The Best Team to Never Win a World Cup

The World Cup is the worlds biggest sporting event. For one glorious month every fourth summer the entire world focuses their attention on the biggest tournament of the biggest sport on the planet. With the massive appeal of soccer, it is surprising to note that only seven teams has ever won the Cup. In fact, since Uruguay won the first two competitions, the Cup has been passed around between 4 teams with just a couple of interruptions. Aside from England's legendary win in 1966 and the French victory in 2002, Italy, Germany, Argentina and Brazil has combined to win the cup 16 times.

Over the years, many teams has made spirited runs at the Cup only to fall short to one of the four perpetual winners. There have been captivating Cinderella stories as well as impressive tournaments from some of the games giants, but in the end the cup is kept by this extraordinary quartet. One of England's best goal scores, Gary Linecker, got it right when he said: "Football is a simple game. 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes, and in the end Germany wins".

Of the many teams that have fell short in the quest for the World Cup, one team stands out as the best team to never win it. The 1974 Dutch side. In the early 70's soccer had been revolutionized, essentially by the brilliant mind of one man: Johann Cruyff. A dominant player from Amsterdam greats Ajax, Cruyff approached the game in a brand new way. Where the game had previously been played in strict formations, Cruyff introduced a new dynamic that would change soccer forever.

Cruyff's style of play was quickly named 'Total Football', a reference to how the new style involved the entire team on offence and defense. Total football was an explosive evolution of the sport. Where players had previously played fairly statically in set positions, Ajax would often have players seek space outside their normal areas. Important concepts in modern soccer such as the defensive backs overlapping along the sidelines or midfielders extending their runs into the oppositions penalty area were pioneered by the Dutch. The flowing style was made possible by the unrivalled vision of their undisputed general.

Johan Creyff was sometimes called 'the Pythagoras of football'. He got this name for his revolutionary view of soccer. To Cruyff, soccer was all about manipulating and using space. The core idea behind total football was to involve the entire team in the process of creating space for the ball to move forward. Today, this concept is universally embraced, but in the late 60's this style of play was explosive and impossible to defend against.

Ajax adopted the style early, and with the mastermind behind the revolution at their helm they quickly dominated the European cups and enjoyed the most successful periods in the history of the club. Cruyff's playing style was perfect for total football. He was creative with the ball and had flawless technique, but above all he had the vision and imagination to see and create space. From his central midfield position he would often move wide towards the side lines only to release his team mates behind the defense with ingenious angled passes.

Riding on the success of total football, the Netherlands had easily qualified for the 1974 World Cup. With Cruyff as their captain, they non the less had an array of talent that all mastered the new style of play exceptionally well. Spearheading the Dutch juggernaut was Johan Neskeens. He was a midfielder that loved to go on deep runs behind the defense and receive the ball ahead of him. He was the perfect trigger man at the end of Cruyff's masterful passes.

The 1974 World Cup was held in West Germany. For the first time in history, Holland went into the tournament as favorites after their impressive European Cup victory two years before. In the first round the Dutch dazzled with their total football. They topped their group after going unbeaten in their first three games. A 2-0 victory over Uruguay and a scoreless draw with Sweden was followed by an empathic 4-1 thrashing of Bulgaria. Holland moved into the second round robin where they would face though competition from Brazil and Argentina. First time participants East Germany Rounded out the group.

The free flowing total football proved unstoppable in the second round. First Argentina was humiliated 4-0. Cruyff was all over the pitch and recorded two goals and one assist in the game. Holland moved on to face East Germany. Again the Dutch came out on top comfortably winning the game 2-0. The last game of the round against Brazil would determine what team would advance. Brazil, like the Dutch, had won both their games and were looking to build to their already impressive legacy. The game turned out to be fiercely contested with both teams defending ferociously. Not usually relying on a defensive style, the Dutch never the less managed to score two second half goals to move past Brazil with a 2-0 victory. Holland had advanced to their first ever World Cup final against some of the best teams in the world, while only conceding a single own goal against Bulgaria. In the final they would face the host country, West Germany.

In the final, Johan Cruyff kicked the game off, and 13 passes later he was brought down just outside the German penalty area. The first World Cup final penalty kick was awarded and Johan Neeskens put the Dutch ahead before a German player had touched the ball. In what looked to be the definitive crowing moment of the total football, the Dutch side pushed forward to demonstrate their superiority on the German's home field. West Germany however showed off their renowned discipline and slowly managed to fight their way back into the game. At the half hour mark, West Germany was awarded a controversial penalty kick to level the score. The goal shifted the momentum firmly in the Germans favor and they were pressing for the go ahead goal for the rest of the half. Two minutes before the break, Gerd Muller broke through and gave the Germany the lead. The second half saw play shifting back and forth with excellent scoring chances for both teams. The game ended with the hosts claiming their second World Cup.

The Dutch team had dazzled the world with their skill and demanding style of play. The area of total football would carry the Dutch national team to a second world cup final four years later, only to lose another tightly fought and controversial game in extra time. Holland would never reach the highest pinnacle of soccer, their two consecutive runners up positions remains their best showing in the World Cup. The impact of their total football however would change the way the game is played forever, and the 1974 Dutch team remains the best team to never win a World Cup.

Sources:

http://www.planetworldcup.com/CUPS/1974/wc74index.html