'With this, Nigel de Jong stabs Michael Reiziger hard in the back'
Mike Verweij and Valentijn Driessen reacted with growing astonishment to Nigel de Jong's words on NOS. Both men believe the KNVB's director of top-level football stabbed Michael Reiziger firmly in the back.
De Jong did that by explaining at length why Xavi, and not Reiziger, had become head coach of the Netherlands national team. "Because of the passion and dominance he radiates, the experience he has as a coach, the personality to connect with the players. And because he embraces our football culture. He very much has the identity we want to see with the Netherlands national team," De Jong said.
He then added: "I still think highly of Michael and we still believe Michael can become a successful coach and a possible national team coach in the future," but Verweij and Driessen saw that more as 'adding insult to injury'. They also called it extremely clumsy to reveal Pep Guardiola and Arne Slot as the first two candidates, ahead of Xavi.
"You can of course also just say that you had a shortlist, that you called them all, that two were unavailable and that you moved on with Xavi," Verweij says in the Kick-off podcast of De Telegraaf. "Now Xavi is basically already known as the 'third candidate'. Those are real beginner's mistakes."
What bothers Verweij even more is De Jong's lavish praise for Xavi. "By showering Xavi with so much praise, he is simply stabbing Reiziger in the back. Because all the qualities that are why Xavi got the job, Reiziger apparently does not have."
Pim Sedee then suggests that the stab in the back mainly comes from the hugely critical Dutch press, but Verweij and Driessen disagree. "De Jong suddenly mentioned many other things than what we had been saying all this time," Driessen said.
"Now it was very specific. Dominance, being able to get hold of people, the Dutch school. That sort of thing. And apparently Reiziger does not have any of that. Reiziger was already 2-0 down with the media and with these kinds of statements he has another two goals conceded to deal with. From his own director," Driessen concluded.
