Xavi’s Oranje Revolution: Memphis Depay Omitted from Squad
Xavi’s Oranje revolution has its first shockwave. Memphis Depay is out.
The new Netherlands head coach has wasted no time in laying down his law, cutting the country’s near-record goalscorer from his first squad and making it brutally clear: reputation no longer guarantees a place.
Memphis, still searching for his first goal in Brazil with Corinthians, has paid the price for a stuttering start to life in South America. Xavi has pinned his colours to the mast by putting match sharpness and club form above past glories, a stark departure from the Ronald Koeman era and a message that will echo through the dressing room. No sacred cows. Not anymore.
Big names out, new order in
Memphis is the headline omission, but he is not alone. Marten de Roon and Wout Weghorst have also been left at home, signalling a clear shift away from the old guard that carried the Netherlands through recent tournaments.
Injuries have shaped parts of the list as well. Frenkie de Jong is still out with the knee problem that ruined his World Cup and continues to delay his reunion with his former Barcelona manager. Mats Wieffer also misses out through injury, while Stefan de Vrij, now in Greece, looks to be edging towards the end of his international road.
There is better news at the back, though. Jurrien Timber returns after his long layoff with a serious knee injury that cost him the World Cup. His comeback offers Xavi a versatile, modern defender just as he begins to reshape the team’s identity.
Youth takes centre stage
If the cuts are ruthless, the call-ups are bold.
Ruben van Bommel, son of former Oranje enforcer Mark van Bommel, has been rewarded for a blistering start to the season with PSV Eindhoven. Fresh off a cruciate ligament injury, the winger has already put up two goals and two assists in league play, forcing his way into the conversation with end product, not just promise.
Gjivai Zechiel has done something similar at Feyenoord. Now a regular starter, the technical midfielder has shown a ruthless streak around the box, scoring five times already this season. That kind of output from midfield is hard to ignore, and Xavi hasn’t.
This is not token youth inclusion. It’s a deliberate injection of energy and ambition into a squad that had started to feel predictable.
Veerman’s second life
One of the most intriguing subplots is the return of Joey Veerman.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder was effectively frozen out under Koeman after a poor display against Austria at Euro 2024, a performance that sparked a fierce public debate in the Netherlands about his tactical fit at the highest level. He went from hope to scapegoat in a matter of days.
A move to the Bundesliga has changed the narrative. Veerman’s form in Germany has convinced Xavi that the 27-year-old still has something vital to offer. His range of passing and ability to unlock deep-lying defenses fit neatly with a coach who demands high technical quality from his central midfielders. If Xavi wants his team to dominate the ball and slice through blocks, Veerman becomes more than a reclamation project. He becomes a potential cornerstone.
Van Dijk stays, spine holds
At the back, the biggest decision was not who came in, but who stayed.
Virgil van Dijk had openly hinted he might walk away from international duty after the World Cup exit to Morocco, leaving the Netherlands staring at the possibility of losing both their captain and defensive leader in one blow. Xavi moved quickly. Private talks in August settled the matter, and the Liverpool defender has committed to carrying on as captain.
Van Dijk remains the anchor of a back line that includes Premier League standouts Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke, giving Xavi a powerful, athletic core to build around as he tweaks the team’s style.
The new coach has also shown he will judge players on performance rather than postcode. While some national team bosses have drawn hard lines on moves to the Middle East, Xavi has kept faith with Tijjani Reijnders and Crysencio Summerville despite their recent transfers to the Saudi Pro League. For now, their international careers are intact.
A new era, then, but not a tentative one. Established names cut. Young talent promoted. A captain convinced to stay. Xavi has made his first list a manifesto. The real question now is simple: who will still be standing when his Oranje vision fully takes shape?
