Dutch Soccer Culture and Style

It is important to remember that the performance we all saw is not reflective of the Dutch style of football, any more than one head butt was reflective of Zinedine Zidane’s brilliance over his career. The reason Cruyff may have been so upset, is the fact that the World Cup final performance of the Dutch is so opposite to the Dutch tradition of developing players.

Cruyff himself was a founding father of “Total Football”, his teams in the 1970’s revolutionized how the game was played, and were the first to emphasize excellence in possession over positional discipline. The concept of every player on the field being able to play in every position was introduced by the Netherlands, and they have since developed a reputation for excellent youth coaching.

STRENGTHS

The Dutch model of youth soccer coaching led the world during the 1990’s. The famed Ajax Amsterdam youth academy has produced legends of the games such as Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert and Marco Van Basten all graduated through the system.

Ajax are renowned for a holistic approach to soccer coaching. As well as technical ability in possession, Ajax place great stock in the mental well being of players, and also the overall body coordination aspect of soccer. It is common for young players to form gymnastics as part of their training routine, simply to improve coordination and body control.

Ajax focus heavily on technical ability in possession of the ball. Coach Ronald De Jong explains that when Ajax watch a player they look beyond the physical gifts. If successful results are achieved purely on size and speed the player holds little interest to Ajax.

The philosophy used by Ajax Amsterdam’s youth academy when they are seeking talent is ‘TIPS’/ The TIPS acronym stands for Technique, Insight, Personality and Speed. In a feature on the Ajax youth academy, BBC Sport explain that the most important characteristic a player has is ability on the ball.

“I am never looking for a result — for example, which boy is scoring the most goals or even who is running the fastest. That may be because of their size and stage of development” says De Jong in a New York Times interview. “I want to notice how a boy runs. Is he on his forefeet, running lightly? Does he have creativity with the ball? Does he seem that he is really loving the game? I think these things are good at predicting how he’ll be when he is older.”

The recruitment process of a youth academy like Ajax Amsterdam leaves no stone unturned. BBC Sport reported that Ajax begin looking for potential youth soccer players at the age of six. Scouts are employed all over Holland as well as in South America and Africa to keep an eye on the best players. The club holds a three day ‘talent week’ event each week to spot any potential players. The talent week allows 1,400 young soccer players the chance to showcase their abilities in a series of tests and drills.

The goal of Dutch youth soccer coaching is to develop players who are versatile and capable of playing a number of positions. Michael Sokolove of the New York Times wrote an excellent feature on Dutch youth coaching for the New York Times. It was described that well developed elite Dutch players had “a wizard like ability to control the ball with either foot, any part of the foot, and work it toward the goal through cramped spaces and barely perceptible lanes.”

Players like Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie and Dirk Kuyt are excellent examples of what Dutch youth coaching can develop, and should be the lasting legacy of Dutch coaching. These players combine sublime technique with the ability to cause the opposition huge problems in attacking play.

WEAKNESSES

The technical ability of the Netherlands is beyond question. However, the bluntness and aggressive attitude that plays a part in their success, can at times backfire in high pressure situations.

Dutch youth soccer coaching places a heavy focus on the individual, developing the ability of each player in possession to a level of true excellence. However, on the personal and human level the Dutch do not have a fantastic reputation for team cohesion. Does the heavy individual focus throughout a player’s life prepare them to sacrifice for the good of the group?

Famous bust ups in European Championships and World Cups have often led to massively talented Dutch teams underachieving at the world level. Indeed, the Netherlands are the best and most prestigious nation to have no World Cup titles to their name.

ELITE LEVEL

Dutch youth soccer coaching has been proven to produce talent that can succeed at the world level. In 1995, Ajax produced a stunning upset by winning the UEFA Champions League with a team largely brought through their notorious youth academy. Such success on the club level has eluded Dutch soccer recently. Many believe this is not down to the fact that youth coaching is getting any worse, but to the fact that European powers are able to take the best talent away when it matures. This theory appears to be supported by the fact the Dutch clubs have recently struggled in UEFA Champions League play, while the national team made the World Cup final.

Players like World Cup finalists Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie, Dirk Kuyt and Nigel De Jong were all developed through Dutch youth coaching, before accepting big financial offers to play for European powers like Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Manchester City.