Dutch legend Ruud Gullit: How football DNA shaped this year's Champions League semifinalists
Summary
In an exclusive interview with Lounge, Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit breaks down the Champions League semifinals, celebrating club identity, attacking football, and the return of football DNA
The semi-finalists for this year's Champions League are a surprising mix of teams that worked through their adversities and found their identities over the course of the season—a journey that has thrilled Ruud Gullit.
“I'm so happy for them," the Dutch football legend said, "and what makes me happier is that all four teams play attacking football."
Gullit, who once formed one of the game’s most feared attacking trios with Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard, is a staunchadvocate of "Total Football", the flowing, attack-minded, space-exploiting, mode of play masterminded by fellow Dutch legend, the late Johann Cruyff.
It's a style of play that, crucially, gave new identities to Ajax Amsterdam and Barcelona, clubs where Cruyff reigned as both player and manager, a "DNA", as Gullit calls it, that still defines both clubs.
Gullit shared his views on the Champions League, his favourite players, the importance of "DNA" for a football team, and things that annoy him in modern football in a conversation on the sidelines of the Laureus Sports Awards, which took place in Madrid on 21 April.
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Held annually by the global sports charity Laureus Foundation, of which Gullit is a member, the awards honored some of the best sportspeople in the world this year, including gymnast Simone Biles, tennis star Rafael Nadal and Barcelona's thrilling new talent, Lamine Yamal.
Edited excerpts:
Would you have thought, a few months back, that these are the four teams that will make the semifinals of the Champions League?
No, they have all surprised us through the season, transformed themselves over the season. I am very happy with the four teams, and what I like most is that all four play attacking football.
Inter is the most defensive one, playing a 3-5-2 with very strong defence, because they are an Italian team of course, but even they attack very well. Arsenal, PSG and Barcelona all play 4-3-3, and among them I think PSG have a little bit more power in the way they play. They all need to play at their tempo, keep the ball, stick with their tactics and just give it their all. The two teams with the young players, Barcelona and PSG, who I’m most excited about and I’m looking forward to seeing them play.
Lamine Yamal (who won the Breakthrough of the Year Award) has been a revelation.
An exceptional player, so good. It’s become very difficult for the inside players now because everyone can run, and everyone is tactically aware. Everyone can press and close down spaces, so it’s very crowded in the middle. The space is on the outside, and that’s why you see that’s where all the great players at the moment play, like Yamal.
You wouldn’t want to make predictions, would you?
It’s hard to predict. As usual, anything can happen. Even in the quarterfinals, PSG was almost outed, Barcelona was almost outed, but they scraped through. But I’m also happy to see the new Champions League structure by UEFA has given more teams the chance to shine. So you had teams like Aston Villa, Lille, PSV Eindhoven, who are unknown in the Champions League making their mark this time, and all of them got to make some money which they can put back into the grassroots of their clubs.
All the four clubs have very distinct styles of play, very recognizable, very much their own thing. That makes for some very exciting football.
The DNA of a football club is so important. PSG found their identity after they stopped chasing the most expensive players in the world and started looking inward to build something from the ground up. Look at the difference that has made, the players they have now– (Bradley) Barcola, (Ousmane Dembele), they have all come into their own. Vitinha, who wasn’t even good enough for Wolves (Wolverhampton Wanderers), is now the best player for PSG, and may end up being the most influential player in the Champions League. I enjoy this, it’s good to see players find themselves.
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Barcelona lost their way for a little while and then they returned to the identity that was formed by (Johan) Cruyff and they stuck to it, even when they played bad, or made some wrong decisions, or bought players that did not fit that DNA. So, they went back to their roots, to the youth, to their academy, to the young players raised in the Barca system, Cruyff’s system, and then look at them now.
Are their clubs that you see who are struggling for their identity?
Chelsea suffer because they don’t have a DNA. They don’t know how they want to play and what they want to do. Manchester united have lost their identity too. I feel for the fans because these teams have become unrecognizable. No one knows what to expect any more from them.
On the other hand, (Jurgen) Klopp set the DNA for Liverpool and it was rock n’ roll. Now Arne Slot is following the same blueprint, perhaps a little more prudent and a little less rock n’ roll, but the same thing, the same system. Slot even brought some players back to form, he made (Virgil) van Dijk play much better, and (Ryan) Gravenberch has become unbelievable. That’s a great achievement.
Who are some of the best midfielders for you right now?
Joshua Kimmich. I like him very much. So organised in the midfield. He has great eyes and he is very good with the ball, and moves the ball extremely well. (Alexis) Mac Allister is another fantastic player.
What’s the one thing about football now that you would like to see change?
I don’t like goalkeepers with possession—that’s the job of the midfielders! Too many goalkeepers now hold the ball, try and dribble, create very dangerous situations for the defence and for themselves and the team. I don’t understand that at all.
Rudraneil Sengupta is the author of Enter the Dangal, Travels through India’s Wrestling Landscape.
