Johan Cruyff (1947-2016)
2016; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 79; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1227/neu.0000000000001274
ISSN1524-4040
Autores ResumoCruyff was the protagonist and scion of the key philosophical, strategic, and tactical innovations in the 1960s and 1970s that first revolutionized Dutch, then European, and ultimately world football. He preached and spread the gospel while driving Ajax, Feynoord, Barcelona, and Holland to victory after victory. The only blot on the copy book was the shock loss in the 1974 World Cup final, an intermission of inattention that allowed the ever efficient and opportunistic West Germans (Die Mannschaft) to recover. As it happens, that was the first World Cup Final I watched live (on black and white TV). Since then of course I have been present at the last 6 finals. In truth, Cruyff started out as “Grasshopper” to the legendary coach, Rinus Michels, who played Master Po. High pressing, sudden runs from deep, interchanging position play, endless, accurate, short, and medium carousel-passing around the opponent, the exploitation and control of small patches of green space, intelligent possession—all now familiar in world football, but revolutionary concepts in the 1970s—were pioneered, promulgated, promoted, and preached by Cruyff, his teammates, protégés, and players. Cruyff was domineering, arrogant, intelligent, and charismatic. He was a creative genius who saw the game through a different and unique lens. He delivered with punch, panache, and purpose. He will be sorely missed, but his performances are immortalized in video and in our memories. His words and teachings will continue to reverberate in the coaching clinics and playing fields of the game. Whether or not you understand or follow the game, his quips and quotes are worth a read and reflection, and will illuminate the way you view the game and the world. Here we go… About Technique “Technique is not being able to juggle a ball 1000 times. Anyone can do that by practicing. Then you can work in the circus. Technique is passing the ball with one touch, with the right speed, at the right foot of your team mate.” “Someone who has juggled the ball in the air during a game, after which four defenders of the opponent get the time to run back, that's the player people think is great. I say he has to go to a circus.” “Players today can only shoot with their laces. I could shoot with the inside, laces, and outside of both feet. In other words, I was six times better than today's players.” About Individualism and Teamwork “Choose the best player for every position, and you'll end up not with a strong XI, but with 11 strong 1's.” “In my teams, the goalie is the first attacker, and the striker the first defender.” “Why couldn't you beat a richer club? I've never seen a bag of money score a goal.” “I'm ex-player, ex-technical director, ex-coach, ex-manager, ex-honorary president. A nice list that once again shows that everything comes to an end.” “Players that aren't true leaders but try to be, always bash other players after a mistake. True leaders on the pitch already assume others will make mistakes.” About Intelligent Play “There are very few players who know what to do when they're not marked. So sometimes you tell a player: that attacker is very good, but don't mark him.” “You play football with your head, and your legs are there to help you.” “What is speed? The sports press often confuses speed with insight. See, if I start running slightly earlier than someone else, I seem faster.” “There's only one moment in which you can arrive in time. If you're not there, you're either too early or too late.” “Before I make a mistake, I don't make that mistake.” “When you play a match, it is statistically proven that players actually have the ball 3 minutes on average… So, the most important thing is: what do you do during those 87 minutes when you do not have the ball. That is what determines whether you're a good player or not.” “After you've won something, you're no longer 100 percent, but 90 percent. It's like a bottle of carbonated water where the cap is removed for a short while. Afterwards there's a little less gas inside.” About Possession “There is only one ball, so you need to have it.” “We must make sure their worst players get the ball the most. You'll get it back in no time.” “If you have the ball you must make the field as big as possible, and if you don't have the ball you must make it as small as possible.” About Coaching “Every professional golfer has a separate coach for his drives, for approaches, for putting. In football we have one coach for 15 players. This is absurd.” “I find it terrible when talents are rejected based on computer stats. Based on the criteria at Ajax now I would have been rejected. When I was 15, I couldn't kick a ball 15 m with my left and maybe 20 with my right. My qualities, technique, and vision are not detectable by a computer.” “Surviving the first round is never my aim. Ideally, I'd be in one group with Brazil, Argentina, and Germany. Then I'd have lost two rivals after the first round. That's how I think. Idealistic.” “Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is.” “If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better.” “Every disadvantage has its advantage.” RIP, Johan, and thanks for the memories.
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