Soccer-Netherlands coach Xavi joins critics of new-look international window

Soccer Football - Nations League - Group A2 - Serbia v Netherlands - Stadion Rajko Mitic, Belgrade, Serbia - September 27, 2026 Netherlands coach Xavi Hernandez before the match REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Oct 3 (Reuters) - Netherlands coachXavi Hernandez has ⁠joined the criticism of the new-look expanded international calendar, saying four Nations League matches in ⁠11 days are filled with peril.

Instead of two international games across nine days in each ‌of September and October, FIFA has this year combined the two international windows into one with four match days, making for an intense programme.

“This schedule is not good. Not for the national teams and not for the clubs that release their players and ​sometimes see them return injured,” Xavi told a press conference- ⁠on Saturday.

The Dutch have 23 fit players ⁠for the Group A2 game against Serbia in Eindhoven on Sunday, with Brian Brobbey, Lutsharel Geertruida, Cody Gakpo ⁠and ‌Jan Paul van Hecke all injured in their last three games and back at their clubs.

“Scheduling such a packed calendar three months after the World Cup is asking for trouble,” Xavi ⁠added.

“You also have training, travelling, recovering from matches and things like ​that. It’s very strange to schedule ‌an international window like this at this stage of the season.”

Spaniard Xavi, who was appointed ⁠Netherlands coach in ​August, suggested that authorities review the situation.

“I would rather see us play two internationals," he said. "That would be better for everyone. But as far as I know, it was decided a long time ago that we will also have ⁠a block of four matches at this stage next year.”

NEW ​INTERNATIONAL WINDOW POSES CHALLENGE

The longer international window was always going to be a challenge for national team coaches, without any experience of how to handle the extra workload. Germany’s new coachJuergen Klopp called up 44 players in ⁠two separate squads, although the team's results have been mixed.

“The shifts in training, work style, and play style between the national team and club inherently create certain risks. This format only heightens those risks rather than alleviating them,” England manager Thomas Tuchel said this week.

Spain's World Cup-winning coach Luis de la Fuente ​aired his opinion last month:

"I don't like the new format; I prefer ⁠the old one. It gave you more rest. In my opinion, it took better care of the players' health,” ​he said.

The next three international windows in November, March, and ‌June will be the usual nine-day period with two ​match days, but FIFA has scheduled a combined September/October window of 16 days for the next four years, through to 2030.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ed Osmond)

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10 月 3 日（路透社）——荷兰队主教练哈维·埃尔南德斯也加入了对新扩大的国际赛程的批评行列，称 11 天内进行 4 场欧洲国家联赛比赛充满了危险。

国际足联今年没有像往年那样在九月和十月各安排九天进行两场国际比赛，而是将这两个国际比赛窗口合并为一个窗口，安排了四场比赛，使得赛程安排非常密集。

“这样的赛程安排不好。对国家队来说不好，对那些放球员出场，有时又看到球员受伤归队的俱乐部来说也不好，”哈维在周六的新闻发布会上说道。

荷兰队在周日于埃因霍温举行的A2组对阵塞尔维亚的比赛中，共有23名健康球员可以上场。布莱恩·布罗贝、卢特沙雷尔·格特鲁伊达、科迪·加克波和扬·保罗·范赫克都在最近三场比赛中受伤，目前已返回各自的俱乐部。

哈维补充道：“世界杯结束后三个月就安排如此密集的赛程，简直是自找麻烦。”

“此外，你还要兼顾训练、旅行、赛后恢复等等。在赛季的这个阶段安排这样的国际比赛日非常奇怪。”

西班牙人哈维于8月被任命为荷兰队主教练，他建议有关部门重新审视这一情况。

“我更希望我们踢两场国际比赛，”他说。“这对大家都好。但据我所知，很久以前就决定了，明年这个时候我们也要安排四场比赛。”

新的国际窗口带来挑战

更长的国际比赛日对国家队教练来说始终是个挑战，因为他们缺乏应对额外工作量的经验。德国新任主教练尤尔根·克洛普征召了44名球员，分成两支不同的队伍，但球队的成绩却喜忧参半。

英格兰队主教练托马斯·图赫尔本周表示：“国家队和俱乐部在训练、工作方式和比赛风格上的差异，本身就存在一定的风险。这种赛制只会加剧这些风险，而不会减轻它们。”

西班牙世界杯冠军教练路易斯·德拉富恩特上个月发表了他的看法：

“我不喜欢新赛制；我更喜欢旧赛制。旧赛制能让球员们有更多休息时间。在我看来，旧赛制更能保障球员的健康，”他说。

接下来的三个国际比赛日（11月、3月和6月）将照常进行，为期九天，包含两个比赛日。但国际足联已安排在未来四年（直至2030年）将9月/10月的比赛日合并为一个为期16天的窗口期。

（马克·格里森在开普敦撰稿；埃德·奥斯蒙德编辑）

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