Sitting on the same platform, the new coach could hardly miss the admission. Neither could the Dutch journalists, who saw rich material to test Xavi's reaction in his first official minutes with the Netherlands.
De Jong had barely finished speaking when the journalists fired their question at Xavi: how did he feel knowing he was the third choice behind Guardiola and Slot? It was meant to unsettle the Spanish coach at his first press conference. Xavi didn't flinch. He answered with a broad smile and the sense of humour for which he is known: "I came after Guardiola and Slot? What matters is that I was on the podium! I do not care in the slightest if I was the third choice, because this appointment is a badge of honour on my chest."
The reply carried a clever sporting connotation that nobody in the room missed. He'd likened himself to the holder of the "bronze medal" in the race of nominations, rather than someone who came away empty-handed or was consigned to oblivion.
De Jong, meanwhile, was keen to justify the choice. He stressed that the Spanish coach sees himself as an extension of the Dutch philosophy and believes in attacking football built on possession, control and initiative. That made Xavi the ideal man to lead the rebuild after Ronald Koeman's departure, which followed a disappointing exit in the round of 32 of the World Cup against Morocco.
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