Praise All Around As Legend Rijkaard Departs

Sulmaan Ahmad,
Goal.com
Sunday, May 11 2008

Various Barcelona managers of old have paid tribute to the Dutchman, following the club's decision to dismiss him at the end of the season. Sulmaan Ahmad analyses just why...

It has been a season of dramatic underachievement. On paper, it will never look quite as bad as it was in reality; Rijkaard himself has accepted responsibility, as have many players, but at the end of the day, the Blaugrana were eliminated at the first sign of a genuine challenge in both the Copa del Rey and the Champions League - dominating the encounters without emerging victorious - and are set to finish third in La Liga, a whopping 17 points behind bitter rivals and back-to-back champions Real Madrid.

This, after Rijkaard had joined the club while in a far worse predicament: they had been trophyless for four years and were barely qualifying for Europe.

He brought them to the top of European football within just three years. In his first season, he lifted them as high as second in the league, with a poor start to the season and calls for the coach's head being followed by an exceptional run led by Ronaldinho.

In the second season, they were arguably at their most impressive, destroying any and every team in their path domestically and in Europe, but one fateful night at Stamford Bridge saw them knocked out of the Champions League, despite a touch of controversy surrounding Chelsea's winner.

Redemption was not far off, though, as the following season saw the Catalan giants claim Champions League and La Liga and certifying themselves as the best club in Europe, if not the world.

The following season - 2006/07 - saw problems begin to emerge. A good start saw them top of the league, but an inexplicable game-by-game implosion saw Real Madrid come from behind and snatch the title right at the end of the season on the head-to-head rule.

It was not a season to be labeled poor, but it was the incredible criticism that faced the team and manager that no doubt greatly influenced their incredible slump this season, as they never well and truly got going. They were given two chances to catch up in the league by Madrid - who led all season - but produced flimsy displays that saw Madrid keep them at arm's-length.

They did manage a run in the Champions League - a Rafael Benitez-like opportunity to paper over the cracks - but ultimately, they failed to break down a United side they dominated over two legs, and that all but ended Rijkaard's reign as manager, as Barcelona were consigned to a season without a trophy for the second time in a row.

Forgetting the fact it had been twice as long without silverware when the former Netherlands coach arrived in Catalunya, it must be acknowledged that successive injuries to Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o did little to help Rijkaard's push for silverware. The torrent of abuse hs has faced this season is not befitting of a man who spearheaded a side that was the pinnacle of world class football for almost three years.

Few today can lay claim to a similar feat: perhaps Carlo Ancelotti, Sir Alex Ferguson or Fabio Capello - and while Capello is seemingly the embodiment of unbridled and unrelenting success, Sir Alex and Carletto were given time and patience, even during the dry spells, and it is unfortunate the same opportunity will not be available to Frank.

His fate was sealed by an emphatic 4-1 thrashing at Real Madrid in el Clasico on Wednesday, and Barça legend Josep Guardiola has been promoted from within: previously reserve team manager, he will take over the first team this summer.

At just 45 years of age, he has won the Champions League as a player and a manager - and with three different clubs - few can even begin to match such a record. He is a man well worthy of praise, as several former Barcelona managers agree:

LAUREANO RUIZ (1976)
Laureano Ruiz was full of praise for Rijkaard for bringing back a style of football so true to Barcelona, and also blasted Manchester United for shameful displays in the Champions League, adding that there was a deserved penalty not awarded to Barça that could have seen them progress to the final.

”I have great esteem for Frank Rijkaard as a manager," began Ruiz. "There are managers that are always the same. Rijkaard has left his mark on Barça with a return to attacking football with wingers, which is how Barça has always played, not counting the parenthesis during the return of Cruyff to the club.

"Everyone knows that football is all about results. But Manchester United has qualified for the Champions league final in a shameful way. They came to the Camp Nou as if they were Alcoyano. Such a big club, with these players, with this history can’t play this way.

"And, as no-one in Spain has said it, I will: ‘La Gazzeta dello Sport', ‘L'équipe' and ‘A bola' coincided in criticising the refereeing and the fact that he didn’t blow a penalty for the tackle on Messi. The tackle was on the line of the box and this is a penalty.

"In one of these prestigious European newspapers they even said that Manchester United has always been cosy with the referees. Here, inexplicably, no one said anything about this. But the fact is that, just as Frank Rijkaard said, success and failure depend on the details.

"This was all that was missing for the press today to be full of praise for Frank Rijkaard, because, with a weakened team he had reached the semi-finals of the Champions League."

LUCIEN MULLER (1978-79)
Muller managed Barça for just a single season, but hailed Rijkaard for his calm attitude and Barcelona's incredible style of football under the Dutchman.

”With managers it’s always a question of results," began Muller, echoing Ruiz's sentiments. "I thought he was a great manager. Always reserved with the press. But that doesn’t mean anything. He has done a good job.

"With him, Barça has played fabulous football. In the last two years something has happened which only those on the inside know about.

"Obviously we need to know why it happened. But the truth is not always brought to light. Sometimes you don’t know why you were winning or why you’re losing now."

TERRY VENABLES (1984-87)
Terry Venables managed the club in the 1980s and did not enjoy the best of times, but insisted Rijkaard deserves respect - perhaps more than he is getting - and hints that the former Milan player will have no problem finding a new job and moving on elsewhere.

”He’s done a fantastic job," hailed El Tel.

"Only for the time he’s been there, five seasons, he deserves great respect. We should bear in mind that Barça is a club with high expectations and if you don’t fulfil these it has its consequences.

"But, with him, the team has played magnificent football. For me he has demonstrated that he is a remarkable manager, who will have no problem whatsoever working and being happy again anywhere."

JOHAN CRUYFF (1988-96)
The legend that is Johann Cruyff is seen as the voice of Barcelona by many. He created the Dream Team of the mid-90s - a rival to Frank's current team - and since his departure, has never been afraid to share his opinions on the club, no matter how controversial. He chose to focus on how Rijkaard put Barça back on top; not just in terms of style or even success, but worldwide reputation.

”In order to assess Frank Rijkaard you only have to look at how Barça was five years ago and how it is now," explained Cruyff. "We don’t have to look just at the football, but also at the prestige Barça has in the world of football.

"If you look at the mentality with which Rijkaard took part in this Board’s project we can only talk about a job well done. He won titles, but, above all, he gained prestige.

“Barça’s alliance with UNICEF is a gesture to the entire world. In order to do this you also need a manager who doesn’t just think of himself and is always conscious of the institution he forms part of. Rijkaard, with his way of working, the calm with which he has acted, his way of talking and his humility go hand in hand with this gesture to the world.

“If we talk now of football, everyone will agree that a couple of years ago Rijkaard’s Barça played the best football in Europe if not the world. It is clear that to reach the very top is difficult. To stay there is even more so, because every element has to work to perfection."

CARLES REXACH (1988, 1991, 1996 y 2001-02)
Rexach is Barça through and through, evidenced by his stop-gap stints in charge of the side. Though he rarely enjoyed memorable moments in charge of the Blaugrana, he has hailed Rijkaard, who had never played for or been a part of Barcelona, for fitting in so seamlessly at a club notoriously fickle and almost incestuous in its operation. He asserted that Rijkaard perhaps did not always get the external backing or assistance that he required or indeed deserved.

”He has been a manager with a ‘Barça profile’, who enjoys playing good football and who has the temperament to train a big team," declared Rexach. "That’s to say, he is not too affected by the ups and downs of the team.

"What could have been missing was some external support on occasions. He has also shown that he is a gentleman and has always defended the players and this is very important."

LLORENÇ SIERRA FERRER (2000-01)
Sierra Ferrer joined in the chorus of tributes, emphasising that Rijkaard's dedication to good spirit and style are admirable in an atmosphere as competitive as the 21st century European football.

”Frank Rijkaard has, personally and professionally, made a good impression on me," he insisted. "He was up to the requirements of a club like Barça.

"He has imposed a style of risk, creativity and talent and has always played to win. I also think he has shown himself to be honest.

"I get the impression that, on many occasions, he has taken responsibility for circumstances of the team, that weren’t down to him. This also has to do with his integrity as a person. As a Club member I want to congratulate him for everything he has brought to the club”.