The Dutch have played a big part in Barcelona’s success over the past century. Not only have great players like Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskins, Ronald Koeman, Frank De Boer etc. successfully laid their marks on the pitch, the Dutch were also the ones who laid the foundations for the way we play: initially through Rinus Michels and his total football in the 1970’s and then through Johan Cruyff who later adjusted Michel’s system and created el Dream Team, which eventually led to Pep Guardiola setting new standards for the club, in terms of success. Cruyff was also the one who decided to replicate Ajax Amsterdam’s way of running a footballing academy, which has made La Masia what it is today.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://grup14.com/column/xavi-simons-the-wonderkid-who-is-following-his-senior-namesake-s-footsteps
