The Blaugrana Oranje Era Begins.

The Xavi Hernández Oranje era kicks off today. For the first time since 1977, a foreigner will be in charge of the Netherlands national team. Hopefully the Catalan’s era will be as successful as the Dutch managers who have coached Xavi’s club, FC Barcelona.

• By Ibrahim Ayyub
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On August 12, 2026, the KNVB announced the hiring of Xavi Hernández as the new manager of the Oranje. Following the disappointing exit in World Cup 2026, a new manager was needed following the departure of Ronald Koeman. The usual gossip who could be the next Oranje manager ranged from the believable, Arne Slott, to the unbelievable, Roberto Martinez. It was a pleasant surprise for many, including yours truly, when Xavi was the one hired by the KNVB. For the first time since 1977, when the Austrian Ernst Happel was in charge of the Oranje, that a foreigner would be in charge of the Oranje.

It’s no secret that my love for football began in 1988 when I was wee lad who watched the Oranje win the 1988 European Championship. I never followed club football until after the 1994 World Cup. The club that got my attention was FC Barcelona, who had the likes of Romario and Stoichkov along with the Dutch legend Ronald Koeman and the Dutch icon, Johan Cruyff, was managing the side. Over the years, the Dutch influence on this club has been apparent.

FC Barcelona has a rich history since its inception back in 1899. The Dutch influence chapter of its rich history took place back in 1971 when Rinus Michels was hired to coach Barça and a few years later, Johan Cruyff was a major signing during that decade which saw the club end a 14 year wait for a league crown. Cruyff would then return to Barça, as a manager in 1988. That hiring would impact the club for decades where his “Dream Team” won four consecutive league titles and their first Champions League title and influence one of his players, Pep Guardiola who would go to accomplish great success as a manager at Barça, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Pep would also play for Louis van Gaal, who took charge of Barça in 1997 and managed to lead the Blaugrana to back to back league titles, but also suffered disappointing results in Europe. It was van Gaal who also gave Xavi his Barça debut in 1988. Frank Rijkaard’s arrival in 2003 would see the Blaugrana win consecutive league titles and the club’s second Champions League title as Xavi blossomed under Rijkaard’s watch. The final Oranje manager was Ronaldo Koeman, who stepped down from the Oranje job to coach Barça in 2020, only to be replaced by Xavi in 2021.

It is ironic that Xavi is now replacing Koeman at another job. Furthermore, it’s the Barça guy taking over the Oranje and not the other way around. As a player, Xavi was a true legend of the game. As a manager, he has his merits and demerits.

Some of the positives that Xavi displayed when he managed Barça was his faith in the younger players and his lack of hesitation in dropping veterans. When Xavi took over Barça, he had no problem benching club legends, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba. Both were instrumental in the Blaugrana’s success during the 2010s. However, when Xavi arrived, he made it clear to them that they no longer were starters. Xavi has already continued this trend by not calling up Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst during this international break.

Xavi also gave young players their debuts when he managed Barça. You probably have heard of them; Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, who have shined for club and country. Fermín López was also given his debut by Xavi and one can only hope that Xavi will give young Oranje players a shot to shine for their country. After suffering from Oranje managers relying on the old guard for far too long, an injection of youth is a breath of fresh air.

Nonetheless, Xavi is not flawless and there is a drawback in his appointment. Xavi is the only Barça manager in this century not to win back to back league titles. One major downside in Xavi is his lack of experience and tactical nuance. It is true that Xavi has won in his coaching stints in Qatar and at Barcelona. However, his supporting staff’s relative inexperience, along with Xavi’s was also an issue. Barça fans got to witness some great results, but also got to witness some horrendous performances, especially in Europe, where Plan B was basically whipping crosses into the box and praying for a header.

When things looked dire during Xavi’s tenure at Barça, I was hoping he’d bring in Pep Guardiola’s former assistant, Domènec Torrent, to help steady the ship. Unfortunately, that never materialized. Adding Ruud van Nistelrooy to his staff doesn’t feel like much of an upgrade, either. I would have loved to see an experienced figure in the mold of Henk ten Cate, Frank Rijkaard’s right-hand man during Barça’s mid-2000s resurgence, step into that tactical support role. That said, Xavi will never lack authority in the dressing room. He’s been in the players’ shoes, seen it all, and won it all and those players will listen to him.

After seeing Dutch managers take charge of Barça, it is now time for a Barça player to take charge of the Dutch. I am rooting for Xavi to do big things. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction and not another misstep.

Barça's Opening Six Matches Packed with History.

 

FC Barcelona’s opening six matches have been packed with history at the beginning of their 2026-2027 campaign. From Lamine Yamal’s record-breaking milestones to Raphina’s climb up the Champions League scoring charts and Hansi Flick’s perfect start.

Barça have won all six of their competitive matches so far under Hansi Flick. That perfect record matches their best ever start to a season, putting Flick’s team level with the club’s historic benchmark. Will they be able to break the record with their seventh consecutive victory against Racing Santander at the Camp Nou?

Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have set an extraordinary scoring contribution for the Blaugrana. They already combined for 15 goals after six matches this season. Historically, only Barcelona duo to have scored more at this stage were Josep Samitier and Sagi-Barba Piera, who had 16 goals between them after six matches during the 1924-1925 season. Yamal and Raphinha could match or break a record that has stood for more than a century.

As a team, the Blaugrana’s attacking numbers become even more striking. Barça have scored 26 goals in their opening six competitive matches so far. That is the second-highest total in the club’s history after six matches right behind the 1925-1926 team, which had scored 27 goals after their first six matches. One more goal by this current team would equal that historic mark.

History was made when Lamine Yamal became the youngest to don the captain’s armband in FC Barcelona’s history. At just 19 years and 58 days, Lamine Yamal is now the youngest captain in club history. That record was previously held by Bojan Krkic (20 years and 56 days). Another achievement in this player’s young career. Lamine Yamal also became the youngest player representing a La Liga club to score directly from a free-kick in the Champions League. Two amazing feats in one night. It is another extraordinary entry on a résumé that is becoming increasingly difficult to believe.

While Lamine Yamal was making history, Raphinha was busy climbing the goalscoring charts. Raphinha now has 21 Champions League goals for Barcelona and has now moved into the top five goal scorers in the club’s history in the Champions League. His 21 goals put him in great company with other Barça legends.

The players ahead of Raphinha are:

• Lionel Messi: 120 goals
• Rivaldo: 25 goals
• Luis Suárez: 25 goals
• Robert Lewandowski: 23 goals
• Raphinha: 21 goals

Raphinha has equaled Neymar’s Barcelona Champions League goal tally, doing so in six fewer matches. It is possible he could become the second highest goal scorer, behind Lionel Messi, during this season, since only two goals separating him from Lewandowski and four from Rivaldo and Suárez.

The opening six matches have been sensational. One can only wonder what else this team will do with many more games to come.

Barça’s Perfect Start.

 

FC Barcelona kicked off the 2026-2027 season in spectacular fashion. Undefeated after four league matches and currently alone atop of the league standings. They also ended the transfer window with more new signings and haven’t suffered any injuries as they prepare for the Champions League.

FC Barcelona are enjoying a perfect start to the season. They have been great up front and have cut down on conceding goals. After four league matches, the Blaugrana have scored 17 goals and conceded only twice. They are averaging just over four goals a match and have scored five in three of their first four matches. Fans have to be pleased with those types of performances.

Furthermore, there seems to be no World Cup hangover for the players. Newly appointed captain, Raphinha, looks superb after having his World Cup cut short due to injury. Raphinha is the top goal scorer with six goals while Lamine Yamal and Fermín Lopez both have scored four. Cubarsi is continuing his fine World Cup form and Joan Garcia leads the race for the Zamora trophy. New signings Anthony Gordon and Rodri seem to be settling in quite well with this team. It’s refreshing to finally see such good depth on this team.

Speaking of new signings, the Blaugrana managed to sign Gabriel Jesus and Dominik Livaković to complete their busy summer of signings. Sure, Julian Alvarez not joining this team is a bit disappointing but there is enough fire power at the moment. The most important thing is that the club was able to register all these players comfortably, unlike prior seasons.

Barça also discovered their Champions League opponents for the league phase. The Champions League quest kicks off this Wednesday and the Blaugrana will be facing Feyenoord Rotterdam, Galatasaray, Paris Saint-Germain, Aston Villa, Sabah FK, Manchester City, Sporting and Como. Facing the defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will be a good litmus test of how good this Barça team truly is. There will be homecoming for former Barça players who are now club managers with Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord) and Cesc (Como).

Here’s hoping the team continues to play great and everyone stays fit. It will be a long season and hopefully Hansi Flick will rotate his players to keep them all healthy and happy with their minutes. The quest for the 30^th league title and 6^th Champions League title should be an interesting one.

Can Barça Continue Their Winning Ways?

 

Another football season of our beloved Blaugrana begins tomorrow. FC Barcelona will be chasing for their third consecutive Spanish league crown. Hansi Flick braces for his third season as the manager of FC Barcelona, with expectations always high for domestic and European success.

Just like every season, there will be new arrivals and departures. Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres have left the club. Ronaldo Araujo and Marc-André ter Stegen are out on loan, and Marcus Rashford’s loan stint did not result in a transfer. Yet, there will be new faces for the club this season. Barça brought in Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Rodri, and Jesse Bisiwu as new editions for the Blaugrana. João Cancelo also signed on a free transfer to rejoin Barça for the third time in his career after being on loan twice before.

Following Spain’s successful World Cup, where Spain’s playing style is similar to Barcelona’s. Ball control and heavy possession instead of playing defensive and relying on counter attacks. However, Spain did not press as high as Barcelona do under Flick and conceded fewer scoring chances. Spain only conceded one goals in the entire World Cup where Pau Cubarsi shined. One has to wonder if Flick will follow the blueprint of Luis de la Fuente and rely less on high pressing and avoid watching all these dangerous scoring chances that other teams enjoyed against our Blaugrana.

The other major concern for the upcoming season will be where will the goals come from? Lewandowski and Ferran Torres were the main scoring threat with Rashford scoring a few important goals last season. All three are now gone and the pursuit of Julian Alvarez did not pan out. Will Barça sign someone else before the transfer window closes? Will Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi or Raphina, or Lamine Yamal be the striker? Is the 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim ready for the spotlight?

The final concern is whether there will be a World Cup hangover. Will the World Cup affect the players and cause them to have a sluggish start to the season? Flick has done a decent job of using players from La Masia and perhaps he will have to continue to do so this season. Better yet, will he rest the starters and key players from Copa del Rey? Hansi Flick knows that nothing comes easy being the Barça manager and here’s hoping he and the team have another successful season.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly; Netherlands v Morocco.

Ibrahim Ayyub gives his opinion on what little went right and what plenty went wrong during Netherlands penalty shootout elimination by Morocco.

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Well, the Oranje’s quest for the elusive World Cup continues. Although expectations were low, being eliminated after four matches for the first time since the 2006 World Cup was not expected. Ronald Koeman is gone and the KNVB will have to find someone to lead these players.

Apologies for the delay, but it took some time getting over this loss. I just left Mexico and got home in time to watch the Oranje take on Morocco and be heart broken once again. The economist Joachim Klement had predicted that the Netherlands were going to win the World Cup. Clearly, he never watched the Oranje play under Koeman when he made that prediction. Hope he does better with his day job.

THE GOOD

Not much good to write about after a disappointing frustrating elimination from the World Cup. Crysencio Summerville’s hustle and not giving up by assisting on the opening goal was admirable. Cody Gakpo scoring to give the Oranje the lead, after the tragic news of losing his unborn son, was a positive moment for all. Other than that, the only other good thing was the departure of Ronald Koeman after this result. Hopefully the next manager will do better than Koeman whose record during his second stint was disappointing despite getting to the semifinals of UEFA Euro 2024. Zero wins against top 25 teams during Koeman’s second stint is shambolic.

THE BAD

The mental lapses by the defenders continued to be an issue. The Oranje had the lead and just needed to set up shop and protect the lead. However, they failed to show that they learned from their opener against Japan and conceded late yet again. Captain flatfoot, Virgil van Dijk failed to hop and head the ball and Morocco equalized in stoppage time. As the saying goes, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. Speaking of history, the Oranje now have the distinction of being the first nation to be eliminated in a World Cup Final, Semi-Final, Quarter-Final, Round of 16 and now, the Round of 32.

Along with the stoppage time brain fart, those penalties were bad. I am not a fan of this trend of slow stepping, tap dancing penalty taking approach. Why not enjoy a Stroopwafel with a sip of coffee before you complete the penalty. Just run and blast the ball in, which Ronaldo Koeman was famous for. You would expect him to drill that into his players. Instead, we got to witness that spectacle. Justin Kluivert scored three penalties in one match for his club, but saw his effort strike the post and it was hard not to feel deflated. It was also hard not to be reminded of his father Patrick Kluivert missing his penalty against Italy in Euro 2000.

THE UGLY

Penalty Shootouts are horrible because someone ends up being the villain. Not this time! There were many villains to choose from after this performance. From Koeman and his coaching to Virgil and his brain fart and those three poorly taken penalties. The overall performance was just ugly. Cowardly football tactics from Ronald Koeman where the Oranje surrendered possession to Morocco in an elimination game. They had 30% possession against Morocco. 30%!!! Scotland had 40% of possession against Morocco and the mighty Dutch could not best that. To call this performance shameful is putting it mildly. Koeman had one bright moment in this whole game, which was bringing on Wout Weghorst and to play long balls to him. It worked when it resulted in Gakpo’s goal. Other than that, Koeman lacked any positive ideas to go with that awful back five idea.

Playing for penalties was a bad strategy. Sure, you look like a genius when it works. However, when it doesn’t work, it leads to more second guessing and afterwards, Koeman said he would not have changed a thing if he could do it again. Of course, the fact that the Netherlands have a poor record in shootouts, only winning two of out their ten shootouts, is another reason to second guess Koeman. The Oranje have been eliminated in a World Cup by a penalty shootout in 1998, 2014, 2022 and now, 2026.

The Koeman era is over and now, the KNVB president Frank Paauw and KNVB Technical Director Nigel de Jong will have to choose Koeman’s successor. They need to show ambition and not just settle for who is Dutch and is available. Aim higher. Pep Guardiola is available, so why not approach him? Unfortunately, we will expect them to decide between the available Arne Slot or Erik ten Hag. It’s as predictable as watching the Oranje play the past few years.

Enjoy the rest of the tournament and stay hydrated during these water breaks. Good luck with completing your Panini stickers albums and get ready for the UEFA Nations League and Euro 2028. Hopefully, these competitions will help this nation prepare them to finally end their quest for the World Cup.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly; Holland 3-1 Tunisia.

Ibrahim Ayyub gives his opinion on what went right and what went wrong during Netherlands 3-1 win over Tunisia.

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Greetings from Mexico City again. The Oranje wrapped up the group stage with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Tunisia to win their Group. Ending the group stage with back-to-back wins was great as they get ready for the knockout stages.

THE GOOD

No one can complain about slow starts concerning this Oranje team. It took the Oranje just seventeen minutes to be up 2-0 against Sweden. For an encore, it only took them seven minutes to go up 2-0 against Tunisia. Tunisia gifted the Oranje with an own goal courtesy of Skhiri in the third minute. Brian Brobbey then scored his third goal of the World Cup four minutes later. Perhaps Brobbey is answer to the prayers for a striker that the Oranje has sorely missed. His fine performances ensure that Weghorst and Depay are not the starting choice up front.

The Oranje concluded the group stage with ten goals and conceding four goals. Five different players scoring in three matchs is a welcomed sight. Another welcomed sight was seeing Justin Kluivert get his World Cup debut, and to remind us how time flies. It was nearly thirty years ago when Kluivert featured for the Oranje in the 1998 World Cup. It’s a nice way of bringing the past to the present involving father and son Oranje players. The last time this occurred was in 2014 with Daley Blind representing the Oranje after his father, Danny Blind, represented the Oranje in the 90s, as an unused substitute in both 1990 and 1994 World Cups, but he did feature in Euro 92 and 96.

THE BAD

Well, besides being told that the FIFA Fan Fest in Polanco, Mexico City was going to show the Holland Tunisia, and then ended up showing Japan v Sweden instead, so I had to watch the match at a Hooters, there were some negatives. Conceding a goal against the woeful Tunisian team is a minor complaint, but it was also not a ringing endorsement on the performance of the backline. That goal will serve as a reminder that this defense is still vulnerable. The Oranje failed to keep a clean sheet in all three group stage matches, and that should give something Koeman to work on and make the players know there’s still work to be done.

Furthermore, failing to score more goals after such a quick start was a bit disappointing. We got spoiled when we saw the Oranje score five times against Sweden, and a route seemed on the horizon against the hapless Tunisians. It doesn’t happen often that the Oranje blowout teams at the World Cup. The first route was a 4-1 victory over Bulgaria followed by a 4-0 victory against Argentina in 1974, a 5-1 victory against Austria in 1978, a 5-0 victory against South Korea in 1998, and a 5-1 victory against Spain in 2014. What matters is the win and the three points, but this was a wasted chance for players to score more goals and also entertain their fans.

THE UGLY

The Netherlands win Group F and what is their reward? A Round of 32 clash against Morocco. Talk about the luck of the draw. Other group winners such as Argentina got Cape Verde and England got Congo. Yet, the Oranje got Morocco who are one of the best teams from Africa, and semi-finalists from the last World Cup. That should be enough for the Oranje to not underestimate the Moroccans and take them seriously. If the Oranje advance, they then will face Canada. Hopefully Koeman and the leaders make sure that they do not look ahead to Canada

Unfortunately, the fact the Round of 32 match is to be played in Monterrey, Mexico is another disadvantage for the Oranje. Mexicans have not gotten over about the Arjen Robben penalty call during their Round of 16 elimination at the 2014 World Cup. The defeat resulted in the popular chant “¡No era penal!” (It wasn’t a penalty) based on the Robben penalty that still stings to this day with El Tri fans. Hopefully the Oranje faithful will pack the stadium in Monterrey and be loud, since it seems unlikely that home fans in attendance will be neutral during the match.  

The Good, the Bad & The Ugly: Netherlands v Sweden.

Ibrahim Ayyub gives his opinion on what went right and what went wrong during Netherlands 5-1 win over Sweden.

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Greetings from Mexico City. The Oranje are back at the World Cup for the 12^th time. Well, after the bitter 2-2 draw against Japan which felt more like a defeat, the Oranje rebounded with a strong performance in a 5-1 victory over Sweden. They ensured qualification in the knockout stages and continue their impressive unbeaten streaks in both group stages and last actual loss in regulation.

THE GOOD

If Koeman is going to be blamed for the poor decisions that cost the Oranje against Japan, then he deserves the praise for getting things right against Sweden. The idea to start Brian Brobbey up front paid off when the young striker muscled his way to score the opener just after six minutes. Brobbey continued to have his way with the Swedish back four. Cody Gakpo was the star at the last World Cup and he continued his fine performance with a brace and an assist against Sweden.

Just like Gakpo was the rising star of the team back in 2022, this time Crysencio Summerville is the one who has shined with goals in the first two matches of this World Cup. Once again, the Oranje will be participating in the knockout stages yet again. The Oranje have never failed to make it out of the group stages in every World Cup appearance since 1974 (The 1930 and 1934 World Cups had no group stages; just knock-out stages). Furthermore, their last loss in regulation time was almost 20 years ago, when they lost, in the Battle of Nuremberg, against Portugal at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The last time the Dutch had lost in the group stages at the World Cup was when the tournament was held in the United States back in 1994. The Oranje lost 1-0 to Belgium in sunny Orlando, Florida.

THE BAD

It’s hard to criticize a team when they score five goals but there are still doubts on the back four. They conceded twice against Japan, especially the late equalizer when they had to nail it down for the victory. Perhaps it is easy to lose your focus when leading by many goals, but Elanga’s goal should serve as a warning when the Oranje face stronger opposition. 

The contrast in speed was alarming. Elanga was Sonic the Hedgehog while Virgil van Dijk and company ran in slow-motion. The appearance of a back five was disappointing again. It sends a message of retreat and concedes possession to the opponents. It’s a great plan when the Oranje can strike on the counter, but dreadful if it’s a repeat of the Japan equalizer.

The UGLY

Summerville getting a knee to the head right before the final whistle was an ugly sight and fortunately, he will be fine to face Tunisia. Besides that, those ridiculous ticket prices are an ugly sight. However, those hydration breaks are an ugly reminder of how FIFA is milking this event for every penny. Hydration breaks are understandable when played outdoors under the scorching sun, like when the Oranje faced Brazil in the 1994 World Cup Quarterfinals in Dallas, Texas, where Ronald Koeman was just as orange as those shorts they had worn that day.

However, playing inside an airconditioned domed stadium, just makes the whole hydration break farcical. It won’t be long before we get players getting tequila shots during these breaks. It’s understandable that all teams should be given the same treatment, such as VAR reviews, but the fans, managers and players agree that the hydration breaks are not needed when the situation does not call for it.