“He had amazing technical skills, he was very fast making decisions and had incredible vision; he had everything we look for in young midfielders.” Note the checklist, it doesn’t focus on his physical attributes: power, pace and size. In a time where football has become quicker, players are taller and more athletic – there was room for “El Ilusionista” (the Illusionist).
Football is complex. We should try and establish the things we want to see more of, things we want to see less of and then dive into the complexity of the grey, scenario by scenario.
The Cruyff turn is one of the most iconic moments in football, it was a creative solution to a problem. In this short clip Johan Cruyff discusses his thought process and how he "outplayed" his opponent, I found this absolutely fascinating.
