"Spanish revolution started with Johan Cruyff"
Wednesday, 7 July
2010
Spain will be Holland's
opponent in the final of the World Cup on Sunday in
Johannesburg, South Africa. Feyenoord-defender Dani
Fernández looks ahead to that big decider in
Soccer City.
"Spanish footballers
used to be dribblers," says Fernandez. "They
still have those qualities, but they now prefer the
one-touch-football, the linkup. That's the influence
of Barcelona. The heart of the Spanish team is formed
by Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué, Andrés
Iniesta and Xavi."
"I grew up with
them, I trained and played with them. Iniesta is one
of my best friends. The fact that they play now the
way they play isn't just a question of talent, but also
of education. We were kids when Johan Cruyff was coach
of Barcelona. He didn't just let the first team play
very offensively, but he reorganized the entire youth
academy."
"We started training
differently, a lot of position plays, we learned to
think offensively and all teams played a 3-4-3. Besides
that Cruyff instigated a mentality change: the team
came first, not the individual. That mentality has spread
to the national team. The core is of Barcelona, but
players like Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso of Real Madrid,
and Joan Capdevila of Villarreal, add balance."
"Up front we
have two fantastic finishers with Fernando Torres and
David Villa. And no one thinks of himself as the big
star. This Spanish team is an ideal mix, but the football
is of Barcelona stock and indirectly Johan Cruyff has
laid down the basis for it. One could say our revolution
started with Cruyff. Even Lionel Messi has benefited
from it. He is the best player in the world, but he
always thinks in the interest of the team. You can see
he has been educated by Barcelona."
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