Xavi pleased with first week as Netherlands coach, but wants more

AMSTERDAM: Netherlands coach Xavi Hernández is pleased with his first week in charge but now wants his side to show an even more attacking game in their next two Nations League fixtures.

The Spanish World Cup winner wants the Dutch side playing with more of the attacking intensity that paid off last Thursday when their persistent forays forced a late equaliser against Germany in Amsterdam.

This was followed by their first victory under Xavi, a 2-1 defeat of Serbia on Sunday.

“It is always most important to get the three points, I’m happy that we managed to do that. But we do need to play better, because, especially in the first half, we did not press well,“ he said.

“Nevertheless, I’m very satisfied after a week of work.”

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Xavi singled out AZ Alkmaar striker Mexx Meerdink, who made his a debut as a substitute against Germany and then marked his first start for the Dutch by scoring both goals against Serbia.

“Mexx is a very hard worker who understands how we want to play,“ Xavi said. “He helped the team with more than just his goals, although those certainly helped.

The work he did for the team was fantastic.” The Dutch side face Greece next, in Thessaloniki on Thursday, then entertain Serbia in Eindhoven on Sunday.

Xavi was clear about where improvements on last week were needed.

“For example, there were many moments when we needed to attack the spaces, but we didn’t do it.

That is something we need to improve. But also things such as making the pitch wider and moving the ball around more quickly,“ he said.

“But the most important thing is that we are creating a lot of chances. The players feel comfortable on the pitch with the structure we are playing in, so a lot of things are also going well.“