Ajax pioneered “Total Football” – Netherland’s secret to success in 70’s
The world of football has lost a number of things over the years. Players have been accused of becoming too soft, disconnected with the general public, some have passed away tragically, others have had careers cut short but perhaps the biggest loss of all has been the extinction of the revolutionary style of football pioneered by the Dutch football club, Ajax, known as 'Total Football'. This philosophy of football came to prominence, though, when the Dutch National side, containing many players from Ajax and even the Ajax Coach Rinus Michels, who raced to the final of the 1974 World Cup. The Dutch side at the time dazzled football fans all over the globe with their extraordinary brand of football, which was quite possibly the best interpretation of the beautiful game since its inception.
There are those who would argue that Total Football still exists today in the shape of the 4-4-3 formations played by Arsenal F.C of England and F.C. Barcelona of Spain. But those who have seen the Dutch National side, or Ajax of the 70's, would strongly disagree. What Arsenal and Barcelona play today is not even a pale imitation of Total Football, and any comparisons of this sort are a disservice to the creators of this unique brand of football.
The Total Football philosophy depends heavily on the nature of players in a team. Not every team can play it. In fact, there are very few teams that could do it and that is what led to suggestions that the Dutch side of 1974 World Cup was the best footballing side ever to have played. Total football requires all ten outfield players to be very strong technical footballers. The positions of all of the players are switched continuously but this is not restricted to players playing in the same position.
For example, a defender must not only be able to change positions with another defender. Total Football requires all players to be interchangeable. In other words, a defender must be able to switch with a forward if need be and a forward with a midfielder and so on. The only player who is not required to switch positions is the goalkeeper.
Total Football put an immense amount of strain on the players who were playing in the system. It required an extraordinary amount of stamina and tactical knowledge of the game of football, something which is difficult to find in an entire squad. The Dutch team at the time had a number of very fast players, comfortable with ball on either foot and able to withstand the pressures of the game, including fatigue.
When the Dutch sides of the 1974 and 1978 World Cups lost out, it was a loss for football at large. The world began to think that Total Football was too good to be true in that, although it was wonderful to watch, it was very difficult to implement and in tournaments as important as the World Cup, it was far more prudent to stick to a more conventional system. This sadly led to Total Football becoming unpopular with coaches and over time it has been completely eliminated from football. Although there are some variations of the system still present, they don't do justice to the original one and it looks like the world of football will never again witness the magic of Total Football.
Tags: