Netherlands head coach Xavi Hernández admitted on Wednesday he got it wrong by leaving Guus Til out of his original Dutch squad. The PSV midfielder came in after Justin Kluivert withdrew through injury and, like Mexx Meerdink, has already made a big impression on Xavi. Both look set to start against Greece on Thursday (20:45).
Til came on with seven minutes left against Germany (1-1), then got almost 25 minutes against Serbia. Two minutes after his introduction in Belgrade, the Zambia-born player set up Meerdink's goal, after the striker had already scored before half-time (1-2).
"He is doing so well," Xavi begins with the NOS about Til. "He deserves to play. I told him that I had got it wrong with him. I have to be honest about that. He was not on the list, but he trains so well. He is a top professional."
Meerdink was another player not included in Xavi's original squad, with the AZ striker called up after AS Roma star Donyell Malen pulled out. "I am very happy with him. He is very humble, works hard and runs a lot for the team. It is no coincidence that he scores goals."
"He is very happy and I am also very happy with him," says Xavi, who can imagine that Meerdink is in a 'rollercoaster of emotions'. "But things are going well for him, he is very humble. He works hard, so I think that, like the others, he is ready to play."
Xavi also looked ahead to Thursday night's game. "The feeling is that we need to play a bit better. We understood that better in the second halves of the matches so far. We now hope to maintain this level from the start. Let us see whether we are capable of that," Xavi said.
The Netherlands are currently second in their Nations League group. They drew with Germany and beat Serbia, while Greece claimed an impressive 0-1 win in Augsburg. Three days earlier, they had also beaten Serbia thanks to a 95th-minute goal from former FC Utrecht striker Tasos Douvikas (1-2).