Pre-1970s (Mighty Magyars) in 1953 The first foundations for what became known as Total Football were laid by
Jimmy Hogan, a
Burnley native, who was influenced by the
combination game. Working with Austrian coach and his friend
Hugo Meisl in the early 1930s, Meisl's
Austria national football team (known as the "
Wunderteam") became possibly the first side to play Total Football. Hogan's influence reached beyond the Austrian borders, as two decades later the
Hungary national team (also known as the "
Golden Team") played a similar style of football under coach
Gusztáv Sebes. The then president of the
Hungarian Football Association,
Sandor Barcs, said: "Jimmy Hogan taught us everything we know about football". Between 1941 and 1947, Argentinian club
River Plate formed a remarkable team, known as "La Máquina" (The Machine), whose attack formed by Carlos Muñoz,
José Manuel Moreno,
Adolfo Pedernera,
Ángel Labruna and
Félix Loustau perfected the "false nine" style and the constant change of attack positions. "La Máquina" won several Argentine and international titles. Also in the 1940s, English manager
Jack Reynolds implemented a style that was bearing similarities to Total Football at
Ajax, leading the Dutch club to rise in importance and win trophies for the first time. In the late 1950s and early 1960s,
Burnley were playing a renewed system in English football "where every player could play in every position" under manager
Harry Potts. This Total Football system led the club to the
1959–60 First Division title and won many plaudits, including admiration from all-time
English First Division top scorer Jimmy Greaves. Another pioneer was
Vic Buckingham, manager of
West Bromwich Albion, Ajax and
Barcelona in the 1950s and 1960s, as the footballing education that he established helped the progressive nature of the type of football of
Rinus Michels and later
Johan Cruyff, a player who was introduced into the Ajax first team by
Vic Buckingham.
Totaalvoetbal schools Rinus Michels, who played under Reynolds, later became manager of Ajax in 1965. Michels developed the tactics of Total Football after 1970, most importantly with the introduction of
forward Johan Cruyff, perhaps the system's most famous exponent. Although Cruyff was fielded as centre forward, Michels encouraged Cruyff to roam freely around the pitch, using technical ability and intelligence to exploit the weaknesses in the opposition and create chances. Cruyff's teammates also worked to adapt themselves accordingly, regularly switching positions to ensure tactical roles in the team were consistently filled. Austrian coach
Ernst Happel reworked the theory to introduce strength, encouraging his players to play tougher during his spells at
ADO Den Haag and
Feyenoord. Happel also managed the Netherlands national team to a runner-up finish in the
1978 FIFA World Cup. The major component was the use of space, with the need to consistently create space central to the concept of Total Football. 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". He further elaborated that position switching was only made possible due to apt spatial awareness. 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. Michels and Cruyff saw unprecedented success with the system, winning eight
Eredivisie titles, three
European Cups, and one
Intercontinental Cup. The stark rise of Total Football and its attacking prowess was also linked with the "death of
Catenaccio", an Italian system reliant heavily on defence promoted by
Helenio Herrera's
Internazionale during the 1960s. The Total Football system was prone to defeat, experienced notably in the final of the
1974 FIFA World Cup contested by the Dutch and
West Germany. 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.
Modern era Building further on the foundations of Total Football, a new tactical system developed in
FC Barcelona (particularly under manager
Pep Guardiola) and the
Spain national team during the late 2000s and early 2010s. This came to be known as
Juego de Posición or
Tiki-taka. == See also ==