Why the Dutch are Different: A Journey into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands: From Amsterdam to Zwarte Piet, the acclaimed guide to travel in Holland

by Ben Coates

The most revolutionary change, though, was in tactics. Determined to increase the fluidity of play, Michels introduced ‘position switching’, which allowed players to swap places on the pitch at will during the course of a game. An Ajax player usually stuck in defence (for example) could surge forward and attack if he saw the chance, while frontline strikers fell back to defend the goal. Michels encouraged his players to break formation and use every inch of the pitch, including the air above it. In a tactic known as ‘pressing’, defenders were also encouraged to range much further upfield than normal, luring opponents into the so-called offside trap if they ventured behind the Ajax lines. For coaches and analysts usually obsessed with debating the merits of different fixed formations, the Michels approach represented a sea change, opening up new possibilities for players to move diagonally across the pitch and chase the ball through gaps in the defence like water trickling through the streams of a polder. To Ajax’s opponents, the new style was fast, fluid and impossible to predict. The club quickly became famous for its players’ flamboyance on the pitch, and for their determination not simply to win, but to play well. To Michels, the beautiful game really should be beautiful.