Mulder believes that the team's performance will not change drastically under the new coach Xavi. In an interview on Ziggo Sport's Rondo program, he stated that the team will have limited time to prepare for the match against Germany. "This weekend, they'll be coming off their games. On Monday, they can't do much more than a bit of light training, on Tuesday they can do some tactical training, and by Wednesday, they'll already be on the day before the match."
Mulder's low expectations are rooted in the fact that the team's performance cannot change overnight. "It's best not to have high expectations. The game can't change in one go. I mean it positively. My expectation is not high, then it can only go well." He also believes that it would be unfair to put too much pressure on the team, expecting them to perform differently under Xavi's leadership. "I don't think you should put that pressure on them. You go to the stadium and think, 'Xavi is the coach, and now everything is different.' That's impossible in such a short time."
The match against Germany will be Xavi's debut as the coach of the Netherlands, and the team will also face Serbia twice and Greece in the coming weeks.