"A satisfactory start, but not enough." With this phrase, Xavi Hernandez, the new head coach of the Netherlands, summed up his first week in charge of the Dutch side, stressing that his ambition goes beyond collecting points to imposing a more effective and ferocious attacking identity.
The Barcelona legend and World Cup winner with Spain enjoyed the atmosphere inside the Netherlands camp. But he wants the attacking approach fixed before his side's next two UEFA Nations League fixtures.
Xavi is chasing the same attacking hunger the Netherlands showed last Thursday, when relentless waves of pressure forced Germany to accept a draw in the dying minutes in Amsterdam.
Speaking in comments reported by the "Reuters" agency, Xavi said: "The most important thing is always to collect the three points, and I am happy that we succeeded in that, but we need to produce a better performance, especially in the first half, where we did not press enough. Nevertheless, I am completely satisfied after a week of hard work."
The Spanish coach also singled out the new face in the Netherlands attack, AZ Alkmaar striker Mees Meerdink, who quickly stole the spotlight. He made his debut off the bench against Germany. Then, handed a first senior start, the youngster fired a brace to sink Serbia.
"Mees is a very hard-working player, and he completely understands our style of play," Xavi commented. "He contributed to the team with more than just his goals, although those goals were undoubtedly valuable. His performance with the team was excellent."
Two big tests now await. The Netherlands travel to Greece in Thessaloniki on Thursday, before hosting Serbia in Eindhoven next Sunday.
Xavi was clear about what needs work. "For example, there were many moments when we needed to exploit the spaces, but we did not," he explained. "This is something we need to improve, in addition to other matters such as widening the pitch and moving the ball more quickly."
He signed off on an optimistic note: "But the most important thing is that we are creating a lot of chances. The players feel comfortable on the pitch with the plan we are playing with, so a lot of things are going well."