Xavi Hernández started his reign as Netherlands head coach with a draw against Germany and a 2-1 victory over Serbia. Four points are welcome, but perhaps more important is what we have seen underneath the results: the first signs of a different, more attacking Oranje – and a new generation beginning to demand its place.
Sunday night in Belgrade belonged above all to Mexx Meerdink.
The AZ striker scored both Dutch goals as the Netherlands beat Serbia 2-1, converting a first-half penalty before producing the decisive finish in the 69th minute. Luka Jović had equalised immediately after half-time, but Oranje responded and eventually found the winner they deserved.
It was Xavi Hernández’s first victory as Netherlands coach and, although this was certainly not a perfect Dutch performance, there was plenty to like.
Especially if you look beyond the score.
Meerdink takes his chance
Strikers live on goals, and Meerdink could hardly have asked for a better evening.
His first came from the penalty spot after Crysencio Summerville was fouled. His second was much more interesting.
Joey Veerman played the ball forward into Guus Til, who had only just entered the match. Til knew exactly where to go and, just as importantly, where Meerdink was going. His perfectly weighted pass opened the Serbian defence and Meerdink did the rest, sliding the ball beautifully into the far corner with his strong left foot.
2-1.
That was a proper striker’s goal.
Meerdink became more confident as the game progressed. He held the ball up, occupied the central defenders and increasingly looked as though he belonged at this level.
The numbers back that up. Meerdink had five shots and created three chances, meaning he was directly involved in almost a third of the Netherlands’ 25 attempts. He also became the first AZ player to score more than once in a match for Oranje.
A year after injury cruelly interrupted his first opportunity with the national team, Meerdink has now lived his boyhood dream.
And suddenly there is a fascinating question for Xavi.
With Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst currently outside the squad, are Mexx Meerdink and Brian Brobbey the beginning of a new era at number nine for the Netherlands?
It is far too early to decide that after one Nations League match. But Meerdink could hardly have made a stronger argument.
Joey Veerman: the passer Oranje was missing?
Perhaps the most interesting performance behind Meerdink came from Joey Veerman.
Veerman sometimes suffers because of the way he looks on the pitch. His movements can appear slow. He does not have the explosive athleticism of some modern midfielders.
But don’t confuse running style with speed of thought.
Under pressure, Veerman sees the free player remarkably quickly. He knows where his next pass is going before the ball reaches him and, crucially, he usually plays that pass with the correct weight.
Against a Serbian side that spent long periods sitting deep and allowing Oranje to have possession, that was exactly what the Netherlands needed.
Veerman finished with 135 touches, the most by any player in the match and the highest number by a Netherlands midfielder in an international since Wesley Sneijder in November 2014.
Even more impressive: Veerman created five chances, more than any other Oranje player. He also contributed defensively, recording the most tackles and interceptions on the Dutch side.
That last part matters.
The old criticism of Veerman has often been that he is wonderful when given time but becomes vulnerable when the intensity increases. Against Serbia, however, we saw a midfielder who wanted the ball constantly, continued looking forward under pressure and did his defensive work as well.
This looks like a Xavi player.
A midfielder who wants the ball, understands space and can accelerate a game with a pass rather than a sprint.
Don’t be surprised if Veerman becomes a regular starter under the new coach.
Ruben van Bommel: Gakpo goes off, but the quality remains
Cody Gakpo‘s injury after only 17 minutes looked like a major setback.
Then Ruben van Bommel came on.
And something interesting happened: the level on the Dutch left side did not collapse.
Van Bommel again showed why he is one of the most exciting young Dutch attackers. He plays without fear, wants to attack his opponent and has the physical power to make things happen around the penalty area.
He came extremely close to scoring when Denzel Dumfries found him in the second half, only for his effort to strike the post.
That combination of directness, power and technical quality gives Xavi another serious attacking option.
Gakpo remains an established international and one of Oranje’s most important forwards, so comparisons need perspective. But Van Bommel’s ceiling is enormously interesting.
Could he eventually become even better than Gakpo?
Nobody can answer that yet. But the fact that the question no longer sounds ridiculous tells you something about how quickly Van Bommel is developing.
Van der Ven gives Van Bommel another weapon
There was another encouraging feature on the left.
Micky van de Ven repeatedly went beyond Van Bommel, racing towards the byline and looking to deliver into the penalty area.
That creates an interesting dynamic.
Van Bommel can move inside while Van de Ven provides the width, or Van Bommel can stay wide and attack his defender himself. With Van de Ven’s extraordinary pace from the back, opponents suddenly have two very different problems to solve on that flank.
It is another glimpse of what Xavi appears to want: defenders who don’t simply circulate possession but actively participate in attacks.
Dumfries keeps creating danger
On the opposite side, Denzel Dumfries remains Denzel Dumfries.
His final ball can sometimes be questioned, but when he gets into space on the right, he creates problems.
He supplied Van Bommel for the effort against the post and then produced an excellent cross for Tijjani Reijnders, who really should have scored.
That chance illustrated something important about this Oranje.
When the ball moves quickly enough from midfield to the outside, the wing-backs and wingers can create overloads. With Dumfries attacking from one side and Van der Ven pushing high from the other, the Netherlands can stretch defensive teams much more effectively.
Serbia offered very little
We should also put the performance into context.
This was not a strong Serbian team.
For long periods Serbia defended extremely deep, surrendered possession and seemed primarily interested in keeping players behind the ball and clearing danger. The statistics tell the story: the Netherlands had 67 percent possession, 636 passes to Serbia’s 303, 25 shots to 11 and 40 touches in the Serbian penalty area to 15.
Oranje should probably have made the match much easier than it eventually became.
Dušan Tadić came on at half-time and Serbia briefly improved, scoring almost immediately through Jović. But at 37, Tadić understandably no longer has the acceleration he possessed during his best Ajax years.
His football intelligence remains, but the legs cannot always follow the brain anymore.
There is also an important clarification regarding Ajax. The Amsterdam club did speak with Tadić this summer, but Tadić later explained that the discussions were mainly about a future coaching role. He still wanted to play, which contributed to his decision to continue his career with NEC.
Oranje still vulnerable in the air
The final stages also provided Xavi with a warning.
The Netherlands won 66 percent of the aerial duels overall, yet Jović was still able to become dangerous with his head three times in the closing quarter of the match.
His best opportunity went narrowly wide after he beat Meerdink in the air from a corner.
Against Serbia that went unpunished.
Against a stronger opponent, it might not.
That defensive detail will surely be on Xavi’s list when he reviews the match.
Again, a much better second half
There was also a similarity with the 1-1 against Germany.
Oranje improved as the match progressed.
Against Germany we already saw Xavi’s team become much more convincing in the second half. The same happened in Belgrade, even though Serbia equalised immediately after the break.
Instead of panicking at 1-1, the Netherlands gradually took control again.
Dumfries found more space. Van Bommel became increasingly dangerous. Veerman continued dictating possession. Til came on and immediately understood what was required between the lines.
Then came Meerdink’s winner.
There is clearly still plenty to improve, but the response to difficult moments in Xavi’s first two matches has been encouraging.
The referee? Much better this time
And yes, even the referee deserves a mention. The Polish official clearly didn´t like the Serbian team (who does right?), from a Dutch perspective, it certainly felt considerably less frustrating than the refereeing against Germany.
A new Oranje is beginning to emerge
Xavi Hernández finishes his first two matches with four Nations League points: 1-1 against Germany and 2-1 away against Serbia.
But the points are not the most interesting part.
Look at the names beginning to emerge.
Meerdink. Van Bommel. Summerville. Van de Ven.
Look at Veerman suddenly becoming the midfield distributor Oranje has often lacked.
Look at Dumfries continuing to provide width and penetration.
And don’t forget Jurriën Timber, who returned to international action after a long absence.
The foundations are still there in experienced players such as Virgil van Dijk, Dumfries and Reijnders, but Xavi is already beginning to build something different on top of them.
More possession with purpose. More attacking movement. More young players getting responsibility.
It is only two games.
There will be much tougher tests than this poor Serbian side.
But the first outlines of Xavi’s Oranje are becoming visible.
And in Belgrade, nobody embodied that new beginning better than Mexx Meerdink: two goals, three points and a night he will never forget.
Nice post Johan, thanks!! And yes, reasons to be cheerful, right? Maybe Taylor the only player who remained a bit under par. Otherwise, Van de Ven was showing signs of improvement, I liked Summerville again as well. But Ruben, Mexx and Joey were the shining lights. One player who was shunned by Koeman and two debutants. Very interesting indeed.
Being shunned because of Wim Jonk and also a big chunk of the media, telling that he is to slow. Rafael van der Vaart made an interesting observation after the game, look to the pass, not to the motoric. It is always spot on, and hey, tell me one player that doesn´t loose the ball sometimes? There is a lot of risk but as long as you play nicer foorball, always passing frowards and make one more goal then the other team, who cares, right?