to offer at the top level. His passing range and ability to split defences from deep align with a system that demands high technical quality from central midfield. Under Xavi, that specific skill set is not a luxury; it’s a requirement.

Van Dijk stays, the spine holds

At the back, the most important decision happened away from the cameras.

Virgil van Dijk had hinted he might walk away from international football after the World Cup exit to Morocco, leaving a question mark hanging over the armband and the dressing room. After private talks with Xavi in August, the Liverpool defender committed to continue as captain.

His presence anchors a back line that includes Premier League standouts Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke. With Timber returning, Xavi suddenly has a blend of pace, power and ball-playing defenders to shape his back four.

Interestingly, not every selection follows the usual European playbook. While some national coaches have drawn a hard line on players moving to the Middle East, Xavi has kept faith with Tijjani Reijnders and Crysencio Summerville despite their recent switches to the Saudi Pro League. For now, performance trumps postcode.

A new coach, a ruthless reset, big names cut, young blood promoted, the captain convinced to stay. The question now is simple: how quickly will this new-look Oranje prove that Xavi’s hard-edge revolution can deliver results, not just headlines?