Netherlands head coach Xavi Hernández announced his squad on Friday afternoon, leaving out Lazio midfielder Kenneth Taylor despite his strong form in Italy.
Xavi named his squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Greece and Germany. The list includes 25 players, with Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong returning after missing the previous matches due to a knee injury sustained at the World Cup, as reported by Vandaag Inside.
Germany has 5 points and Servië is nog puntloos. De beste twee ploegen kwalificeren zich voor de kwartfinales. Xavi maakte zijn tweede selectie als bondscoach van Oranje bekend. Pijnlijk, zo vindt ook Valentijn Driessen.
Taylor drops out of the setup after featuring in the previous international period, including a 2-1 win over Serbia. In his place, the coach selected Joey Veerman, Frenkie de Jong, Quinten Timber, Justin Kluivert, Gjivai Zechiël, Guus Til, and Teun Koopmeiners for the midfield.
Oranje 🦁🇳🇱 – November 2026. pic.twitter.com/FJWwKeiLUf
The omission comes as a surprise given Taylor’s performances in Rome. Lazio sits atop the Serie A table, and the 24-year-old midfielder has scored two goals and provided one assist in his last three league matches.
Data from FootballTransfers indicates that Taylor ranks among the top-performing central and defensive midfielders in Italy’s top flight. Hij doet het erg goed.
Alongside Taylor, defenders Jorrel Hato, Nathan Aké, and Jeremie Frimpong miss out due to injuries, alongside midfielder Ryan Gravenberch. Vandaag Inside noted that Joshua Zirkzee also fails to make the cut after filling in during the previous international break.
Op Taylor na, zijn ze allemaal geblesseerd. Brian Brobbey raakte in de vorige interlandperiode geblesseerd tegen Duitsland. Het was een spierblessure. Donyell Malen zei de vorige keer af voor Oranje. In Oranje wil dat minder lukken.
Debutant trio Ruben van Bommel, Mexx Meerdink, and Gjivai Zechiël will join the squad in Zeist on Monday. Oranje currently leads their Nations League group with eight points alongside Greece, ahead of fixtures against Greece at the Johan Cruijff ArenA and Germany in Berlin. Zij debuteerden tijdens de vorige interlandperiode voor de nationale ploeg.
Xavi Hernandez announces Oranje squad for the 2 remaining crucial matches against Greece & Germany. Looks really good in general. These names were dropped: Nathan Aké Jeremie Frimpong Ryan Gravenberch Jorrel Hato Kenneth Taylor Joshua Zirkzee@OnsOranje @KNVB pic.twitter.com/Rs6owblHVC
De Telegraaf chief football writer Valentijn Driessen questioned the continued absence of FC Twente striker Wout Weghorst, telling Vandaag Inside that the prolific goalscorer deserves a recall. Wat moet die jongen nog meer doen om opgeroepen te worden?
Daar blijkt nu echter niets van waar, weet ook Driessen. Dit ondanks dat die doelpuntloos was bi Manchester United. Voor Weghorst lijkt het doek nu definitief gevallen.
Netherlands hosts Greece on Friday, November 13, before traveling to face Germany in Berlin on Monday, November 16.
