An introduction to 'Total Football'

Where did ‘Total Football' come from?

It would not at all be an overstatement to say that the philosophy of total football has left a monumental mark on football. A Netherlands team led by Johan Cruyff reached the final of the 1974 world cup, in turn bringing total football onto the world stage. The Ajax side that he played in, widely regarded as one of the greatest to ever grace European football, won three European cups and eight Eredivisie titles as they embraced total football. Cruyff the coach continued to exalt its virtues when managing successful Ajax and Barcelona teams, creating the modern Barcelona dynasty and forever changing the way in which football is played. 

Total football existed before the Dutch teams of the 1970’s brought it to the forefront of public consciousness. The system was used by the Austrian ‘wunderteam’ in the 1930’s, bu River Plate in the 1940’s, and the Golden Team of Hungary (who, in 1953, famously thrashed England 6-3 at Wembley, leading to an overhaul of how English football as continental practices came into fashion at both the international and club level). Cruyff, however, can be credited with its popularisation and can take a lot of credit for its influence on the modern game.

What exactly is ‘Total Football’?

There are two key tenets to the system of total football regarding utilisation of space and fluidity of positions. The team needs to make the pitch as big as possible when attacking and small as possible when defending and achieves this through intense without the ball and a high defensive line that compresses the space that the attacking team has to work in. This requires an incredibly fit team with a high work rate and players that are comfortable dealing with sustained, high intensity pressing. 

When on the offensive, positional switches are key to the system. There are wholesale vertical switches up and down the sides of the pitch, creating confusion for defending players as overloads are created on the wings and players are left unmarked. As a player moves out of his/her position, another replaces him/her thus preserving the team’s organisational structure. This plays into the first principle on utilisation of space; a fluid team structure creates confusion for the defence as players go unmarked, allowing for unfettered attacking play. One may wonder how this would not compromise defensive shape: total football requires competency on both sides of the ball of all players on the team. The system demands a lot of its players as one player may be playing in any outfield position at any given point so must be comfortable on the ball and technically astute, all while being defensively aware and capable.

What was so different about it?

The system breeds players who are comfortable making their own decisions; they are forced to have confidence and individual flair due to its nature. Cruyff himself said that he wanted ‘individuals to think for themselves and take the decision on the pitch that is best for the situation’. At its heart it is a system that aims to allow players themselves to flourish and express themselves.

While these tactical concerns are integral to the philosophy, the moral and aesthetic concerns of total football cannot be understated. There was an intense focus within Johan Cruyff on not just winning, but winning in the right way. When Cruyff’s Barcelona team won the European Cup in 1992, before they stepped out onto the pitch his last instruction to his team was to ‘go out there and enjoy yourselves’.This exemplifies a key part of the philosophy - winning is important, but to choose the right way to play, to play simple and beautiful football is key. Cruyff once noted that ‘Quality without results is pointless. Results without quality is boring.’. 

How has it impacted the game today?

Total football has had a profound impact on the modern game, and its influences can be seen practically everywhere in the sport. The modern Barcelona football club and its ‘tiki-taka’ philosophy can be traced back to Cruyff; Cruyff came to a Barcelona team in 1988 that was struggling both financially and on the pitch and he successfully turned them into the powerhouse of European football. La Masia, the academy that gave rise to the Guardiola Barcelona team that dominated Spanish and European football was the brainchild of Cruyff. Guardiola noted that ‘throughout my career I’ve simply tried to instil what I learned from Johan Cruyff’, and on Barcelona that ‘Johan Cruyff built the cathedral. Our job is to maintain and renovate it.’. The success of the Spanish and Barcelona teams through the mid 2000’s to the early 2010’s is a testament to total football’s influence and continued relevance in the sport.

The belief in football as ‘the beautiful game’, of it having integral artistic value and value apart from its functional nature as an athletic and physical competition is reflected in the philosophies of many great modern coaches. Wenger was often criticised for refusing to deviate Arsenal from their fluid, attacking style of play, perhaps due to a dogmatic belief in the aesthetic value of his team’s football. 

Cruyff and total football are inextricably linked, and both the philosophy and the man have been hugely influential in both how we play and how we think about football. The idea of ‘the beautiful game’ brought about the style of football that Cruyff wanted to play, and it in turn has brought about sides that play truly beautiful football. Tactical innovations that arose  in the Cruyff teams that played total football were once thought to be avant-garde; they are now an integral part of the modern game. Total football’s influence on the game continues to this day and cannot be understated.

What are your thoughts on ‘Total Football’? How do you think it has inspired the modern game, and has it made football better?