Johan Cruyff attacks the analists

Johan Derksen’s column in VI:

Johan Cruyff has flirted with managing Oranje thrice. In 1990, the players wanted him. But Rinus Michels ignored their wishes and appointed Leo Beenhakker. In 1992, the EC in Sweden, he took the job himself (Michels) and in 1994 the KNVB used Johan’s “outrageous demands” (note Jan: he wanted a similar paycheck per month as he got in Barcelona and he wanted to pick his own staff as opposed to using KNVB staff-members) to say no to him and they appointed Dick Advocaat. (note Jan: who came back gloating from the WC94 in the US claiming that reaching the quarter finals was a great achievement…).

When Kesler approached him in 2004, JC had retired and he suggested Marco van Basten, like he did with Laporte and Rijkaard in Barcelona. People seem to think that JC calls the shots behind the curtains at Ajax, Barca and Oranje, but that is not true. The former Number 14 says: “It’s not true. When you are an advisor there is a formalized role, periodic contacts and payments. There is none of that. I do talk to Marco regularly, about all sorts of stuff. Never about who to select, how to play or who to start. Frank Rijkaard? I haven’t talked to him in months. The man is busy enough as it is.” Cruyff supports his pupils, but never interferes. “If they needed me to make line-ups and stuff, they wouldn’t be good coaches. It doesn’t work like that.”

Johan loves football. The beauty of the game is more important to him than winning. He was often ashamed if his team played lousy but brought home the bacon. I like him, as a player, as a coach and as a human being. He always has his feet on the ground, he is a decent person, nice to interact with and he has a fascinating view on football. When he talks football, he is practically almost right. Except when it is on the Oranje team manager. Then, his loyalty wins from his expertise and he becomes unbelievable. The big scary outside world is not supposed to touch “his boys”.

In JC’s column in the magazine Number 14 he writes: “We should stay loyal to our Dutch roots. We shouldn’t throw our football culture away. People say you can’t play a left footer on the right. Well Messi and Ronaldinho play great on the “wrong” flank. And I do know Van Persie plays in the striker role at Arsenal. But what do you do? Bench Van Nistelrooy? People say that players should be used in their club-positions but you can’t do that. You can only play one central striker. So then what? Then don’t use Van Persie if Van Nistelrooy plays? And do we have better right wingers than Van Persie? No.”

And I agree with JC. There are many great players who played on the wrong flank. Steve Heighway at Liverpool, John Robertson at Nottingham Forest and in Holland Sanmartean at FC Utrecht. But Dirk Kuyt can’t play on the left flank, like Rafael van der Vaart’s contribution on the right is not great. Van Persie can be used anywhere, but his optimal value lies in playing as one of two strikers. Van Basten made the system holy and is looking for players to fit them in. He should look at his players and chose the right system for them.

An other issue is that most strikers in Oranje fail or struggle. They hardly get any good crosses or services from the flanks. All great players Van Basten has at his disposal are used to playing in a 4-4-2 mode. Van Basten has the opportunity to play with a dream midfield of Seedorf, De Zeeuw, Van der Vaart and Sneijder. For the two strikers? Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie. Dirk Kuyt and KJ Huntelaar make great subs and Arjen Robben for now is not starting material.

Van Basten has succeeded in letting all great Oranje players perform under par structurally. Like in 1974 and 1988, we have quite a good generation of players, but if Marco fool heartedly persists in making the System more important than the players, again, Oranje will not win a price.

Cruyff can criticize the analysts, but he shouldn’t forget he is not always clear in his communication. The football world reacted flabbergasted on his criticism on Ruud van Nistelrooy, who had just scored his 50st goal in the CL.

In his column, JC explained his words. “There was quite some commotion about my words on Van Nistelrooy. I meant to say, that Van Nistelrooy’s technical skills are mediocre. He is not as gifted as, say, Thierry Henry or Ronaldino. But, that is not an issue. He scores goals. That is an extremely important quality and we should cherish that. Even more so, the worse Real Madrid plays, the more Ruud scores. Why? Because Madrid is then pressed on the backfoot, allowing more space for Van Nistelrooy to act in. A lot of great players miss Ruud’s skills and qualities and therefore I think Ruud is the perfect striker for Oranje. I didn’t intend for my remarks to be negative or judgmental. But there you go, a lot of comments are taken out of context or misinterpreted.”