SOCIALIST UNITY

6 July, 2010

1974 HOLLAND v URUGUAY

Filed under: Football — Andy Newman @ 9:00 am

Holland’s first game in the 1974 World Cup, when they first revealed their brand of “Total Football”

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There’s a danger when looking back with nostalgia in underestimating the way the game has changed. The speed of the game back then was nothing like it is today, when players were afforded way more time on the ball. The athleticism and fitness of your average player back then too, even world class players, pales in comparison to their counterparts today.

I’m not sure that this Holland team, great as it was in the seventies, would be able to compete against any of the top teams in this World Cup. The pace and power alone would overwhelm them, never mind the tactical advances that have taken place, the movement off the ball, etc.

By the way, Cruyff was a great player in his day, but nowhere near the player that Maradona was. In fact Maradona was so far ahead of his time he could easily have slotted into Argentina’s team at this World Cup.

Comment by John — 6 July, 2010 @ 10:09 am
#1 All you can do is play against the opposition that is put in front of you,this side played against the Argentina side of its day and crushed them 4-0 they played S Americas finest (Brasil Argentina Uruguay)and smashed them 8-0,this from a medium European nation who only got a full time league barely 10 years before this!! In these days of multi-squillion professional footballers it should be remembered that the smaller European leagues were full of part time players.The much and wrongly maligned Scots keeper Alan Rough was a part time player who worked for the council during the week,this is as late as World Cup 78!

The criticism that the great Dutch team would not cut it in modern football is somewhat fatous as if they had had the same training methods nutrition etc they would have the same advantages but in their own time they were the fittest fastest team around playing their “total football” only stopped from being world champions in 74 and 78 by the great Geman side of Beckenbaur Muller Breitner etc and Argentina both times having to play the host nation.20 years after this at World Cup 94 every team except Columbia played some variation of the Dutch total football

As for the debate as to who is the best between Cruyff and Maradona such a thing is subjective but what is objective is the results of their teams.Ajax European champions 71 72 73 beating Arsenals double winning sidehome and away beating Jock Steins great Celtic side beating Juventus Real Madrid etc beating Milan 6-0 in the supercupFFS! The S Americans taunted them about not competing in the World club championship in71 so they entered in 72 playing S American champions Independiente of Argentina drawing 1-1 in S America then hammering them 3-0 in Amsterdam then didnt bother defending the trophy in 73, I mean how f**king cool is that! The Johan Cruyff led Ajax of the early 70s the most successful club side in history:the Johan Cruyff led Ajax side the best club in history.

Comment by Anonymous — 6 July, 2010 @ 2:03 pm
Sorry #2 is me

Comment by ScotinLondon — 6 July, 2010 @ 2:04 pm
#2 Anonymous,

I too share your obsession with Ajax and Total Football. The Van Gaal team of 1995 was the best footballing team I have ever seen. And all European football should beware that he recreates it at Bayern Munich.

Although Total Football is a concept perfected by Rinus Michels, it is interesting to note that it was the brainchild of an Englishman, decades before it finally came to fruition in the seventies and again in the nineties. Jack Reynolds managed Ajax for longer than anyone else and unfortunately doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

It is said that because of the athleticism and pace of football today that Total Football has had its day. I think that’s nonsense and I hope Van Gaal proves it to be nonsense. Even more unfortunate is that so few managers try developing it at their own clubs. Perfected by Ajax, it’s a mystery why no other club develops their own version. But then most football managers and clubs are stupid.

Comment by Tawfiq Chahboune — 6 July, 2010 @ 6:08 pm
#4

Tawiq, the pace of the modern game makes Total Football much harder to accomplish, as it requires the ability to keep possession for long passages of play before splitting defences with a killer pass or a one-two. The modern pressing game makes it hard for all but the very best players to manage this, and even then we just witnessed how players of the calibre of Lionel Messi can be nullified when teams defend and press in packs. The mobility and fitness of modern players means that the best teams can do this for 90 minutes, like Germany.

In fact the Germans have emerged as the team with the most effective style of football in the modern era, defending and attacking in numbers. Experience has been shown to be subordinate to youth in this tournament. Individual skill has also been placed into its proper perspective when it clashes with the German style of, dare I say it, blitzkreig football.

Comment by John — 6 July, 2010 @ 7:16 pm
The Yugoslav coaches who came into Dutch football also deserve an honourable mention in this process

Comment by ScotinLondon — 6 July, 2010 @ 8:19 pm
How did these two teams get into the semi-final? It was like watching West Ham trying to play. Bring on those German chaps, I say.

Comment by Stockwell Pete — 6 July, 2010 @ 9:34 pm
#5 John,

Of course, you’re right. It’s hard to do but it’s not impossible. And when it’s done well, the opposition might as well give up. Even Inter, with the best defenders in the world, nearly succumbed. The best teams are in fact playing a version of Total Football. Barcelona do, and as a result so does Spain. Germany are playing a counterattacking version, having built the team around the best Bayern Munich players, especially the best player in the tournament Bastian Schweinsteiger. The Dutch are doing something similar. All place great emphasis on being able to pass the ball and, if possible, ensuring possession. Unfortunately, England are inexplicably useless at passing the ball, let alone keeping possession. Hence England’s failure. Well, that’s the major reason.

It may seem farfetched, but football writers, or what passes for football writers, have figured out the common denominator: Louis Van Gaal. He rejuvenated the Ajax academy, rejuvenated the Barca academy and brought through Xavi, Puyol and a few others, and has rejuvenated Bayern Munich. Mourinho, the enemy of football, was lucky to win the Champions League. It should have been a Barca v Bayern final. And if Bayern had a semblance of a central defence, they would have beaten Inter.

Passing, and passing at pace, while keeping possession, is king. Let the opposition run itself into the ground chasing the ball. And all the while wave after wave of attacks have to be stopped. It’s not easy and you have to be technically very proficient to do it, but it’s not an impossible task. After all, what else are training sessions for? It reminds me of what George Best said of Andy Cole, and a few others: “He can trap the ball (or his first touch is) further than I can kick the ball”.

For the sake of football, I hope Spain go on to lift the World Cup.

Comment by Tawfiq Chahboune — 7 July, 2010 @ 6:29 pm
#8

Tawiq, I disagree on a number of points you make. Firstly, Inter Milan’s victory in the Champions League was nothing to do with luck. That Jose Mourinho is a tactical genius was demonstrated in the two games against Barcelona, esp the second leg in the Nou Camp when Inter snuffed out Barcelona by maintaining their shape for the entire 90 minutes. I personally thought it was an exemplary display of defensive football, and do find descriptions of it as anti-football to be churlish. Mourinho’s brilliance is in his insistence of the collective over the individual, which is why players of the calibre of say a George Best he would find a luxury in his teams. Yes, the ability to dribble is entertaining, but when one players holds onto the ball too long in today’s game it gives time for the opposing team to set up in defence. The key is moving the ball quickly with one and two touches, being able to transition from defence to attack at speed.

This is why I believe the Germans will turn over the Spanish tonight. Their pace and power, esp in midfield, I think will overwhelm the Spaniards, who up to now have been given the luxury of time on the ball.

Comment by John — 7 July, 2010 @ 6:58 pm
“This is why I believe the Germans will turn over the Spanish tonight. ”

but your predictive powers are less impressive than the Octopus, after all at half time you said the North Koreans were doing well against Portugal!

Comment by Andy Newman — 7 July, 2010 @ 7:03 pm
#10

What can I say? I made that unfortunate statement when the match was 20 minutes in and the Koreans were holding their own.

Still, at least I didn’t predict that England would win the World Cup.

In fact I believe I stated in advance that they’d struggle to make it through the group stage.

How many on this site would have predicted that, I wonder?

Comment by John — 7 July, 2010 @ 7:12 pm
John,

I do not doubt that Mourinho is tactically brilliant. A very, very brilliant tactician, yes. But I think his kind of football is very risky. If it works, he looks like a genius. However, it takes very little for it to all fall apart. And all only possible by putting together one of the greatest defences in football history and protecting this awesome back four with an extraordinary hard-working defensive midfield. As I say, it’s risky. It didn’t work at Chelsea and he played a very different stye at Porto. How long was he at Inter and how much money did he spend to put it in place to work just the once!??!

Barcelona had a perectly good goal disallowed and Inter hung on by the skin of their teeth. Nevertheless, it was a truly amazing feat of defensive and tactical football. So amazing that I don’t think I’ll see it again.

I perfectly understand the counter-argument: that if you play the likes of Barcelona at their game, you get taken apart. I understand that argument, but it’s one thing to play less attacking football against such teams and quite another to be perfectly happy to cede up to 70% possession and put all 11 men behind the ball. We won’t agree on this, I’m sure. There is a love-hate relationship with this kind of football. As a spectacle of defending, it is, I agree, an awesome sight. Putting that aside, I revolt against it. It’s just my nature. I like attacking football based on a balanced team. Somewhat like Spain tonight. In any case, imagine if everyone played like Inter! No one would watch football.

If Inter had Demechelis and Van Buyten in their defence, they’d have gone out long ago. Poor Bayern! That’s why attacking football is not only aesthetically better but also pragmatically the better way of winning trophies. Historically, defensive, win-at-all-costs, Inter-style teams don’t do well. The margin of error is too small. It was bewildering to watch Inter cede 70% possession to Bayern: a team with the two worst central defenders I have ever seen and centre forwards so bad that Van Gaal had to haul Muller out of the third team and into the first eleven. But then Mourinho knew if he didn’t do that, he would have been out-thought and out-classed by his mentor.

I agree completely that the team comes first. Nothing else matters. For instance, if I were Del Bosque I’d send Pedro home. What Pedro did tonight was disgraceful. It’s a team game. If players don’t like it, then they should take up snooker or darts. I’ve always thought that George Best was never quite as good as people make him out to be. Nevertheless, a player of genius should have a little free rein because of what they can potentially do. Emphasis on the word little. But I think the modern game now is such that the Maradonas of yesteryear would now have to do their fair share of tackling and tracking back, Messi and Rooney-style.

To be fair to you, John, Germany would have had a better chance of beating Spain had they been managed by… Jose Mourinho!

Comment by Tawfiq Chahboune — 7 July, 2010 @ 10:56 pm
PS. I never thought England would win the World Cup, but I never thought they’d find it within themselves to play that badly. I guess they’re owed an apology and congratulations.

I thought it was a straight fight between Brazil and Spain. Uruguay were a surprise. Germany too, since I thought this was a warm-up for 2014. And Brazil falling apart was shocking. Never thought France and Italy would do much, but the way they imploded was just bizarre.

Comment by Tawfiq Chahboune — 7 July, 2010 @ 11:03 pm

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6 July, 2010

1974 HOLLAND v URUGUAY

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