In 1974, the national team of Holland played football in a way we hadn't seen before, with skill, strength, intelligence and attitude merged together into a mixture that was uniquely theirs. They didn't actually win the World Cup but they created a set of memories that have lasted a generation and will continue undimmed for a long while to come.
The 1970s saw the invention of Total Football pioneered by the revolutionary coach Rinus Michels and played by the charismatic playmaker Johan Cruyff. This Dutch team showed the world how football could and should be played; with sheer beauty and movement that was not seen before. This is still regarded as the best team that never won the World Cup.The captain of the Brazilian team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Carlos Alberto, went on to say "The only team I’ve seen that did things differently was Holland at the 1974 World Cup in Germany. Since then everything looks more or less the same to me…. Their ‘carousel’ style of play was amazing to watch and marvellous for the game.”
In the past decades there have been the great sides of Ajax and Milan who possessed these ideas of totalfootball. Yet it is today where we are seeing total football at it's best. Barcelona today are the result of Rinus Michels philosophy in the 1970’s; this side have sought to entertain and inspire fans with football described as nothing other than mesmerising.
Michel’s managed Barcelona from 1971-75, managing the Holland team in 1974 for the World Cup. His protege was Johann Cruyff, a player encapsulated his style. After Ajax's 1971 European Cup win he was recruited by Barcelona to bring this style of football to Spain. This would be a defining moment in the history of Spanish football and where the foundations of total football and youth development were put in place for the present day.
Michels brought Johann Cruyff to the Camp Nou in 1973 and the in 1974 Barcelona won the league title. Michels managed Barcelona again with Cruyff in 76-78 and then both him and Cruyff left. In 1988 Cruyff arrived back at Camp Nou as the manager, taking the side to four league titles, a cup winners cup and a European cup success. He brought in players like Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romario, Hagi and Stoichkov and brought through a young talent from the youth set up in Josep Guardiola.
Josep Guardiola was the first of the production line of young products which we associate with Barcelona today; deemed too small for Barcelona at first, he was frail and tiny, lacking what the coaches believed the necessary qualities for the game. However he saw what nobody else saw, he anticipated everything that was going to happen.
Michels brought Johann Cruyff to the Camp Nou in 1973 and the in 1974 Barcelona won the league title. Michels managed Barcelona again with Cruyff in 76-78 and then both him and Cruyff left. In 1988 Cruyff arrived back at Camp Nou as the manager, taking the side to four league titles, a cup winners cup and a European cup success. He brought in players like Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romario, Hagi and Stoichkov and brought through a young talent from the youth set up in Josep Guardiola. 
Josep Guardiola was the first of the production line of young products which we associate with Barcelona today; deemed too small for Barcelona at first, he was frail and tiny, lacking what the coaches believed the necessary qualities for the game. However he saw what nobody else saw, he anticipated everything that was going to happen.
The modern day
Fast forward to the end of the 2007/2008 season and Barcelona were a team lacking ideas, motivation and belief. A third place finish, 18 points behind the winners Madrid would indicate that the side who won the Champions League is 2006 were now a shadow that side. Changes needed to be made, Rijkaard was shown the door and a new man was brought in.
Pep Guardiola was the man who the board believed could galvanise this side. A great player for Barcelona in the 90’s yet with limited experience, having only spent two seasons coaching the “B” side. Guardiola's appointment at Barcelona was questioned by many as folly. Here was a man with no experience in managment coaching one of the best sides in the world. However, his education under Cruyff and he his experiences in Italy and Mexico meant he was more qualified for the role than many would realise.
In his first meeting with squad, those doubts would be squashed, Xavi recalls, “instantly I could sense a different atmosphere, new standards. Standards had skipped, a kilo here of there, a few minutes late did not matter. Now everything mattered, Pep was on top of everything like a hawk.”
He won the confidence and respect of the players with his approach. Unity was the first thing he sought. At 37 he appeared too young, yet he told the players that “if you think I’m going to be soft on you, an easy touch, simply because I’m only 37 then you are wrong. My pride and ambition are enormous, and let’s be clear, you’re going to work hard.”
He intended to bring back glory to the Camp Nou, and do it with the quality which was expected of this great club. He began by moving out the disruptive and dysfunctional players like Ronaldinho, Deco, Zambrotta, Edmilson and Dos Santos were all deemed surplus to the new plans of the new boss. In came his players; Dani Alves, Keita, Hleb and Pique from United; the former La Masia graduate. He also promoted players who he worked with in the B side; Busquets, Pedro, Jeffren.
The philosophy that Michels and Cruyff introduced to Barcelona was implemented by Guardiola and has given the game players which perhaps we would not have seen. A focus on what the player can do with the ball, an emphasis on technical ability and creativity, on being intelligent have given the game players who perhaps would be deemed "too small and frail" for certain countries. A philosophy focusing on developing footballers and not just athletes has made Barcelona the best team in the world today.
The philosophy that Michels and Cruyff introduced to Barcelona was implemented by Guardiola and has given the game players which perhaps we would not have seen. A focus on what the player can do with the ball, an emphasis on technical ability and creativity, on being intelligent have given the game players who perhaps would be deemed "too small and frail" for certain countries. A philosophy focusing on developing footballers and not just athletes has made Barcelona the best team in the world today.
How he achieved it
Guardiola is a purest, a man who expects not just to win, but to win with style. He has shown that he will not change his philosophy, at times showing a stubbornness that his way supersedes everything else. His mentality is positive; to play to win rather than playing not to lose. He tells his players to play for the people who pay to watch them, coming from a respect he has for the supporters, believing they deserve to be entertained.
People will say that he has been lucky to inherit such talents as Messi, Iniesta and Xavi, that he facilitates more than coaches this side. However, this belief is false and ignorant to the work that he does on the training pitch. He is one of the most tactically astute coaches in the game. His level of commitment, focus and determination fosters a motivation and belief which has transformed a team possessing clearly quality yet lacking guidance into one of the greatest side in world football, ever. Like Mourinho he is obsessively detailed, studying opponents, with banks of DVD’s, books and magazines. His side is drilled to perfection; when players talk of his coaching they talk of an educator, a man who explains "why" in everything he does. They learn and believe in his ways because he convinces them that what he says is true. The results and performances show that he has worked his magic on this team, they work as a team, as a unit, always together.
Man management, the key ingredient for success
Man management, the key ingredient for success
Guardiola has shown his managerial talents in creating world class players and a world class team. In the summer of 2008 Xavi Hernandez talks about the board deeming him surplus to requirements that summer, the board decided that a new era was needed. Yet Guardiola had different ideas, stating that Xavi would be the key to his team. He saw in Xavi himself, the fulcrum for his total football tactic to work, he required a coach on the pitch. His performances at Euro 2008 and onwards have shown how a player like Xavi, when used correctly can control and dominate a game like no other.And what of Leo Messi, the worlds best player. When Pep took over he was not the best, yet he had the potential. And it would be his first decision which would influence how Messi would view him.
That summer Messi was desperate to go to the Olympics to win gold for his country, however the board at Barcelona were adamant that he was needed for their Champions League qualifier. Guardiola made sure Messi went to represent his country, himself winning gold for Spain in 1992. Messi would go and win the gold, Barca would qualify for the Champions League and a bond would be made that would go on and take this side to the heights of the gods. It is these decisions which define a manager and cement relationships which are capable of great things. Guardiola has proved his skills and talent in producing the world's best team. However, in 2010 Jose Mourinho, one of the best managers in the past decade arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu and looked to dethrown Barcelona from their seat as the best. His arrival has given the world a rivalry filled with high quality football mixed with theatre and mind games which has made El Clasico the highlight of the football calender.
Click here for the article on Jose vs Pep - who is the greatest?
