The Netherlands, (almost) always rivals at the World Cup and one question: do you represent the Dutch Soccer School?

Hristo Stoichkov knew and knows the Dutch school from the inside. It was, in some or all ways, part of it under the Camp Nou sky. The Bulgarian who seems born in Barracas or at the Parque de los Patricios played in Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona, ​​the one who won the first European Cup in the history of the Catalan giant, in 1992. He knew that this team full of numbers was also the legacy of an idea: that of total football that the Netherlands had practiced in the 1970s.

The scene happened in 2010, just before the final of the last World Cup, in Johannesburg. Hardly anyone was in the press center at the time of the morning he was born, but Stoichkov kept talking about football among Latin American journalists. The Netherlands were in the final for the first time since 1978.”This team is something else. A part of the script is missing: that of beauty”, said the Bulgarian in his harmonious Spanish.

In South African territory, even that Holland was impressive. But not so much for the game of him. With a different style – less dynamic, stronger defensively, with less room for magic – he reached the same place: the final of the biggest event. It was argued then that he dosed his abilities many times and that he only provided what was needed to win. And it was true.

But when Bert Van Marwijk’s Holland played as well as they really could, it was also a pleasure. He has captured, in terms of numbers, all records of any Dutch national team. That campaign went better than those of the unforgettable teams that participated in Germany 1974 and Argentina 1978. They reached the final – the one which Spain would win with a goal from Andrés Iniesta – with six straight victories. Not only that: before their defeat in the decider, they had gone 25 games unbeaten. However, his kick, which was also valuable, lacked the charm of Lto A Clockwork Orangethat football school.

Rinus Michels, since his days at Ajax, has shown himself to be a promoter of the idea that would then go around the world. FIFA has decorated the coach as the most outstanding of the 20th century. It also places him in the Hall of Fame and talks about his contribution to football: “Of course, Michels is known for what is essentially ‘total football’, a now mythical strategy that allows players to adjust their positions and runs in such a way as to take full advantage of the gaps their opponents give them. His The 1974 the team apparently utilized a 4-3-3 with Jonny Rep running down the right and Rob Rensenbrink down the left, rising wingers Wim Suurbier and Ruud Krol adding more options to an attack that seemed to wax and wane at will, while Cruyff had the license to roam the field looking for ways to open the opponent’s bolt. The keys to Michels’ concept were intelligent movement, intuition and fitness.”. Sounds simple. But it’s not for everyone.

That football and that coach were also once described by Johan Cruyff, the best interpreter on the pitch and – perhaps – the most relevant of his followers: “I’ve always greatly admired his ability to lead the team. As a player and as a coach, no one has taught me more than he has. With his ideas, he put Holland on the map, to the point where today almost everyone still benefits from his work. Many times I have tried to imitate him. And this is the greatest tribute that can be paid to a person“. Cruyff achieved something very big with that legacy: that Barcelona has become more Barcelona. Let the greats become giants. And that the Dutch school was also a registered trademark in Catalonia.

This Holland (or Netherlands, as it should be precisely spelled out) is more like The Mathematical Orange than Michels School. Looks a lot like Premier League champions Chelsea led by Antonio Conte: play 3-4-3 on offense and 5-4-1 on defense. All of this is done quickly. He is not interested in possession but in spaces. It turns out acceptable, without shine.

And between us?

The story tells it We played one final: we beat them in 1978 in the final of our first world final, 3-1 at the Monumental. Agonizing, epic, controversial. Only one World Cup after they trampled us in 74, a 4-0 which could have been more than a football mess but a statistical disgrace. “It was eight to zero,” says someone who experienced it in situ and chooses not to name their own names.

In 1998 they left us out in a very strange game, with the sending off of Ariel Ortega. In 2006 there was a sort of non-aggression pact which allowed Argentina to win Group C.

In 20014, A I shoot (Mexicans would say), left Argentina in the final and Holland out. Destiny didn’t want our third universal star.

And now? We will see…