Xavi Hernandez secured his first victory as head coach of the Netherlands after the Dutch side defeated Serbia 2-1 two days ago in the UEFA Nations League. However, the Spanish coach stressed that his team still needs to improve.
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Mick Meerdink scored both of the Netherlands’ goals at the Rajko Mitic Stadium, handing Xavi his first win since taking over from former coach Ronald Koeman.
The Netherlands dominated the match, creating chances worth 2.74 expected goals (xG) from 25 shots, compared with Serbia’s 1.32 xG from 11 attempts. The visitors also created six big chances, according to Opta.
Meerdink was particularly impressive in just his second appearance for the Netherlands, scoring both goals in the victory, while Joey Veerman dominated the midfield and delivered an outstanding performance.
Veerman topped the match for touches, with 135, and completed 117 passes, the same number as Jan Paul van Hecke. He also created five chances, the most of any player in the match.
Veerman’s impact was not limited to attacking play. He led his teammates in interceptions with three and won six of the nine duels he contested during the match.
Despite the many positive signs Xavi took from his first victory in charge of the Netherlands, he stressed that the team still has plenty of work to do to reach the level he expects.
“We have to be honest; we need to play better. But there were good things, and I am happy with the mentality and effort the players showed,” Xavi said.
The Spanish coach added: “We controlled the match and created more chances than them. We maintained our positions and were organized, which allowed us to exploit the spaces better.”
The match also brought concerning news for Xavi and Liverpool coach Arne Slot, after Dutch winger Cody Gakpo was forced to leave the field in the first half with an ankle injury.
Gakpo has been one of the influential players at the start of Xavi’s tenure with the Netherlands, scoring a late equalizer in the 1-1 draw against Germany in the Spanish coach’s first match in charge.
Gakpo has also made a strong start to the season with Liverpool and leads the team in direct goal contributions across all competitions, having been involved in six goals, scoring two and providing four assists.
Asked after the match about the seriousness of Gakpo’s injury, Xavi expressed optimism that it was not a major problem.
“I don’t think it is a serious injury. It’s the ankle, and that’s all I know at the moment. We will know more tomorrow, but we hope it’s nothing too serious,” he said.
Resource: Al-Ghad.
