Xavi aims to cement his role with the Netherlands vs Serbia in Belgrade
Xavi Hernández made his debut as manager of the Netherlands national team with a draw against Germany and, this Sunday at 18:00, will face Serbia in Belgrade for the federation to confirm his position, after a debut that already generated good feelings and expectations.
According to EFE, Javier Alfaro, head of the Football section, described the first match as a more than promising debut, in which the equality against the ‘Mannschaft’ felt like a small reward. The Dutch team managed to draw despite the disadvantage on the scoreline after the break.
Xavi arrived at the role with a clear idea: a Netherlands side that is a protagonist, with the ball, intense and capable of taking the initiative without giving up its principles. He explained it before the match and several of those concepts were observed against Germany, especially in the second half.
Line‑ups for the clash
Serbia listed Vanja Milinković‑Savić; Nikola Simic, Eraković, Pavlović, Kostić; Cvetković, Sergej Milinković‑Savić, Maksimović, Živković; Dušan Tadić and Luka Jović. The Netherlands presented Verbruggen; Dumfries, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Van de Ven; Veerman, Gravenberch, Reijnders; Summerville, Gakpo and Ruben Van Bommel. The referee will be Szymon Marciniak (Poland) and the match will be played at the Rajko Mitic stadium at 18:00, broadcast by.
Ruben van Bommel meets Stankovic brothers at Serbia international
Serbia, a recovering opponent
Serbia is not Germany; its level is considered lower, although football is always uncertain. The Balkan side lost on Thursday to Greece 1‑2 after having led the match, with a goal in the 95th minute that left the defeat in memory and increased frustration after missing out on last summer’s World Cup. They cannot afford to fail again this Sunday.
As for the Dutch squad, Xavi still does not have Memphis Depay, although he has not closed the door on his return, and he keeps Virgil van Dijk as captain. Against Germany he gave prominence to players such as Summerville or Quentin Timber, and Ruben Van Bommel’s alternative debuted by assisting Gakpo’s goal that levelled the score.
First Netherlands‑Serbia clash in Belgrade, Van Dijk nears 100 caps
Xavi’s journey with the Netherlands national team is just beginning, and each match will serve to see what changes he implements and what he considers untouchable. This afternoon, the new Netherlands needs to convince, and above all to win, to confirm itself against a down‑turned Serbia.