According to NOS Voetbal, Van der Vaart believes that Joey Veerman has a significant role to play in the team, as he thinks Veerman fits well into the style of football that Xavi wants to play. Veerman made the transfer from PSV to Borussia Dortmund this summer, and Van der Vaart is a fan of the player, having seen him play well for Dortmund. Van der Vaart also thinks it's good that Veerman is in a new environment, as the expectations in Germany are high but not extreme.
Van der Vaart is also pleased that Gjivai Zechiël and Ruben van Bommel have been selected for the team, as they have started the season well. However, their selection did surprise Van der Vaart, who had not expected Xavi to include them in the team so quickly. Van Bommel is still recovering from a severe cruciate ligament injury, but Van der Vaart thinks he has made a strong impression and has taken advantage of the time he had to work on other things while he was injured.
Former coach Robert Maaskant has also weighed in on the selection, suggesting that Xavi should bench captain Virgil van Dijk in some upcoming national team matches to give a younger central defensive duo a chance. Maaskant thinks it would be a good idea to try out a different combination, and Van der Vaart agrees that it would be interesting to see Van Dijk play only two of the four upcoming matches.