Everyone cheers for Zidane, Dutch press remains critical of Xavi

Columnist Henk Spaan puts the Dutch football press under fire in the run‑up to the debut of Xavi Hernández as head coach of the Oranje, and calls the press just as critical as the one about Valentijn Driessen, while pointing out a striking contrast with the French media who enthusiastically cheer their new head coach Zinedine Zidane.

French media react enthusiastically

Spaan emphasizes that French journalists react much more enthusiastically to Zidane’s arrival. “The French cheer on whatever Zidane does,” he writes in his column for Het Parool.

According to Spaan, the Dutch press receives a far less flattering assessment. “Dutch journalists have wisdom in their grasp. They already had smirking headlines in the cradle. Everyone wants to be Valentijn Driessen. Then you don’t come with enthusiasm, let alone admiration,” says Spaan.

Xavi Hernández tests own approach with the Dutch, Van de Ven reacts

He also points out the emphasis that is immediately placed on the fact that the new head coach is a foreigner and on his command of the English language. “The emphasis quickly falls on the fact that the new head coach is a foreigner and on his command of the English language,” he notes.

During the press event in Zeist, where alongside Xavi Hernández also the Oranje captain Virgil van Dijk was present, Van Dijk clashed with Driessen. Spaan describes: “The way Driessen called the captain of the Dutch national team to account for his lack of ‘talkativeness’ was a fine example of Dutchness. He could hardly believe that Van Dijk contradicted him.”

Spaan concludes that the Dutch press is already born with critical headlines, making enthusiasm for the new coach hard to find. This observation, according to him, outlines a lasting pattern in the coverage.