Quote

Italians can never win from you, but you can lose to them. (when asked about Ajax's chances in the 1995 Champs League final against AC Milan)

Johan Cruijff

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Johan Cruijff
Asked
Ajax
Lose
Netherlands
Loses
Milan
Winning
Italians
Chance
Chances
Never
Final
League
Finals
Champs

More quotes by Johan Cruijff

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You have got to shoot, otherwise you can't score.
Johan Cruijff
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You know I don't think there will ever be a time when the English player is not respected, and feared, across the world of football. The English footballer is very brave and strong and committed and there is always enough high-class players in his team to cause concern in any opponent. It is a national characteristic.
Johan Cruijff
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Eric Cantona is a great player, but he's not as good as Ryan Giggs
Johan Cruijff
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There are very few players who know what to do when they're not marked. So sometimes you tell a player: that attacker is very good, but don't mark him.
Johan Cruijff
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If my forward arrives in a one vs one situation, I always say: 'let him work it out.' Then my players say: But we can help him!'. My reply is: First, there's a good chance you'll only run in his way, and as a second attacker you're drawing a second defender with you, and two vs two is harder than one vs one.'
Johan Cruijff
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There’s only one moment in which you can arrive in time. If you’re not there, you’re either too early or too late.
Johan Cruijff
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The hardest thing about an easy match is making a weak opponent play poor. A poor player isn't poor because he tends to kick the ball in his own goal. It's because when you put intense pressure on him, he loses control. So you have to increase the tempo of the game and he'll automatically give the ball away.
Johan Cruijff
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He has been outstanding. [Manuel] Neuer is an extraordinary goalkeeper, who would deserve to win it.
Johan Cruijff
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Before I make a mistake, I don't make that mistake.
Johan Cruijff
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In my teams, the goalie is the first attacker, and the striker the first defender.
Johan Cruijff
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Why couldn't you beat a richer club? I've never seen a bag of money score a goal.
Johan Cruijff
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Footballers from the street are more important than trained coaches.
Johan Cruijff
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The most difficult thing about an easy match is to make a weak opponent play bad football.
Johan Cruijff
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Sometimes something's got to happen before something is going to happen.
Johan Cruijff
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Someone who has juggled the ball in the air during a game, after which four defenders of the opponent get the time to run back, that's the player people think is great. I say he has to go to a circus.
Johan Cruijff
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Often you see people who move there and then, once they have arrived, the ball moves here after which they also come here, but then the ball goes there again. I say: just stay where you are, then you are in any case at the right place half of the time.
Johan Cruijff
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Football is simple, you're either on time, or you're too late. If you're too late then you have to leave earlier.
Johan Cruijff
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I find it terrible when talents are rejected based on computer stats. Based on the criteria at Ajax now I would have been rejected. When I was 15, I couldn't kick a ball 15 meters with my left and maybe 20 with my right. My qualities technique and vision, are not detectable by a computer.
Johan Cruijff
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If you play on possession, you don't have to defend, because there's only one ball
Johan Cruijff
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I don't make a lot of mistakes, because it's hard for me to be wrong
Johan Cruijff