sign in sign up
<<
Home , 1987 in the Netherlands, Andoni Zubizarreta, Arrigo Sacchi, Catenaccio, Fabio Capello, Frank Rijkaard

The revolutionary GENIUS of Johan Cruyff

As both player and , the innovative DUTCH LEGEND always revelled in using the unexpected to bewilder opponents

Everybody has their own between 1971 and 1973 – and made the said: “It owed more to the football philosophy. ’s is team that almost won the 1974 element of surprise than any magic formula. remarkably simple. “Football,” he said once, “is FIFA World Cup one of the most revered sides The Dutch got away with it for so long because throwing the opposition into chaos. If you get of all time. It couldn’t have worked without the opposition could never work out what past your man, you throw the opposition into Cruyff at its epicentre; directing play, tactics they were facing. There were no tactics, chaos. Creating a one-man advantage using evaluating it and adapting it. just brilliant players with the ball.” positional play has the same effect. If you don’t David Winner, in his book Brilliant Juvenal, South America’s respected writer get past your man, or create that extra man Orange, likens Cruyff to Pieter Jansz on football tactics, differed from Winner and advantage, then the opposition stays Saenredam, the 17th-century Dutch painter Beckenbauer. Writing in August 1974, weeks organised and nothing happens.” In his eyes, famous for the way he manipulated space after the Dutch had defeated Argentina 4-0 in “the one-man advantage is ”. on canvas. This line of thought is repeated on the World Cup’s second group stage, he noted: The game’s historians, intellectuals and the official website for the Dutch coaches’ “At Ajax, the idea of circular football developed, theorists will argue that it is a lot more association, which proudly declares: “Our in which each player moved like the concentric complicated than that. Total football, a coaches are modern .” circles that are formed in the water when you philosophy perfected by Cruyff’s mentor, Rinus throw a stone. The stone that fell in the water Michels, is an attacking style in which every THE DUTCH DICTUM was the player with possession. Starting from player can change position to exploit space The players who led this revolutionary there, the rotation in blocks began, with four, and confound their opponents. It worked approach to football have sometimes five, six … the players that were needed.” brilliantly for AFC Ajax when they won three downplayed the intellectualisation of their Circular football, as perfected by that Dutch European Champion Clubs’ Cups in a row game. Cruyff’s great friend and opponent side, left Argentina reeling and not a little

17

CHAMPIONS MATCHDAY COVER STORY

perplexed. Defender Enrique Wolff said after since been periods when pragmatism entranced the world and inspired one of the the side’s central midfield mastermind, would all played under Cruyff back in the THE TRAILBLAZER the match: “I’ve never seen anything like this. triumphed over romance, that vision of most famous clubs, FC , to effectively win this competition twice as Barcelona coach, Netherlands before moving to . Five ways Johan Cruyff There’s no way to stop them. They attack with their identity remains as strong as ever. say: “We want some of that”, hiring Michels, playing a style of football that could be traced The fact that this tactical challenge had changed football seven and defend with 11. They kill you marking You could, as Perfumo suggested, make Cruyff and his midfield team-mate Johan directly back to Cruyff’s days on the pitch and emerged from Italy surprised many. The and pressing you and when they get the ball, a case that the same division applied across the Neeskens in the hope of transforming the club. in the dugout. country had dominated Europe in the 1960s INTRODUCING A MODERN they lose their markers at the same time. entire game. Enthralled and inspired by the Success wasn’t immediate – Barça’s best Ironically, the hegemony of Cruyff’s using , the very antithesis of the GOALKEEPER Cruyff gave orders and the rest followed. We glory of Alfredo Di Stéfano, enthused by his performance in the European Champion Barcelona in Europe would be challenged by Dutch philosophy, and , the It was Cruyff’s idea to replace the were outnumbered all over the pitch, the fearless visionary coach Michels, Cruyff helped Clubs’ Cup with Cruyff as a player was to reach , an innovative young coach who most influential Italian football writer, was Netherlands goalkeeper Piet Shrijvers with whole 90 minutes.” created a glory that, although fleeting, the semi-finals in 1975, losing to Leeds United acknowledged the Dutchman as a mentor. particularly critical of “presumptuous total (below), who until the age of 15 had played as a striker, ahead of the AFC – but the gamble finally paid off. When Drawing on the great Real CF side of football”. Yet, as John Foot notes in his book, 1974 FIFA World Cup. The Dutch national Cruyff took over as coach, he began to reinvent the Di Stéfano era that had inspired Cruyff and Calcio: “There were continuities between the team, whose defenders were so often in the the club. He changed as much as any coach Michels – and the Ajax and Netherlands sides supposedly contradictory systems. Helenio opposition’s half, needed a keeper who acted like a sweeper. For Cruyff, anticipation “I’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT,” could: the style of football, the emphasis on of the – Sacchi created a pressing, Herrera’s teams contained elements of total was more important than a good save. We youth, the kind of players in the squad. And in attacking 4-4-2 that helped AC reach five football. In the [legendary FC Internazionale often mention the false No9, but there is SAID ARGENTINA’S WOLFF. ”THERE IS 1992, he delivered the trophy the long-suffering European Cup finals in seven years, winning Milano side] Grande Inter, attackers came back, also a false No1. Barça socios had hungered for: the European three of them (1989, 1990 and 1994). It was no defenders moved forward, space compressed. REPURPOSING Cup. The captain of that ‘Dream Team’, coincidence that three of the most influential Taca la bala – attack the ball – was Herrera’s At FC Barcelona, Cruyff preferred a trio of goalkeeper , is now the players in Sacchi’s great team – Marco most-repeated slogan. Pressing was a key part defenders to a back four. The central player, NO WAY TO STOP THEM. THEY KILL YOU” , was educated as a club’s director of football and Josep Guardiola, Basten, and – had of the successful Inter teams of the 1960s.” and often strode out of defence – creating a back two and bulking out the The Argentina team’s confusion was centre of the pitch. The idea that midfield is encapsulated in an exchange in the dressing DUTCH TREAT the most important area of the pitch, and therefore midfielders are the most useful room at the interval. As defender Roberto Cruyff beats Argentina’s Daniel players, is shared by Josep Guardiola. The FC Perfumo recalled: “At half-time, I was told to Carneval to make it 4-0 to the Oranje in the 1974 World Cup Bayern München coach, a midfielder under press the one who came with the ball. And Cruyff when Barça won this competition in I answered: ‘Which of the five?’” 1992, has repurposed midfielders to play everywhere but in goal. Miguel Brindisi, an attacking midfielder in that Argentina side who went on to enjoy FIELDING FALSE No9s a distinguished career as a coach, was Despite Gerd Müller’s astronomical goal count, Cruyff was critical of the striker mesmerised by Cruyff’s performance. “[For] because he felt the German played like the first ten minutes Cruyff played as a right the archetypal No9, with limited movement. midfielder, then he switched to the left wing, With Cruyff, the lines between positions became blurred. The player had at least to later he was left-back, then right-back. In the be able to play in the position next to him. second half, he moved to left wing again. And The No9 could move into a midfield position when Perfumo took a free-kick and one or to the wings, while someone else slotted Dutchman was knocked out, they tried to play in to fill the role he had vacated. the offside rule. Cruyff was the only one who PREACHING ONE-TOUCH FOOTBALL realised there was this man on the ground, “The ball will never become tired,” explained leaving everybody onside, and he rapidly Cruyff. “But the player will if he is condemned to watch how the other team’s retreated to play as sweeper and clear the ball.” players play the ball with one touch The entire Argentina team was unnerved. between them and no chance to intervene.” Perfumo noted: “They always had at least three He was determined that football is about free options of play: a short pass, a medium the brain, not how strong or fast a player is, and that the ball should be made to do the pass and a long pass. And Cruyff never makes work. That influence is still evident at Barça the same play twice. If we’re being honest, more than 20 years after he led them to we have to talk of football as ‘before Holland’ the European Champion Clubs’ Cup. Players such as , Hernández and and ‘after Holland’.” Andrés Iniesta have become stars despite their relative lack of physicality. THE CULTURE CLUB RE-EVALUATING THE No6 Such a division of eras still resonates in the Cruyff’s mantra was about movement Netherlands. As Arthur van den Boogaard, and space, so, if room was tight for the author of the book This Is How We Played, put traditional in the No10 role, the it recently: “The Dutch tend to divide their creativity had to come from somewhere else. Though further from goal, the No6 was football history into two periods – before right in the centre of the pitch with avenues Cruyff and after Cruyff”. Before Cruyff was to every team-mate. At Barça, the deep pragmatic, after Cruyff was usually romantic, playmaking role was handed to Guardiola, whose intelligent passing made up for inspirational and liberating. As Van den a lack of pace and began many attacks Boogaard says: “He convinced the nation that for the Blaugrana. playing beautiful football was a typically Dutch thing.” In four years, Cruyff helped to Dietrich Schulze-Marmeling is transform his country’s football culture. The the author of Der König und Dutch quickly came to believe that artistry, sein Spiel: Johan Cruyff und der Weltfußball (The King and innovation and nonchalance defined their his Game: Johan Cruyff and football identity. And even though there have World Football). C OVER STORY

Schip Ahoy

In the mid-1980s Johan Cruyff was in charge of a plethora of talent at AFC Ajax, including , Frank Rijkaard, and Ronald Koeman. But it was stylish right winger John van ’t Schip (below) who Cruyff called ”the biggest talent of his generation”. Canadian-born Van ’t Schip arrived in the Netherlands with his Dutch parents in the spring of 1972, when he was nine. The family settled in Amstelveen, near the , and, inspired by Ajax’s European Champion Clubs’ Cup victory over FC Internazionale Milano, he joined local side NFC, before moving to Ajax. MISSED OPPORTUNITY With and Danish whirlwind on the wings, Van ’t Schip spent his first few seasons mostly on the bench, and then a severe hernia kept him out for nearly two campaigns while his team-mates Vanenburg, Van Basten and Mario Been stormed the . When Van ’t Schip returned, in August 1985, Cruyff was Ajax’s . With his damaged back muscles the returning player lacked a certain physical flexibility, but Cruyff used him as a tactical instrument on the pitch – to widen the attack and stretch opposing defences, making space for an incisive cross into the path of either Van Basten, or any of numerous midfielders surging forward. PITCH PERFECT The innovative Dutch genius flew the flag for Barcelona Cruyff described Van ’t as both player and coach Schip as the best talent

“of his generation” When total football proved so successful – would later be coined to describe Guardiola’s Ajax defeated Inter and Juventus in successive Barcelona. In the 1980s, Roma’s approach was Van ’t Schip went on to earn 41 caps for the Netherlands and featured in the Oranje European Champion Clubs’ Cup finals – Italian labelled ragnatela (spider’s web). Liedholm’s side that triumphed at the 1988 UEFA football began slowly, sometimes painfully, to pioneers reached the European Champion European Championship. But despite also reinvent itself. tried to Clubs’ Cup final in 1984, losing the shoot-out winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1987, and the UEFA Cup five years later, he introduce the Dutch style at Milan in 1976/77 in their own stadium to FC. never quite lived up to Cruyff’s billing. He but lasted only 15 games. In the 1990s, Luigi Sacchi learned from Cruyff and Liedholm, ended his playing career with Genoa CFC in Maifredi at Juventus and Corrado Orrico at shook off catenaccio’s obsession with a libero in Italy’s and is currently head coach of Inter made similarly unsuccessful efforts to a five-man defence, and subjected his players the recently renamed Melbourne City FC in the Australian A-League. revolutionise their teams. to training regimes that some of his charges Yet to his old boss Cruyff, he remains found punitive. In an age when 4-4-2 has been one of those “special guys, intelligent guys”, ITALIAN STYLE stigmatised as stodgy and defensive, this may who always knew that, as a footballer: “If you don’t use your head, using your feet Before Sacchi, only one coach, the great Nils seem hard to believe, but Sacchi’s side were won’t be sufficient.” Liedholm, had successfully channelled the formidable and fascinating to watch. Like influence of Cruyff and Ajax in Italy. In the Michels before him, he emphasised the 1982/83 campaign, his AS Roma side challenged importance of the collective. He insisted that Italian tactical orthodoxy with a 4-3-3 in which the distance between his defenders and positions were relatively flexible, players forwards should never exceed 25m. His famous marked zonally, rather than man-for-man, and credo “all my players must learn how to play possession was paramount. The term tiki-taka in defence and up front, and they must attack IT’S NO COINCIDENCE THAT THREE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PLAYERS IN THE GREAT MILAN SIDES HAD PLAYED UNDER CRUYFF

21

CHAMPIONS MATCHDAY C OVER STORY

HERO’S WELCOME Cruyff, alongside club president Josep Lluís Núñez, emerges as Barça’s new coach in July 1988

League finals, former Manchester United FC HAS DESCRIBED boss Sir observed: “They get you on that carousel and make you dizzy with their passing.” Like the Argentinians in 1974, CRUYFF’S COACHING AS “EXCITING, opponents often complained about being outnumbered. At its zenith, this style captivated opponents – and spectators – in SPECTACULAR AND ADVENTUROUS” a fashion worthy of Sacchi’s Milan and Cruyff’s Ajax and Barcelona. Cruyff’s influence on football remains space”, sounded for all the world like one of final. The most influential player in that immense. Although Barcelona are striving Cruyff’s pronouncements. talented young side was Rijkaard, who had to adapt their approach, his philosophy played for – and argued with – Cruyff in the reigns supreme at Ajax, where another of THE DREAM LIVES ON early 1980s. Eleven years after that, Rijkaard his proteges, Dennis Bergkamp, is helping Sacchi left Milan in 1992 to coach Italy’s led Barcelona, playing a brand of football and to implement it. As Bergkamp told author national side. His deputy, , took using a 4-3-3 formation influenced by Cruyff Winner in Brilliant Orange: “Johan’s coaching over, tinkered a bit – the Dutch trio were and Michels, to victory in the 2006 UEFA is based on what he was like as a player: either sold or sidelined by injury – and led the Champions League final. adventurous, spectacular, attacking.” Rossoneri to the UEFA Champions League final Rijkaard’s Barcelona evolved into something In Cruyff’s vision, the perfect team is full in 1994, where they faced Cruyff’s Barcelona. more sophisticated and dazzling under of, Winner says, “intelligent, talented The Dutch coach tried to bill the final as Guardiola, the pivot of Cruyff’s Dream Team. players, educated to become a contest for the soul of football – with his The Argentinians who had been undone by independent-minded individuals Blaugrana, of course, on the side of attacking the Netherlands in 1974 would understand who instinctively make the right virtue – but the ploy backfired. Milan won 4-0. how, at its best, Guardiola’s side decisions and collaborate with At the time, this nightmare for the Dream demoralised opponents. After losing team-mates”. Team was interpreted as more than a defeat, to them in two UEFA Champions It’s a dream that may seeming a definitive rejection of Cruyff’s never be fully realised, philosophy. Nothing could have been further DREAM FOOTBALL but for Cruyff, and those from the truth. The next year, his old club, Ajax, Cruyff’s flexible, attacking approach made who think like him, it is a defeated Milan in the UEFA Champions League sure his teams had the purists smiling dream that will never die.

23

CHAMPIONS MATCHDAY