Total Football: Where Did The Revolution Really Begin? | Part One
About this episode
The episode explores the origins of Total Football and the key figures and conditions that made it possible.
In the first episode of a new four-part series, Jonathan and Rob examine the origins of Total Football - and why it is far more than simply slick passing or players swapping positions. They explore the overlooked influence of English coach Vic Buckingham at Ajax, the role of Rinus Michels in shaping the philosophy, and the tactical shift from individual battles to coordinated systems. There's why Dutch football’s late professionalisation made it a laboratory for new ideas; how advances in fitness made pressing possible; and why similar thinking was developing simultaneously in Soviet football under Valeriy Lobanovskyi. This is the story of the conditions that made Total Football possible - before Johan Cruyff became its greatest expression. Rob and Jonathan will be back next week for part two. Sign up to our Patreon to get early-access to every episode right now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Hosts: Jonathan, Rob
Topics covered
- Total Football
- football history
- tactical evolution
- coordinated systems
- influence of coaches
- Dutch football
- Soviet football
Keywords
- Total Football
- Vic Buckingham
- Rinus Michels
- Johan Cruyff
- tactics
- football history
- pressing
- Soviet football
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Ajax, Dutch football
More episodes of It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast
- Remembering Kevin Keegan: Part Three
- Remembering Kevin Keegan: Part Two
- Remembering Kevin Keegan: Part One
- Total Football: Glory, Fracture and the 1974 World Cup | Part Four
- Total Football: Cruyff, Ajax and the Golden Years | Part Three
- Franco Baresi Tribute: Jamie Carragher on Milan's Maestro
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast podcast page.