Xavi honoured to be named Netherlands coach as Barcelona connection continues

[p]Xavi replaces [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/koeman-ronald/vHeYAvb2/"]Ronald Koeman[/a], who quit after the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/netherlands/WYintcWb/"]Netherlands[/a] were eliminated ‌from the World Cup in the round of 32 in June.[/p][p]A World Cup winner ‌with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a] as a player in 2010, Xavi has been out ‌of coaching since leaving [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/barcelona/SKbpVP5K/"]Barcelona[/a] in 2024, where he spent three seasons ‌in charge.[/p][p]He has signed a four-year contract through the 2030 World ‌Cup and is the first foreign coach to take charge of the Dutch since Austrian Ernst Happel at the 1978 World Cup.[/p][p]The six-week wait for a coach ‌drew criticism from Dutch media, but the country's ⁠football association received several rejections, ‌including from Arne Slot and Erik ten Hag, before turning to the former ​Barcelona playmaker.[/p][p]Xavi had also succeeded Koeman at Camp Nou in November 2021 and coached Barcelona to the LaLiga title in ​2023 before leaving after a run of poor results a year later.[/p][embed guid="b1fe3e0a-4ff4-41da-9f02-67d40f3e13af" url="https://x.com/OnsOranje/status/2087616022010364259" social-type="twitter" /][p]Barcelona’s football philosophy of dominant possession, short passing and quick ball recovery ⁠was introduced with the ​arrival of Rinus Michels as coach and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cruyff-johan/8xBXNTsA/"]Johan Cruyff[/a] as a player, the pair bringing ‘Total Football’, a philosophy honed at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ajax/8UOvIwnb/"]Ajax[/a] in the early 1970s.[/p][p]Cruyff, who later coached Barcelona, was a major influence on subsequent ‌coaches, particularly Pep Guardiola, who had Xavi as one of his key players during his time in charge from 2008 to 2012.[/p][p][b]“As someone who received his training at the Barcelona academy, with strong influences from Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels, among others, I feel a special connection to Dutch football,” Xavi said in a statement on Wednesday.[/b][/p][p][b]“You could say that I am a bit of a son of Dutch football. I consider it a tremendous honour to become the national coach ‌of the Dutch national team."[/b][/p][p]Xavi also played under Frank Rijkaard and ​Louis van Gaal, who gave him his Barcelona debut in 1998, ‌and had as his teammates a myriad of Dutch internationals, including Frank and Ronald de Boer, Marc Overmars and Patrick Kluivert.[/p][p]His most pressing tasks include building towards the European Championship in 2028 and the World Cup two years later.[/p][p]The Netherlands also play four ⁠Nations League matches in quick ⁠succession in the September-October international ‌window against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]Germany[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/serbia/8Kl6iq0i/"]Serbia[/a] (twice) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/greece/COuk57Ci/"]Greece[/a].[/p]