Louis van Gaal gives the last rites to total footballJune 4, 2014
Michael Cockerill
Vitoria: "Total football" is dead and buried. Officially. Truth is, it's been hanging on for grim life for the best part of two decades, but so influential were Johan Cruyff and his "Oranje" teammates during the 1970s that the myth was allowed to linger long past its use-by date. It's taken the hard-nosed Louis van Gaal to finally administer the last rites, and the big question heading into the World Cup is whether his bold decision to change formation will cost the Netherlands dearly. Australia, of course, has a vested interest in the answer.
It was the Dutch, and their 3-4-3, who created "total football", and it has been the Dutch influence at Barcelona – notably Cruyff –that has transformed a formation, which eventually evolved into 4-3-3, into a philosophy. Truth is, the Dutch national team may have kept the formation, but in recent years have demonstrated little of the philosophy. A nasty, spiteful, contribution to the 2010 World Cup final underlined the obvious. The artists have steadily been replaced by artisans.
So, we come to this. Van Gaal – strong enough, old enough, and big enough – has broken his contract and ditched the 4-3-3. Yes, that's right. The 4-3-3 is the mandated formation for every Dutch national coach in the terms of his employment. So when van Gaal started talking about a 5-3-2, there was predictable uproar. Cruyff was aghast. The KNVB (Dutch federation) could have sacked him on the eve of the World Cup. The Dutch coaching industry – which we've come to know so well in Australia – was thrown into a state of flux.
But van Gaal has weathered the storm, and the loss of midfield anchor Kevin Strootman to injury gave him the trigger. The new set-up was unveiled for the recent warm-up matches against Ecuador and Ghana, and while van Gaal readily admits it might not please the eye, it worked well enough (a draw and a win) to convince him to use it in Brazil. The big loser of the change seems to be winger Jeremain Lens, while the big winner seems to be Daley Blind, a midfielder who has been converted into a left back to fill a problem position. Nigel de Jong will still be expected to win the ball, Wesley Sneijder might be asked to chase it more often, while Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben will need to focus more on their combination in a two-man attack.
The issue for the Socceroos is whether the Dutch are suddenly more vulnerable. Outgoing technical director Han Berger will provide some important insights – he was dispatched to scout the warm-up matches in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. In one sense, the more conservative approach suggests the Socceroos will get even less goalscoring opportunities. In another sense, van Gaal's decision to dispense with true wingers could mean Australia's problem area – the space in behind the fullbacks – might not be so exposed.
Either way, it may be that the match in Porto Alegre could now be closer than expected if it develops into a midfield arm wrestle. Ange Postecoglou may even choose to adjust his own tactics accordingly.
To me, the game against the Netherlands was always going to be our best chance of snatching a result at the World Cup. At the very least we have the psychological benefit of an unbeaten record against the Dutch for motivation.
Right now, van Gaal is backing himself, as he usually does. The security of a new job at Old Trafford post-World Cup effectively means he has nothing to lose in Brazil. But his team? Perhaps, just perhaps, his epiphany has made life easier for the Socceroos. Let's hope so.
Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/fifa-world-cup-2014/world-cup-news-2014/louis-van-gaal-gives-the-last-rites-to-total-football-20140604-zrwyg.html#ixzz33rUEjo7c