Xavi’s Oranje Revolution: Memphis Depay Omitted from Squad
Xavi’s Oranje revolution has its first shockwave. Memphis Depay is out.
The new Netherlands head coach has wasted no time in showing where the power now lies, cutting the country’s near-record goalscorer from his first squad and making it clear that reputation no longer guarantees a seat on the plane. Memphis, still hunting his first goal in Brazil with Corinthians, has been left behind as Xavi draws a hard line around form and fitness.
This is not a gentle transition from the Ronald Koeman era. It’s a reset.
Big names out, message sent
Memphis is the headline omission, but he is not alone. Marten de Roon and Wout Weghorst have also been dropped, stripping away three of the most familiar faces from recent Dutch squads in one ruthless sweep.
Injuries have played their part in the shape of this first list. Frenkie de Jong is still out with the knee problem that forced him to miss the latter stages of the World Cup, delaying the much-anticipated reunion between the midfielder and his former Barcelona coach. Mats Wieffer is also sidelined, while Stefan de Vrij’s move to Greece appears to have nudged him towards the edge of the international scene.
There is, though, a significant boost at the back. Jurrien Timber returns after the serious knee injury that robbed him of a World Cup and a year of his career. His comeback drops straight into a defence that Xavi clearly wants to rebuild around pace, aggression and comfort on the ball.
Youth at the heart of the new cycle
If the cuts are brutal, the injections of youth are bold.
Ruben van Bommel, son of former Oranje midfielder Mark van Bommel, has forced his way into the squad on merit, not surname. The PSV Eindhoven winger has exploded out of the blocks this season, already producing two goals and two assists in the league after his return from a cruciate ligament injury. Xavi has rewarded that sharpness and resilience.
Gjivai Zechiel is another fresh face riding a surge of club form. Now a regular starter at Feyenoord, the technical midfielder has shown an eye for goal that goes beyond his position, scoring five times already this campaign. His inclusion underlines a clear theme: if you’re playing, producing and progressing, you’re in.
Veerman’s second chance
One of the most intriguing names on the list is Joey Veerman.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder had been frozen out under Koeman after a poor display against Austria at Euro 2024. That performance sparked a fierce public debate in the Netherlands about whether he was tactically reliable enough for the highest level, and he quickly became a symbol of what Koeman did not trust.
Xavi sees something different.
A strong start in the Bundesliga has reopened the door for the 27-year-old playmaker. His range of passing and ability to break lines from deep fit naturally with a coach whose systems traditionally demand high technical quality in central areas. If Xavi wants his midfield to control games and slice through pressure, Veerman’s rehabilitation could become one of the defining subplots of this new era.
Van Dijk stays to lead the line at the back
Above all the changes, one pillar remains.
Virgil van Dijk had hinted after the painful World Cup exit to Morocco that he might walk away from the international stage. Those doubts have been parked. After private talks with Xavi in August, the Liverpool defender has committed to continue as captain.
He will anchor a back line that now also includes Premier League standouts Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke, giving the Netherlands a core of defenders who are used to high-intensity football every week.
Xavi has also shown he will not automatically punish players for moving outside Europe’s traditional power leagues. Tijjani Reijnders and Crysencio Summerville keep their places despite recent transfers to the Saudi Pro League, a stance that separates the new coach from some of his contemporaries and underlines his primary filter: level of performance, not postal code.
One international window in, the rules are already clear. No sacred cows, no sentimental calls, and no hiding behind past glories. Under Xavi, you either belong to the future of Oranje — or you’re already part of its past.
