Xavi has not even started his first international break as Netherlands head coach, but ESPN have already taken aim at one decision by the Catalan. Hans Kraay Jr simply cannot understand why almost every national team training session is being held behind closed doors and in Goedemorgen Eredivisie he calls it a huge missed opportunity.
Appointed in August, Xavi has named a 26-man squad for his first international break. The Netherlands will play four Nations League matches in the coming weeks.
Kraay had especially hoped to get a close look during this spell at how the Spaniard works. "Nobody knows what kind of coach he is, how he trains and what he trains. Is he someone who is right on top of things, or rather a coach who puts an arm around someone? We do not know."
Over the next two weeks, 13 training sessions are scheduled, according to Kraay, but not one of them is fully open. "Either it is closed, or closed, or you are allowed to watch for a quarter of an hour. I find it truly unbelievable," fumes the ESPN analyst.
"At all 13 of those training sessions, of which a few are open for a quarter of an hour, you see a warm-up, a rondo and perhaps a game of tag. After that, you see a head coach with his hands behind his back."
For Kraay, the KNVB are doing a disservice not only to the media but above all to the supporters. "I think it is such a missed opportunity by the KNVB. Especially for parents with young children who come to the Netherlands national team. The fact that, as a little footballer of ten, eleven or twelve in your Netherlands shirt, you cannot watch all your favourite heroes and the new head coach, I think is an unbelievable missed opportunity."
Mossou agrees with that criticism and argues that the Netherlands national team should not be treated like a club. "At clubs it has been the trend for years that everything is closed, but with the Netherlands national team something different still applies. You represent the country and are actually part of that country. That is why those training sessions should simply be open from time to time," the journalist states.