Xavi Hernandez took responsibility after the Netherlands were forced to fight back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Greece in the Nations League.
The draw against Greece extended Xavi’s unbeaten start as Netherlands boss, but the former Barcelona manager was far from impressed with what he saw from his team in the first half at Stadio Toumbas.
Greece punished a sluggish Netherlands side with two goals before the break, as Fotis Loannidis and Georgios Masouras put the hosts in control. Xavi admitted afterwards that he was responsible for the poor performance.
“I’m never happy with a draw. But the first half was very poor. That was my fault as a coach,” Xavi said. He felt making too many changes had left his players unclear about their roles.
𝐗𝐀𝐕𝐈’𝐒 𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘 𝐔𝐍𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐍 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/y75hybkURt
— 433 (@433) October 1, 2026
The Netherlands improved immediately after the interval, with Xavi making three substitutions and changing the shape of his midfield. Virgil van Dijk pulled one back before Tijjani Reijnders completed the comeback with an equaliser in the 89th minute.
Xavi also credited the change in system for the turnaround, explaining that a midfield diamond gave his team more control and created more space to attack. Ryan Gravenberch, Noa Lang and Reijnders all helped the Dutch turn the game around.
The Netherlands will now look to finish the international window unbeaten when they face Serbia in Eindhoven on Sunday. For Xavi, the comeback was encouraging, but the first half against Greece provided a clear reminder that there is still work to do with his new-look side.
