Cruyff soccer event: Barcelona, ​​Ajax and Man Metropolis among the many huge golf equipment represented on the first youth event | Soccer information

A brand new youth soccer event was launched this weekend. The Cruyff soccer event introduced collectively greater than 90 groups and 1,600 younger gamers from around the globe. It’s the unique thought of ​​Jordi Cruyff, who needs to make sure the continuation of the spirit of his father Johan.

Jordi was overseeing occasions within the Catalan resort of Salou, joined by former Barcelona and Ajax gamers Roger Garcia and Isaac Cuenca. In fact, each golf equipment have been represented on the event. It was unattainable to think about it with out them.

“If Johan Cruyff’s identify is on the event, we could not do it with out Barcelona and Ajax. Each stated sure instantly,” stated Albert Capellas, managing director of Cruyff Soccer. Aerial sports activities. There was a 3rd group that was speculated to be there too.

“Pep Guardiola is Cruyff’s most consultant coach so the subsequent group needed to be Manchester Metropolis.” It is a reminder that Cruyff’s concepts about play, place and possession proceed to resonate at the moment. “It’s his oblique affect,” says Capellas.

“His former gamers acknowledge him as the very best mentor they ever had. But he has an affect on the best way the sport is performed. Now, when you watch English soccer, each time you see an English group attempt to play from the match, it’s the affect of Guardiola and Cruyff.

“It is the identical with Spain. The nationwide group was made up of fights, duels [in the early 1980s]. The Spanish Furia. After Johan, every little thing modified. We began to worth technical gamers, those that may assume rapidly and transfer the ball rapidly.

“It had a big effect on the nationwide group. Now Spain attempt to construct the sport, attempt to play within the reverse half, after they lose the ball they press excessive, all these ideas have been of l “The period of Johan Cruyff will solely change soccer in Catalonia.”

It was however this area of the Iberian Peninsula which was the pure seat of the primary Cruyff soccer event. It’s there, virtually as a lot as in his native Netherlands, the cradle of complete soccer, that Cruyff’s rules are most felt. He reworked Barcelona.

Initially, throughout his time as a participant. Extra importantly, as a coach. “He spent eight years at Barcelona and all of the groups on the academy educated and performed precisely the identical approach. However he did not go to these groups and inform them easy methods to play. It was the alternative.

“All of the coaches thought he was so wonderful that they needed to do it. Generally he would watch the Barcelona B group. He would go to the U17 or U10 coach and inform them they have been doing a unbelievable job Barcelona tried to observe his concepts.

“I used to be with Hristo Stoichkov two weeks in the past. He stated there was no cash on the earth that would change what he realized from Johan Cruyff. He stated he had it marked from day one and that he may by no means have gained the Ballon d’Or “Or with out him.

“I feel it was on the final Ballon d’Or ceremony that they made an announcement that Johan Cruyff was the inventor of recent soccer. I actually assume he is the person who confirmed us how trendy soccer needs to be performed It was I did it a few years in the past.

With that in thoughts, it was a dialog with Jordi that sparked this. “He had this imaginative and prescient that by Cruyff Soccer we may write down all this data, clarify it to the soccer neighborhood. Jordi stated to me: ‘Please, Albert, we now have to do that.'”

By Cruyff Soccer, Capellas, a former Barcelona academy director, runs the teaching certificates and helped create an app for coaches to organize their periods based mostly on concepts adopted by Cruyff himself.

“We need to be certain that this data of Johan Cruyff stays without end. We won’t lose it. The best way he educated, the positional performs, the small group video games, his complete mind-set about soccer. Everybody ‘we now have a duty to share that.’

All of this raises an apparent query. If Cruyff’s concepts are so pervasive, if the tentacles of his affect dwell on amongst final summer time’s Premier League champions and European Championship winners, why fear in regards to the lack of his legacy?

Capellas, a former Barcelona academy director, watched “tons of and tons of” of Cruyff’s periods. “They lasted lower than an hour however have been excessive depth. Simply by listening to the sound of the ball you’ll know if the positional play was working.”

For him, who grew up as a coach watching Cruyff work with Stoichkov, Romario and Michael Laudrup, he’s decided that Cruyff’s concepts about soccer will not be solely remembered and studied, but additionally not misunderstood by critics .

“You see lots of coaches saying you’ll be able to’t restrict touches, you must give gamers freedom, in any other case you lose creativity. Johan was saying absolutely the reverse. In the event you want three touches, it is dangerous .Two touches is nice. One contact is unbelievable.

“The idea is that the ball by no means will get drained. Transfer it rapidly to frustrate the opponent, power them to run and eventually they’ll lose focus and the hole will seem. The very best gamers know when to vary tempo , when to make use of their ability.

“However Johan Cruyff was not a supervisor who restricted touches within the ultimate third as a result of that is the place the creativity comes, when the true participant expresses himself, whether or not it was Romario or Stoichkov. It was about studying to gamers after we can take dangers.

“He wasn’t saying you’ll be able to’t dribble. While you see Michael Laudrup on the precise wing, at quantity 7, in a one-on-one scenario, go. Give him as a lot area as potential potential. Let him wait on this place. The ball will come.

“Earlier than folks criticize one or two touches, they should know that there was loads of room for gamers to indicate their creativity in his thought of ​​soccer. It was not a system that suppressed that creativity. Johan all the time actually appreciated the top quality gamers.”

The hope is that he would have loved this event, which featured among the most well-known names in European soccer, together with Atletico Madrid and Inter, however which additionally featured among the area’s finest younger skills of Catalonia.

“We needed native groups. An opportunity to show themselves, to indicate their expertise towards the longer term stars of world soccer. The gamers go to the station, they share their data, their friendship and their soccer. It isn’t about solely matches, but additionally expertise.”

All matches have been recorded in order that particular person participant evaluation couldn’t solely be carried out, but additionally accessible inside the app free of charge. “They will see their stats, an opportunity to be noticed.” It is for enjoyable nevertheless it’s additionally a event with huge ambitions.

The intention is that it’s going to turn into “a benchmark” for different youth tournaments around the globe sooner or later. Enlargement plans are already underway with the idea of feeder tournaments in Eire, Sweden and China – with the winners competing in Catalonia.

“That is one of the simplest ways to honor Johan Cruyff. He sought perfection. We should do the identical. That is just the start. Soccer brings religions and societies collectively. There’s nothing extra highly effective . And sure, I hope Barcelona and Ajax will nonetheless be there.