Johan Cruyff Spites Ronaldo, Hails Messi Has The Best

When asked about the differences between this season's inconsistent Barcelona side and the team of recent campaigns, he expressed his discomfort at his apparent role as an authority on the Catalan club.

"Yes, of course I can see the differences between this Barcelona side and others. Can't you? All I do is express my opinion when you ask me, not criticise", he told a reporter. "I think it's easy to understand if you look at their midfield. They're all very different footballers".

Regarding the ongoing debate about Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he said: "I've always liked smaller, more technically gifted players because I was one. Cristiano is a great player but he's a goalscorer.

Atletico Madrid & Diego Simeone Play Their Own Version Of "TOTAL FOOTBALL" - Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff, the legendary Dutch player and former manager of Barcelona, was once asked his thoughts on the footballing philosophy known as “total football”. The man, who is arguably the biggest proponent of the football tactic, replied: “Attackers could play as defenders and defenders as attackers. Everyone could play everywhere.”

Total football is an attack oriented strategy (not counter-attacking) where players have no definite position. With the exception of the goalkeeper, everybody is allowed to play anywhere on the field. Coordination, spacing, and player movement are the key elements of total soccer. The strategy was championed by the Dutch World Cup teams of the 70′s, which featured Johan Cruyff. Once the player turned manager with Barcelona, Cruyff took elements of the philosophy and created his own tactic which became known as “tiki-taka”.

JOHAN CRUFF: Netherlands Must Play Like Germany

Johan Cruyff has called on Netherlands to emulate Germany and start playing more attractive football.
Louis van Gaal’s team qualified for the knockout stages of the competition after they thrashed World champions Spain 5-1 before earning a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Australia.

Cruyff praised the side for their impressive results at the tournament so far but the Netherlands legend has insisted that they need to emulate Joachim Low’s Germany side by playing more attractively.

"When we analyse the two matches of the Oranje, we see two things: one is that we've qualified for the next round and that's a success,” Cruyff wrote in his column for De Telegraaf.

JOHAN CRUYFF: Barca Must Resign Pep Guardiola

Barcelona icon Johan Cruyff believes the best thing the club could do is bring Pep Guardiola back as coach.
The current Bayern Munich boss spent four years at the helm of the Catalan giants, during which he won a host of titles including two Champions Leagues, Uefa Super Cup, Club World Cup and Copa del Rey crowns as well as three league titles.

Since his departure the club have struggled to reach the same heights, having failed to reach a Champions League final and this season crashing out at the quarters - and currently lie third in La Liga, four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.

With that in mind, Cruyff believes the best way for the Blaugrana to return to the fore of world football is to lure the 43-year-old back from the Allianz Arena.

Johan Cruyff Blasts Result Caring Mourinho

Johan Cruyff slammed José Mourinho in a statement to "De Telegraaf" about the Champions League quarter-final first leg between PSG and Chelsea, at the end of which the Portuguese coach did not hesitate to criticise his squad.

The Dutchman isn't one to bite his tongue when he doesn't like something and this time he took aim at Mourinho: "It's the same old story. When things go well, it's down to him; if they don't, it's down to the players", said Cruyff.