Why was Johan Cruyff so Good at Football?

Johan Cruyff is a legend of the game in more ways than one. Whether it was a skill move named after him, the incredible careers as a player and then a manager, or the impact that he left on the game, the Dutchman is one of the most iconic and recognisable figures in the sport’s illustrious history.

Whether it was Ajax, Barcelona, or the Dutch national team, he would end up as an integral part of every team that he played for, being involved in almost every goal that his side would score, and managerially, Cruyff was just as much a genius as he was on the pitch, coaching his players to play the game with a philosophy that would eventually revolutionise football into what we know it to be today.

In view of this, these are some reasons why the Dutchman is such a beloved and cherished member of football history.

Cruyff’s ideas and philosophy have helped shape modern-day football

Despite being a phenomenal footballer and manager in his own right, perhaps the aspect of his legacy that is remembered the most is the ripple effect of the message he preached. Many top managers have confessed their admiration for the Dutchman’s philosophy, including top-class coaches such as Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Ronald Koeman and many more. Learning from his experiences as a player and from his former Ajax boss, Rinus Michels, who pioneered the philosophy of total football, Cruyff would then apply those principles for the rest of his career as both a manager and player.

In an era of football that almost exclusively played using a back four, ‘The Flying Dutchman’ decided to use a back three, as he used the additional man further up the pitch to help create more triangles, which ultimately were used to provide passing options and therefore would allow his sides to dominate possession.

Regarded as the greatest manager of this era of football, Manchester City boss Guardiola described the impact that Cruyff had on him as a coach in an exclusive interview with the Guardian:

Technique

Most well known for his total football philosophy, Cruyff was also an absolutely sensational player to watch in his pomp, using his superb technical skill and high footballing intellect to win three Ballon d’Ors and 22 trophies across his career.

Before the eye-catching skill moves of Ronaldinho or the swagger of Cristiano Ronaldo, there was the Dutchman, who managed to make the game look easy with the ball at his feet, as the passing ability, vision, and control that he possessed were simply on another level, providing him with the time and space that allowed him to make the right decision more often than not, making him an incredibly affective player.

He was so good, he even had a skill move named after him. In June 1974 at the World Cup, the speed and sharpness with which he would be able to shift the ball back in the opposite direction with a deft touch from the inside of his feet was trademarked as ‘The Cruyff Turn’ and it left the Swedish defenders bamboozled.

Intelligence

Cruyff was always one step ahead of his opponents on and off the pitch

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Possessing a strong demand for highly versatile players who could all take over each other’s roles as a coach, Cruyff was the walking embodiment of his style of play on the field. His footballing brain and awareness allowed him to be flexible in-game, constantly confusing his opponents with his movement and the positions he would pick up, making him a unique nightmare to come up against.

Transitioning into becoming a coach, he took his core values of how he believed the game should be played and tactically developed the game well beyond its years, as he blended the principles that he learned from his playing experiences and from his time under Michels to breed an adapted style. These principles endorsed a more fluid and less positional-based approach to the game, encouraging his men to play with more freedom and creativity, with a specific focus on keeping possession, not only as an offensive mechanism but also as a defensive one.

Predominantly deploying a 3-4-3 formation throughout his managerial career, he was not afraid to go against the grain in the slightest, as he completely ripped up the way that almost every team played at the time with a strong emphasis on teamwork and adaptability. His defenders were not only given the responsibility of having the physicality and defensive intelligence to defend transitional situations but were also required to be competent ball players who could play passes through the lines and start attacks.

In the midfield, his central players would be given the role to control and dictate the game, always showing for the ball and keeping it moving, and the wider midfielders would serve as attacking outlets that would tuck back in defensively out of possession. The attacking trio would usually consist of two wingers and a centre forward, all of whom would be as unpredictable as possible, rotating positions, running in behind, coming short, and combining in intricate plays to open up the opponent’s defensive lines and create gaps. Cruyff’s tactical approach to the game redefined the game as we once knew it, and the impact of this is as evident as ever in the modern game.

Statistics from Transfermarkt.