With players like the Johans Cruyff and Neeskens, it was always going to be difficult for the Amsterdam side Ajax to not be successful under their manager Rinus Michels, who was the first to instil a Total Football philosophy at the club. In Michels’ first spell in charge of the club (1965-71), he lead his side to four Eredivisie titles, as well as a European Cup (the first of four straight triumphs in the competition). He ingrained the style of play into the club, meaning it remained after he left, first under Stefan Kovacs, then under George Knobel.
It is also considered viable that the philosophy was there since the days of Michels’ predecessor, Vic Buckingham, an Englishman who enjoyed great success managing on the continent at FC Barcelona as well as Sheffield Wednesday in his homeland (among others). It was he who spotted a young Johan Cruyff, who remained a big fan of English coach; for this discovery and the building of Ajax Amsterdam, the former Spurs wing-half needs to be remembered.
After a mediocre couple of decades in the 1950s and 60s, during which the Dutch ranked among Belgium and Denmark in terms of footballing capabilities, the 70s was the era when the Netherlands established themselves as an international superpower, using many of the players prominent at the country’s premier club, Ajax, at the time.
Along with attacking talents such as Cruyff, defensive stars such as Ruud Krol were at the heart of arguably the best national team in the world in both 1974 and 1978 – unfortunately, they lost the World Cup Final to West Germany and then Argentina in each tournament; many in Holland feel aggrieved by the ’74 defeat, due to the nature of how it occurred. In 1988, AC Milan’s Marco Van Basten – arguable the era’s greatest striker – scored a stunning volley against the Soviet Union in West Germany to win Holland their sole major honour, the European Championships.
It’s hard to understand the brilliance of Total Football without first understanding how it works. The style typifies high pressing and constant switching of positions during play, to a devastating effect. Some of the most beautiful play can come from Total Football, so much so that in more recent years, many teams have tried to replicate the style in their own image.
One such side is FC Barcelona, of Spain. They took the impetus to do so whilst under Pep Guardiola, and continued to do so under his successor Tito Vilanova, enjoying a multitude of different trophies with the pair. However, the philosophy has been there since the 70s, when Rinus Michels took control of the club for four years, and won La Liga once in 1974. This mindset was then upheld by Mr. Cruyff, who both played for and managed the Catalans. Now, with players such as Lionel Messi and Xavi, we see just how good ‘totaal voetbal’ can be in the modern era.
Spain have also been fantastic in recent years using a similar brand of play, winning two European Championships and a World Cup in the last five years under the experienced Vicente Del Bosque. They have become revered the world over for their high-pressure passing style that is used to break down and then beat most national teams that they play. This is using many players from Barça and Real, some of the most talented in the world.
In some of the more physical leagues, the style may not work as well as it does in the Eredivisie; for example, the English leagues. Renowned for being physical and “route one” (a view held by many on the continent), it can be hard for passing styles to take a foothold in the Premier League, even at the higher teams, as less technical teams such as Stoke remain physical. However, as we have seen at Manchester City and Arsenal, it can work, just maybe not as well as elsewhere, such as Spain.
The 2010 World Cup Final (which Holland played in and lost after extra time thanks to Andres Iniesta’s goal with minutes remaining) is the perfect example of changes in the Dutch style. Both Nigel De Jong and Mark Van Bommel could have been sent off for reckless and unnecessary challenges, and were both lucky to still be on the pitch after 120 minutes. Meanwhile, Everton’s Johnny Heitinga was sent off for two bookings, exacting some revenge for the Spaniards. The beauty of the days of Cruyff and Neeskens was gone, and was replaced by a ‘catenaccio’ of football (which literally means “padlock” in Italian, and is a very defensive-minded tactic, but successful nonetheless). This doesn’t seem right, not with players like Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben in the oranje side.
So, is Total Football still possible in modern day football? Despite sides like Barça continuing the tradition, I’m tempted to say no. Football has moved on since the 1970s, as the Dutch proved in that infamous World Cup Final three years ago (although, to me, that wasn’t the real Holland). I think a type of Total Football is still possible, just not perhaps in the style that Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff perfected. Teams like Spain have re-invented it in their own image, but it is clear where they have got their inspiration from. For the brand known as Total Football to still be going strong almost forty years after its inception proves that it has stood the test of time.
Written by Ben Warner - @TurnDeCruyff