"When Cruyff and I arrived to take over at Barca, we decided to install the football which inspired us. The football of Rinus Michels. Make no mistake - it cost us to achieve."
(Charly Rexach)
Johan Cruyff and Charly Rexach returned to Barcelona in 1988 and began to install a philosophy that would change the way people play and view football forever. Both Cruyff and Rexach admit that it wasn't a completely new philosophy. Admitting that it was one adapted from ideas given to them by Michels, and one which many believe had been given to Europe by the Hungarian side of the early 1950s. The foundation of this philosophy was, and still is, built upon the basic template of touch, technique, maintaining possession, and stretching the pitch with continuous circulation of the ball (Tiqui-Taka). Elements that, at the time, were not valued by many Barcelona supporters (Hunter, 2012).
As Rexach explains,
"We inherited a culture at the Camp Nou where fans whistled and jeered at a defender if he passed the ball back to the keeper, or at a winger if he reached the byline and didn't cross the ball - whether there was anybody there to take advantages of the chance or not."
He continues,
"Our original task was to find and sign players who had the correct philosophy and skill set and to educate the ones we inherited, but a by-product was that we educated our fans. Everything flowed once we taught everyone that there was a baseline philosophy and we would not bend from it."
A key element of the philosophy was the development of the Barcelona Youth Academy La Masia (an historic, stone farmhouse next to the Nou Camp), which had become Barcelona's youth football base seven years earlier. With the integration of Cruyff and Rexach's philosophy, La Masia became the centre of youth development educating and nurturing players such as Guardiola, Xavi, Iniesta and Puyol. Today, 68% of Barcelona's first team squad is made up of La Masia graduates (far exceeding the percentage of first team Academy players in any other club, with Bayern Munich the nearest rivals having 38%). Despite the recent relocation of La Masia (to Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper), the values and philosophy of Cruyff and Rexach remain constant.
"The Value of having values" is a slogan that is often attributed to Barcelona succcess, and is one that takes life on La Masia's day-to-day operation. According to Carles Folguera (the current Barcelona director of youth), the goal of the La Masia staff is to provide young children with an education that goes far beyond football tactics and technique; it makes them good people, with strong values. These values include, respect, responsibility, commitment, work, discipline, self-demanding and above all humility. "It is possible to become a world class football player and a good person at the same time" (Folguera, 2012). This approach to teaching interlinked with the total football philosophy has lead to the production of an array of world class footballers, who are hugely respectful, humble and dependable people.
Cruyff and Rexach started something in 1988 that not only revolutionised football at Barcelona, or in Spain, but around the world. The reshaped youth system with its embedded beliefs have become part of Barcelona footballing culture, as well as the wider Spanish footballing culture. One touch passing, shorter passing, shorter players, utilising the goalkeeper as an outfield player, fewer long balls, playing out from the goalkeeper, patience when in possession, regular circulation of the ball when in possession are all now commonplace in wider Spanish footballing culture, thanks in no small part to Barcelona's philosophy. Cruyff weaved a playing style within the wider philosophy, that all age categories needed to follow, and one that is still prevalent today.
There are 13 youth levels below the first team, and for Cruyff it was vital that they all followed a specific playing style. For young La Masia players, the dream is to play in the first team, so understanding the playing style allows for a smooth transition from youth ranks into the first team. Cruyff's playing style was shaped around a 3-4-3 system, with space creating and space closing being hugely important. Within this system, players were taught to understand specific requirements of set positions, and to be positionally flexible. Cruyff introduced positional switches during matches, where by the central striker would switch with the winger, and then the winger would become the 'false' striker. Full backs became wingers and the pivote in front of the back four could become a centre back. This flexibility gave Barcelona teams a fluidity that made it difficult for opponents to mark them.
There are 13 youth levels below the first team, and for Cruyff it was vital that they all followed a specific playing style. For young La Masia players, the dream is to play in the first team, so understanding the playing style allows for a smooth transition from youth ranks into the first team. Cruyff's playing style was shaped around a 3-4-3 system, with space creating and space closing being hugely important. Within this system, players were taught to understand specific requirements of set positions, and to be positionally flexible. Cruyff introduced positional switches during matches, where by the central striker would switch with the winger, and then the winger would become the 'false' striker. Full backs became wingers and the pivote in front of the back four could become a centre back. This flexibility gave Barcelona teams a fluidity that made it difficult for opponents to mark them.
It seems that the most important aspect of this football revolution lead by Barcelona is their continuation and fervent belief in the philosophy, through both good and bad times. Never wavering from what they believe is true. Ultimately this devotion over a number of years, strengthens the philosophy, and over time, the philosophy becomes greater and more influential than any chairman, manager, or set of players. It creates an identity that is distinctive and one which is clearly visible to young players. Cruyff and Rexach laid the foundations, but even after their departure the philosophy lives on, shaping the players of the future. Even if it evolves slightly over the years, the core concepts are fundamental to all which occurs at the club. Barcelona's phenomenal success on the pitch is reflects the evolution of Cruyff and Rexach's specifically tailored philosophy that encapsulates local culture, encompasses Catalonia identity and reflects the clubs long history. Consequently building a football club philosophy around more meaningful values than merely winning. Instead focusing on education. The education of the players, the education of the coaches and the education of the fans.
With this in mind, it seems that a lot of clubs steal ideas from Barcelona that they see on the surface, such as tactics, and implement them in the short term, but fail to intertwine them into their own specifically moulded model. It is one thing to use Barcelona as inspiration, but it must be remembered that Barcelona's philosophy is tailored to THEIR own needs, no one else's, and the coaching and playing staff have grown together surrounded by it. They have lived by it and through it. Due to Barcelona's on field success, many are using various aspects of the Barcelona model to shape their own coaching methods, training programmes, and playing style etc. Often missing the point that a club philosophy needs to be self defined and fully committed to by all. There are many different styles of playing football, Barcelona have their own unique style of playing, but it should be remembered that this playing style is born out of wider and deeper beliefs in the cultural values of their personal, independent philosophy.
FC Barcelona - 'mes que un club' - (more than a club)
By Adam Kirkpatrick
Hunter, G. (2012). Barca: the making of the greatest team in the world. Back Page Press.
