Rinus Michels

Michels died on 3 March 2005 at a hospital in Aalst, Belgium, after a heart surgery in the hospital of Gareth, Spain (his second since 1986).

Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time,[1][3][4] Rinus Michels's tactics and Total football philosophy were influenced by his time playing under English manager Jack Reynolds at Ajax, who had implemented a similar playing style with the club to great success in the 1940s.[9] When Michels himself later became manager of Ajax in 1965, he further developed this style around the team's main forward Johan Cruyff.[10] Although Cruyff was seemingly fielded as centre forward, Michels encouraged Cruyff to roam freely around the pitch, using his technical ability, creativity, and intelligence to exploit the weaknesses in the opposition and create space and chances in addition to scoring goals. Cruyff's teammates also supported him by playing him in a similar manner, regularly switching positions to ensure that the tactical roles in the team were consistently filled.[11] This role has retroactively been compared to the "false 9" position in contemporary football.[12][13][14]

The major component of football was the use of space, and the need to consistently create it. Former Ajax defender Barry Hulshoff described it as "[the thing] we discussed the whole time. Cruyff always talked about where to run and where to stand, and when not to move".[15] He further elaborated that position switching was only made possible due to apt spatial awareness.[16] He also described Total Football being proactive, as well as highlighting the use of pressing, which would be used to win back the ball or put the opposition under considerable pressure.[17] Another aspect of the system was the use of the offside trap.[1] Under Michels's system, Ajax enjoyed a highly successful period, winning, winning four Eredivisie titles, three KNVB Cups, and one European Cup.[18]

The rise of Total Football and its attacking qualities were also linked with the demise of the more defensive–minded Catenaccio, a system reliant heavily on man-marking and counter–attacking, which was promoted most prominently by Italian sides Internazionale and Milan during the 1960s under Helenio Herrera and Nereo Rocco Respectively.[19] Unlike previous systems, in Total Football, no out–field player was fixed in their nominal role, which exposed weaknesses in the catenaccio tactical system; any player could assume the role of a forward, midfielder, or defender, at any given time depending on the circumstances. Due to players often switching positions with one another, man-marking strategies, such as catenaccio, were no longer effective at coping with this highly fluid tactical system.[20][21][22][23] Despite previously losing out 4–1 to Milan in the 1969 European Cup Final, who were managed by Rocco, a manager known for his defensive catenaccio strategy,[24][25] in 1972, Michels's Ajax defeated Inter 2–0 in the European Cup final, and Dutch newspapers subsequently announced the "destruction of Catenaccio" at the hands of Total Football.[21][22][26] The following year, Ajax defeated Cesare Maldini's Milan 6–0 in the second leg of the European Super Cup, in a match in which the defensive catenaccio system employed by Milan was unable to stop Ajax, which saw the Dutch side win the title 6–1 on aggregate; this was the worst defeat for an Italian team in an UEFA competition final.[27]

Total football also had some weaknesses, however, which were notably exploited in the final of the 1974 FIFA World Cup by West Germany.[28] Michels and Cruyff saw their ability to introduce playmaking stifled in the second half of the match by the effective marking of Berti Vogts. This allowed Franz Beckenbauer, Uli Hoeneß, and Wolfgang Overath to gain a stronghold in midfield, thus, enabling West Germany to win 2–1.[29] Moreover, as man-marking alone was insufficient to cope with the fluidity of total football, Italian coaches consequently began to create a new tactical system that mixed man-marking with zonal defence in order to counter this strategy, which came to be known as zona mista ("mixed zone," in Italian), or gioco all'italiana ("gameplay in the Italian manner," in Italian), in Italian football, as it mixed elements of Italian catenaccio (man-marking) with elements of total football (zonal marking), with Giovanni Trapattoni as one its main and most successful proponents from the 1970s onward.[20][21][22]

Michels became known as a person who was keen on his money and did not want to spend much of it. A common joke in the Ajax changing rooms in those days was, "Does anybody actually know the color of Michels' wallet?".[6] His IQ was high and during foreign trips he always brought a book with him, which he wanted to have read completely before coming home.[6] He was known as someone who did not need anybody and who felt happy on his own, but sometimes he joined his teammates and shared their enthusiastic friendships.[6] At the celebrations of Ajax' 50th birthday in 1950, he was the organizer of the humoristic show that was held and during traditional parties he and his friend Hans Boskamp climbed up the stages to sing some duets.[6] After matches, he was always soaping himself down in the showers of the changing rooms as well, even when the match was lost.[6]

Michels was also known as a practical joker. At a hotel he once borrowed a fur coat of a lady and pretended to be a lady to his teammates.[6] During a training session in Lille, the players went fishing and Michels, who did not enjoy himself, jumped into the water.[6]

Due to his authoritarian style as coach, Michels was called "The General". He said, "Professional football is something like war. Whoever behaves too properly, is lost."[30] This has often been misquoted as "Football is war." Michels felt the quote was taken out of context as he did not intend to equate war with football.[31] Michels was named coach of the century by FIFA in 1999.[1]

The Rinus Michels Award, which rewards the best managers in Dutch football, is named in his honour.[1]

• Professional football is something like war. Whoever behaves too properly, is lost. Often misquoted in the form "Football is war".[1][31]
• It is an art in itself to compose a starting team, finding the balance between creative players and those with destructive powers, and between defence, construction and attack – never forgetting the quality of the opposition and the specific pressures of each match.[32]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rinus Michels.

• Sven Goran Erikson's tribute to Rinus Michels (3 March 2005)
• The Times ranking of the 50 greatest post-war coaches
• France Football ranking of the 50 greatest coaches in football history
• Rinus Michels at Wereld van Oranje (in Dutch)