Jan Boskamp torn over Xavi’s appointment as Netherlands coach
The former Oranje midfielder admires Xavi Hernández’s record but would have preferred the KNVB to appoint a Dutch coach.
Jan Boskamp has expressed mixed feelings about the appointment of Xavi Hernández as Netherlands head coach. The KNVB named the Spaniard as Ronald Koeman’s successor on Wednesday, according to FCUpdate, ending a long run of Dutch appointments to the role.
Boskamp told Het Belang van Limburg, in comments relayed by FCUpdate, that Xavi’s name makes his “football heart beat faster”. He highlighted both the former midfielder’s influence in Barcelona’s celebrated side and his subsequent record as a coach. FCUpdate notes that Xavi collected eight trophies across five years: six with Al-Sadd in Qatar and two with Barcelona.
However, Boskamp admitted that Xavi’s nationality left him conflicted because he would also have liked Oranje to choose a Dutch coach. He pointed to Ernst Happel in 1978 as the last foreigner to manage the national team, recalling that he was still playing for the Netherlands at the time.
Xavi’s stated intention to follow Johan Cruyff’s football philosophy has already helped his reception, Boskamp believes. Yet he also warned that delivering those ideas at international level could prove difficult. The new coach will need suitable players and must work within the limited preparation time available to national teams. Boskamp is therefore interested to see how quickly Xavi can establish his preferred approach with Oranje.
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