Xavi’s Oranje: Memphis Dropped and New Talent Elevated
Xavi’s Oranje begins with a shock: Memphis out, youth in, and reputations on notice.
A brutal reset for the old guard
The first Netherlands squad of the Xavi era has landed with a thud. Memphis Depay, chasing the all‑time scoring record for his country, has been dropped. No injury caveats. No sentimental farewell. Just gone from the list.
His omission underlines the new manager’s stance. Memphis is still searching for his first goal in Brazil with Corinthians, and Xavi has nailed his colours to the mast: current form and sharpness at club level matter more than past glories. It is a clean break from the Ronald Koeman years, a message as much as a selection. No one is untouchable now.
Memphis is not alone. Marten de Roon and Wout Weghorst, fixtures of previous cycles, have also been left out. The cull of experience is as deliberate as it is ruthless.
Injuries have played their part too. Frenkie de Jong remains out with the knee problem he picked up at the World Cup, delaying the anticipated reunion between the midfielder and his former Barcelona coach. Mats Wieffer is also sidelined, while Stefan de Vrij’s international career looks to be fading after his move to Greece, his name absent once again.
There is one major defensive boost, though. Jurrien Timber returns after the serious knee injury that cost him the World Cup and a large chunk of his development. His comeback adds fresh energy and composure to a back line that will need both.
New faces, new tempo
If the omissions speak of a hard reset, the inclusions show where Xavi wants to go.
Ruben van Bommel, son of former Oranje midfielder Mark van Bommel, has ridden a blistering start to the season with PSV Eindhoven straight into the national team. Fresh off a cruciate ligament injury, he has already produced two goals and two assists in league play. That output, combined with his intensity, has made him impossible to ignore.
Gjivai Zechiel has forced his way in from Feyenoord. A technical midfielder with a nose for goal, he has already scored five times this season. That kind of end product from midfield fits neatly into a vision that prizes intelligence on the ball and aggression in the final third.
The youth movement is not just about legs. It is about reshaping the team’s personality.
Veerman’s second chance
One of the most intriguing calls is the return of Joey Veerman.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder had been effectively frozen out under Koeman after a poor display against Austria at Euro 2024, a performance that triggered a loud and public debate in the Dutch media over whether he was tactically reliable at this level. His name became shorthand for the team’s structural problems.
Now he is back.
A fresh start in the Bundesliga has clearly shifted the perception. At 27, Veerman is no longer a prospect but a fully formed playmaker, and Xavi appears convinced he can still influence games at the highest level. His passing range and ability to unlock defences from deep could be crucial in a system that leans heavily on technically gifted central midfielders to control tempo and create angles.
This is rehabilitation with purpose, not charity.
Van Dijk stays at the heart of it
The most important decision, though, might have come off the pitch.
Virgil van Dijk had openly suggested he might walk away from the national team after the painful World Cup exit to Morocco. The disappointment lingered, and so did the doubts over his international future.
Those doubts are over. After private talks with Xavi in August, the Liverpool defender has committed to continue as captain. His presence anchors a defence that will also include Premier League standouts Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke, a blend of experience and high-speed, high-line athleticism that suits a proactive style.
Xavi has also shown he will judge situations on his own terms when it comes to players in less traditional leagues. Both Tijjani Reijnders and Crysencio Summerville keep their places despite recent moves to the Saudi Pro League, a clear sign that a change of address alone will not close the national-team door.
A new coach, a ruthless first squad, big names cut, young talent elevated, a captain convinced to stay. The Xavi era has started with a statement. The real question now: who will still be standing when this new Oranje identity fully takes shape?
