JOHAN CRUYFF

The Dutch league is probably one of the closest in terms of the title race across Europe. At least three teams like Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord are battling out for the title with only a handful of matches remaining. Ajax, though, gained a superior advantage in the battle for the title by managing to beat one of their main rivals – PSV Eindhoven – 3-2 in a recent match between the two clubs. Ajax legend Johan Cruyff has praised Ajax for this brilliant victory. Cruyff left the Ajax board a few years ago after falling out with the board over differences about how the club should be run.

However, he has revealed that Ajax will always remain close to his heart. He expects Ajax now to go on and win the title after establishing a five point lead at the top of the table. As a result of the defeat, PSV are now level on points with Feyenoord on the table. These two clubs are now expected to battle for the Champions league positions. Only the league winner qualifiers for the Champions League automatically, while the remaining two teams have to go through a play-offs. Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven are the major challenges for the second spot, while Vitesse also remain in with a shout.

“They were set up to be offensively stronger and that boosted their chances of victory. I thought that was very positive to see. Ajax did not look at what the other team was doing, but played the game to win. The remaining four league games are therefore primarily a matter of being professional,” said Johan Cruyff, who spent a few months at Mexican club as an advisor. However, he was sacked from his advisory role only recently. He is regarded as a legend at Ajax and Barcelona.

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The Swansea manager Michael Laudrup recently signed a new long-term deal with the club after being linked with several major clubs over the last few months. He managed to get Swansea to the first major trophy in their history after winning the League Cup recently.

He took over from Brendan Rodgers in the summer, and he was expected to have a difficult time helping the club stay in the Premier league in their second season. However, he has been exceeding these expectations so far. The former Barcelona midfielder has credited the influence of the Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff as the reason behind his success of late. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Barcelona and Dutch legend Johan Cruyff has said that he is extremely happy with the decision taken by the former Barcelona manager Guardiola to join the German club Bayern Munich at the end of the season. Guardiola is currently on sabbatical after leaving Barcelona at the end of last season. He has managed to become one of the most successful managers after getting Barcelona to 14 trophies including two Champions league titles during his four-year spell with the club. One of the main reasons for the success being applauded by fans around the world is the fact that Guardiola adopted the Johan Cruyff style of football at the Camp Nou.

The next managerial job of the 42-year-old was kept under wraps until recently when the German club Bayern Munich announced that they had agreed a three-year deal with the former Barcelona man. They have managed to beat the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City for the signature of one of the coveted managers in world football. Cruyff has said that Guardiola has clearly taken his decision on the football philosophies more than anything else. He is extremely confident that he will once again be as successful as he was at Barcelona.

“Last week I was on holiday in Africa and I was called by Pep Guardiola. Pep was inundated with offers but ultimately chose a pure football challenge. I said I am proud and delighted with his decision,” said the former Barcelona player and manager, Cruyff. Barcelona’s passing style of football first originated under the Dutch midfielder, who then went on to imprint his philosophy by managing the team during a similarly successful period. Cruyff is currently out of work after having recently been relieved of his duties as a technical advisor at the Mexican club Chivas de Guadalajara.

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The Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen has ruled out the possibility of joining a Premier league club during the January transfer window by saying that he still has to weigh up his transfer options. The 20-year-old playmaker has been one of the sought-after players in European football, with many tipping him for an extraordinary bright future. He has been linked with several Premier league clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United, and Manchester City over the past few seasons. He feels that he is still young and can stay at Ajax for a few more time before moving to a big club.

Despite being only 20 years of age, he has already made close to 150 appearances for the Ajax team. He has said that he had the opportunity to join Manchester City more than 18 months ago, but rejected the opportunity because the club back in transition. He said that if he did not perform well in the first few matches of his Manchester City career, then he would have been sent out on loan to various clubs and his career would have fallen. He is now looking at a club where he will be the first team regular and will only move after confirming the same.

“I don’t think so. If something really exciting is coming, maybe you would look at it. But my feeling now is take it easy and see when it comes. I think for everyone who wants to get to the highest level, you have to be in the Premier League, of course. But when that should be, I have no idea. Maybe 10 years. I’m going to see what opportunities there are but I’m still happy here and I don’t have any thoughts that I have to leave,” said the 20-year-old, who could cost in the region of £ 30 million.

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The former Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff has been relieved of his duties as the advisor to the Mexican club Chivas. The Dutchman is regarded as one of the greatest players to have graced the game, but he has been in charge of the Mexican club for only nine months. He was appointed as the advisor to the club after leaving his role at Ajax earlier. The Dutchman was expected to provide its expertise a number of matters including signing players and developing the youth academy. Chivas are the club known for producing the talented youngsters like Hernandez, who have gone on to better things in recent times.

However, since the arrival of the former Barcelona legend, the Mexican club have struggled to get results on the pitch. It is thought that is interference in a number of day-to-day matters has been the responsible factor for this slump in form, but it has not been revealed by the Mexican club. Instead, they have said that the club will not be making any changes to the staff at the moment, but the Dutchman will be the only person to lose his job as a result of this poor form. The club has thanked the Dutchman for his services over this nine-month period.

“The club has decided to terminate the services and consultancy with the company of Mr Johan Cruyff. This is because of not meeting the outcomes and objectives that have been established since the beginning of the contractual relationship. The coaching staff will not be affected, therefore technical director, trainer and technical assistants will continue to work with the club. The club thank Mr Johan Cruyff for the support and collaboration he has provided,” said the club in an official statement released on its website. The club are currently eighth in the league table.

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