The Blaugrana Oranje Era Begins.

The Xavi Hernández Oranje era kicks off today. For the first time since 1977, a foreigner will be in charge of the Netherlands national team. Hopefully the Catalan’s era will be as successful as the Dutch managers who have coached Xavi’s club, FC Barcelona.

• By Ibrahim Ayyub
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On August 12, 2026, the KNVB announced the hiring of Xavi Hernández as the new manager of the Oranje. Following the disappointing exit in World Cup 2026, a new manager was needed following the departure of Ronald Koeman. The usual gossip who could be the next Oranje manager ranged from the believable, Arne Slott, to the unbelievable, Roberto Martinez. It was a pleasant surprise for many, including yours truly, when Xavi was the one hired by the KNVB. For the first time since 1977, when the Austrian Ernst Happel was in charge of the Oranje, that a foreigner would be in charge of the Oranje.

It’s no secret that my love for football began in 1988 when I was wee lad who watched the Oranje win the 1988 European Championship. I never followed club football until after the 1994 World Cup. The club that got my attention was FC Barcelona, who had the likes of Romario and Stoichkov along with the Dutch legend Ronald Koeman and the Dutch icon, Johan Cruyff, was managing the side. Over the years, the Dutch influence on this club has been apparent.

FC Barcelona has a rich history since its inception back in 1899. The Dutch influence chapter of its rich history took place back in 1971 when Rinus Michels was hired to coach Barça and a few years later, Johan Cruyff was a major signing during that decade which saw the club end a 14 year wait for a league crown. Cruyff would then return to Barça, as a manager in 1988. That hiring would impact the club for decades where his “Dream Team” won four consecutive league titles and their first Champions League title and influence one of his players, Pep Guardiola who would go to accomplish great success as a manager at Barça, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Pep would also play for Louis van Gaal, who took charge of Barça in 1997 and managed to lead the Blaugrana to back to back league titles, but also suffered disappointing results in Europe. It was van Gaal who also gave Xavi his Barça debut in 1988. Frank Rijkaard’s arrival in 2003 would see the Blaugrana win consecutive league titles and the club’s second Champions League title as Xavi blossomed under Rijkaard’s watch. The final Oranje manager was Ronaldo Koeman, who stepped down from the Oranje job to coach Barça in 2020, only to be replaced by Xavi in 2021.

It is ironic that Xavi is now replacing Koeman at another job. Furthermore, it’s the Barça guy taking over the Oranje and not the other way around. As a player, Xavi was a true legend of the game. As a manager, he has his merits and demerits.

Some of the positives that Xavi displayed when he managed Barça was his faith in the younger players and his lack of hesitation in dropping veterans. When Xavi took over Barça, he had no problem benching club legends, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba. Both were instrumental in the Blaugrana’s success during the 2010s. However, when Xavi arrived, he made it clear to them that they no longer were starters. Xavi has already continued this trend by not calling up Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst during this international break.

Xavi also gave young players their debuts when he managed Barça. You probably have heard of them; Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, who have shined for club and country. Fermín López was also given his debut by Xavi and one can only hope that Xavi will give young Oranje players a shot to shine for their country. After suffering from Oranje managers relying on the old guard for far too long, an injection of youth is a breath of fresh air.

Nonetheless, Xavi is not flawless and there is a drawback in his appointment. Xavi is the only Barça manager in this century not to win back to back league titles. One major downside in Xavi is his lack of experience and tactical nuance. It is true that Xavi has won in his coaching stints in Qatar and at Barcelona. However, his supporting staff’s relative inexperience, along with Xavi’s was also an issue. Barça fans got to witness some great results, but also got to witness some horrendous performances, especially in Europe, where Plan B was basically whipping crosses into the box and praying for a header.

When things looked dire during Xavi’s tenure at Barça, I was hoping he’d bring in Pep Guardiola’s former assistant, Domènec Torrent, to help steady the ship. Unfortunately, that never materialized. Adding Ruud van Nistelrooy to his staff doesn’t feel like much of an upgrade, either. I would have loved to see an experienced figure in the mold of Henk ten Cate, Frank Rijkaard’s right-hand man during Barça’s mid-2000s resurgence, step into that tactical support role. That said, Xavi will never lack authority in the dressing room. He’s been in the players’ shoes, seen it all, and won it all and those players will listen to him.

After seeing Dutch managers take charge of Barça, it is now time for a Barça player to take charge of the Dutch. I am rooting for Xavi to do big things. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction and not another misstep.

Damaged Barça hire damaged Hansi Flick.

 

With Xavi’s tenure as Barça coming to an unfortunate end, President Joan Laporta already made his choice on who should be Xavi’s successor, by hiring Hansi Flick. It was a marriage of convenience between the club and manager; A damaged club hiring a damaged Hansi Flick.

It was the worst kept secret that Laporta was looking to hire a German manager to run our beloved Blaugrana. Laporta just missed out on Hansi Flick in 2021 before hiring Xavi to manage Barça. Lady luck shined on Laporta when Hansi Flick was now available to take the job following Germany’s disastrous performance at the 2022 World Cup and subsequent matches. Flick’s stock was absolutely at an all-time low and Barça was in need of a manager to get them back among the elite clubs in Europe.

This is not uncommon ground for FC Barcelona. Barça has a storied history of willing to gamble on managers whose philosophies align with the club's philosophy, even if their previous experiences were not always successful. One notable example is Frank Rijkaard, who took over as FC Barcelona's manager in the summer of 2003. Before joining Barça, Rijkaard had been let go at Sparta Rotterdam after they were relegated in his lone season there in 2002. Even though his managerial career consisted of being the Netherlands national team manager from 1998 to 2000 along with his only stint at club level with Sparta Rotterdam, he guided Barça to resurgence. The Blaugrana won two La Liga titles and their second UEFA Champions League in 2006.

The man who guided Barça’s Dream Team, Johan Cruyff, to their first Champions League crown also came to the club with a somewhat damaged reputation as a manager. Although Ajax won two Dutch cups and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup during the mid to late 80s, Cruyff was unable to steer Ajax Amsterdam to a Dutch league title and subsequently resigned in January 1988 as Ajax struggled. A few months later, Barça hired the football legend and the rest, as they say, is history. Cruyff’s arrival ushered in a successful era for the Blaugrana where he implemented his groundbreaking "Total Football" philosophy at Barcelona, which revolutionized the club's style of play and laid the groundwork for its future success.

                         

Luis Enrique is another prime example of a manager whose managerial career before Barcelona was not spectacular and somewhat damaged. He lasted one season coaching Roma without winning any major trophies. However, after taking over as Barcelona manager in 2014, Luis Enrique led the club to an unprecedented treble in his first season, capturing La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Champions League, and amassed a total of nine trophies in his three seasons at the club.

                          

However, not all damaged managers have been successful after taking the reins at Barcelona. One noteworthy example would be Louis van Gaal. When van Gaal was first hired by the club in 1997, he was considered one of the top managers in the world following his accomplishments with Ajax. His first stint as Barça manager saw the club win consecutive league titles but failed in Europe. However, when he was hired by Barça again in 2002, it was fresh from his unsuccessful stint as the Netherlands manager who failed to qualify for the World Cup. The second era of van Gaal with the Blaugrana lasted a few months before he was fired due to the club’s woeful league position. Then there is Quique Setién, who joined Barcelona midway through the 2019-2020 season without much of a successful reputation. He had been hired after leaving Real Betis where they regressed from 6th to 10th in the league standings, and he tried his best to showcase his commitment to the Blaugrana's possession-based style of football. However, Setién only lasted a few months without winning any major silverware and will forever be remembered as the manager in charge during that 8-2 defeat to Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich side in the 2020 Champions League Quarter-Finals.

                          

Barça has a history of hiring managers based on their potential to align with the club's footballing philosophy and their ability to meet the high expectations of both the club and its fans. Hansi Flick’s hiring is a slight deviation from Barça’s DNA, where the hope is he will mutate that DNA with the German football DNA to create a new successful formula for success. Hopefully his hiring will usher in a new successful era for the Blaugrana, and thereby end years of frustration in Europe while also navigating the club to more success in domestic competitions. 

In Frank We Trust?

The Frank de Boer era is underway. Ronald Koeman’s departure befuddled many and the choices to replace the now Barcelona boss were even more befuddling. Ultimately, the KNVB opted for Frank de Boer much to the chagrin of many. Was the hiring of de Boer the best option going forward?

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Frankly speaking, KNVB had their work cut out for them when Koeman suddenly resigned to become FC Barcelona’s manager. Dwight Lodeweges stepped in as the caretaker till the KNVB found someone on a permanent basis and the less said about how the Oranje played in those friendlies, the better. Their coaching search though left much to be desired when Frank Rijkaard’s name came out of nowhere as if we weren’t living in the Twilight Zone already. Surely, they can do better than Rijkaard who last managed in 2013. I am just glad we didn’t get a third go with either Dick Advocaat or Louis van Gaal as Oranje managers, especially the latter who went pragmatic in World Cup 2014 knock out stages and squandered a good chance at reaching the Final.

To be frank, de Boer’s availability made it an easy choice for the KNVB. It wasn’t the best option, but it was a safe option. There were no other options unless we want to give others a try as caretakers. Imagine Co Adriaanse being in charge for a couple of games. Marco van Basten can do it for a couple of games if he wants. But seriously, de Boer had success with Ajax and is familiar with some of the current Oranje players (Joël Veltman, Daley Blind Jasper Cillessen, and Ryan Babel). Just hope he doesn’t call up and try to shoehorn Davy Klaassen into the starting eleven with Kevin Strootman.  

Today’s dull 1-0 loss to Mexico was disappointing but it was a friendly to give some players their debut while Matthijs de Ligt is recovering from an injury and Luuk and Frenkie de Jong were on the bench. Premature to think of doom and gloom after one game and let’s wait till he has all the players at his full disposal. However, the Oranje hotseat could be warm for Ronald Koeman when he’s most likely to be out of a job in Barcelona before Euro 2020 kicks off. That’s when we will know if the KNVB truly trust Frank.

Where are they now? Netherlands triumphant Euro 88 squad.

We love to romanticize the past and it doesn’t get any better than the summer of 1988 when the Oranje finally ended the Netherlands ’ long wait for glory at the international stage. 32 years ago, the Oranje tasted success after defeating the Soviet Union in the Euro 88 Final. We look back at the starting eleven of the Euro 88 Final and see where are they now.

The General, Rinus Michels, was back as the Netherlands manager. At his disposal was a collection of superb players such as Milan’s Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit, Real Zaragoza’s Frank Rijkaard, and PSV Eindhoven’s Hans van Breukelen, Ronald Koeman, Berry van Aerle and Gerald Vanenburg who had just won the European Cup a few weeks before Euro 88 kicked off along with Ajax players such as Jan Wouters, John van ‘t Schip and Arnold Mühren. Without further ado, we look back at the starting eleven of the Euro 88 Finals Oranje side.

Hans van Breukelen

Berry van Aerle – Frank Rijkaard – Ronald Koeman – Adri van Tiggelen

Gerald Vanenburg – Jan Wouters – Arnold Mühren – Erwin Koeman

Ruud Gullit  – Marco van Basten

Hans van Breukelen – GK

Hans van Breukelen was the imposing goalkeeper for the Oranje during the 80s. He made his debut in 1980 while with FC Utrecht. He had just won the European Cup with PSV Eindhoven before joining up the Oranje for Euro 88 where he pulled off a memorable penalty save in the final to keep it 2-0. He would continue to represent the national team until after Euro 92 before retiring from football in 1994 after a stint with Nottingham Forest. He later became a technical director at Utrecht and was a  motivational speaker. In June 2016, van Breukelen was appointed technical director of the Dutch FA before he returned to PSV in July 2019 as one of their Board of Directors.

Berry van Aerle – RB – @BVanaerle

Right-back Berry van Aerle made his debut for the Oranje in 1987 while with PSV. He was also another PSV player who had won the European Cup prior to Euro 88. He would go on Was on the national team for Euro 92 (on the bench during the Denmark game) and his final Oranje appearance was against Poland in October 1992 for WC 94 QWF. He retired from football in 1995 after leaving PSV for Helmond Sport before retiring from the game. He is currently a scout for PSV and was also recently involved in a campaign sponsored by Philips, visiting elderly homes and standing outside their windows with the European Cup.

Frank Rijkaard – CB –

Frank Rijkaard lined up in the heart of the defense for the Oranje during Euro 88. He made his debut in 1981 while with Ajax Amsterdam. However, he was on loan with Real Zaragoza after a falling out with Ajax manager Johan Cruyff. Rijkaard would then move to Milan to join his Oranje teammates, Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit before retiring from the Oranje after World Cup 1994. He returned to Ajax and helped them win the 1995 Champions League with the Final being his last match. He managed the Oranje for Euro 2000 and managed Barça to two league titles and the Champions League in 2006. He had coaching stints with Galatasaray and Saudi Arabia later on. He was hired by the Florida prep school, Montverde Academy, as their advisor of player development but in December 2016, Rijkaard announced he would no longer pursue a position as manager. On March 5, 2020, Rijkaard and Gullit opened their own Cruyff Court in Amsterdam

Ronald Koeman – CB – @RonaldKoeman

Ronaldo Koeman was the dynamic defender who was a terror to opposing goalkeepers thanks to his powerful long-range strikes. Koeman made his debut in 1983 while with Groningen. He was also one of the PSV stars who just hoisted the European Cup and would win it again with Cruyff’s Barça. Koeman retired from the Oranje after World Cup 1994 and retired in 1997 with Feyenoord. He went on to manage Vitesse, Ajax, Benfica, PSV, Valencia, Feyenoord, Southampton, and Everton. He is currently the Oranje manager and was recently hospitalized with heart problems.

Adri van Tiggelen – LB – @adri34246926

Adri van Tiggelenwas the other Oranje fullback for the Euro 88 Oranje team while with Anderlecht. He made his debut in 1983 while with Groningen and retired from the Oranje in 1994as a PSV player. He retired from football in 1995 after leaving PSV for Dordrecht’90 for one season before retiring from the game. He had stints with Sparta Rotterdam as an assistant and interim manager and also managed VV Zuidland in the lower Dutch leagues. He returned to Sparta Rotterdam as a scout back in April 2018 and has an account on twitter which he hasn’t used since 2013.

Gerald Vanenburg – RM –

Gerald Vanenburg operated on the right side of the Oranje midfield during Euro 88. Gerald made his debut for the Oranje in 1982 while with Ajax and his final Oranje appearance was against Poland in October 1992 in a 1994 World Cup qualifier. He would go on to have spells with PSV, Júbilo Iwata, Utrecht, Cannes before retiring in 2000 with 1860 Munich. He quickly took up coaching as an assistant manager and manager with 1860 Munich, PSV U-19 team, Helmond Sport and FC Eindhoven. His final coaching job was that of assistant manager of Willem II Tilburg until June 2009 and since then, he has been out of the spotlight with the occasional interview.

Jan Wouters – CM –

Jan Wouters one of the two central midfielders for the Oranje who made his debut in 1982 while with Utrecht.  He retired from the Oranje after the 1994 World Cup. He would go on to play for Ajax, Bayern Munich before retiring with PSV in 1996. He wasted no time getting into coaching soon afterward with stints as an assistant, caretaker, and manager with Utrecht, Ajax, Rangers, PSV, and Kasımpaşa. He was an assistant coach at Feyenoord until 2018.

Arnold Mühren – CM –

Arnold Mühren was Wouters’ partner in the central midfield of the Oranje. He made his debut for the Oranje in 1978 while with Ipswich Town and retired from the Oranje after Euro 88, with his cross to Marco van Basten being his final assist for the Dutch; what a proper way to end your national team career. Arnold played for Volendam, Ajax, Twente, Ipswich Town, Manchester United before retiring from the game in 1989 with Ajax. Unlike his other teammates, Arnold did not venture into coaching but still is available for the occasional media appearances with interviews here and there.

Erwin Koeman – LM –

Erwin Koeman, the brother of Ronald Koeman, was in charge of the left midfield of the 1988 Oranje side and made his Oranje debut in 1983 while with Groningen and his final Oranje appearance was in January 1994. He would go on to play for PSV and Mechelen before retiring in 1998 with Groningen. He too would follow in his brother’s footsteps and get into coaching with stints, at both club level and international level, with RKC Waalwijk, Feyenoord, Hungary, Utrecht, Eindhoven, RKC Waalwijk, and Fenerbahçe. He was fired as Oman’s national team manager back in December 2019 and he and his brother along with other Oranje players were part of the campaign to support their former club Groningen by buying season tickets to offset club financial losses suffered during the pandemic.

Ruud Gullit  – CF – @GullitR

The Captain of Oranje during Euro 88, Ruud Gullit played upfront with Marco van Basten and scored the opening goal in the first half of the Final, courtesy of a van Basten cross. Ruud made his debut in 1981 while with HFC Haarlem and his final Oranje appearance came right before he abruptly retired prior to World Cup 1994 after falling out with manager Dick Advocaat. His magnificent career saw him also play for Feyenoord, PSV, AC Milan, Sampdoria, and Chelsea where his final days as a player was as a player-manager with Chelsea before he was sacked in 1998. He went on to manage Newcastle, Feyenoord, LA Galaxy, Terek Grozny and oddly enough, he was an assistant coach of the Oranje when Dick Advocaat was in charge back in May 2017 until Ronald Koeman was hired as the new Oranje manager in February 2018 and Gullit wasn’t retained. Nevertheless, Gullit has established himself as a pundit for BBC, Sky, ESPN, and other TV networks and as stated earlier, he and Frank Rijkaard opened their own Cruyff Court in Amsterdam on March 5, 2020.

Marco van Basten – CF –

Marco van Basten, the final member of the starting eleven of the magnificent Oranje eleven, and Ruud Gullit’s partner up front who scored the second goal in the Final that many consider one of the greatest, goals of all-time. The “Swan Of Utrecht” made his Oranje debut in 1982 with Ajax and retired from the Oranje after Euro 1992. Van Basten’s legendary career saw him shine with Milan while winning the Ballon d’Or three times. However, injuries took their toll on Marco as he stopped playing football at the age of 29.  Marco would also go into management by starting off with Jong Ajax, and then Ajax before taking the Oranje to World Cup 2006 and Euro 2008. He would then go on to manage Heerenveen, AZ before stepping down to become an assistant coach because of stress issues. He would return to the Oranje as an assistant coach under Danny Blind. In August 2016, Marco became a technical director for FIFA and works for Fox Sports as an analyst.

Barça begins the Quique Setién era.

Well, it finally happened. FC Barcelona fired Ernesto Valverde on Monday and brough in Quique Setién as the club’s newest manager. Things had to change and Barça finally decided to become proactive by being reactive and firing Valverde following their loss to Atletico Madrid in the revamped Spanish Super Cup. Valverde’s era was bittersweet with some success but the disappointments will haunt him forever. Quique Setién now is the man to lead the charge and it won’t be easy.

We really were spoilt under the presidency of Joan Laporta. During his reign, the Blaugrana only had two managers, Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola. Since then, the Blaugrana have had five different managers. Elections are not that far away so we shall see if Quique Setién will still be the manager by then. For the time being, he has a tough task of rejuvenating a team that has slept walk this season.

Time will tell if Quique Setién was the right hire or not. Valverde came highly rated by many and in the end, many were glad to see him leave. He is already facing one difficult task of finding out what is the best formation and lineup for this team. The absence of Luis Suárez, out with an injury, and Carles Aleñá, out on loan, leaves him somewhat shorthanded. The first area of concern is whether the board will support Quique Setién or work against him. Will they bring him the players he wants or will they sign players they want without his input or approval?

With Suárez out, it’s time for Griezmann to shine but will others also step up? The team has regressed defensively and Setién will not only have to address that issue, but also improve their mental confidence which has become an issue when things don’t go their way. Hopefully Setién will also entrust La Masia and give more minutes to Barça B players such as Riqui Puig with the first team. It’s foolish to expect a quick turn around under Setién but it does feel good to feel optimistic about Barca again.

Oranje Heartbreaks – UEFA Euro 1992.

Ever since I witnessed Holland win their first ever international title in 1988, being a fan of the Oranje has been nothing but heartbreaks and bitter disappointments. With the Oranje not being part of the 24 teams playing this summer in France for the European Championship, let’s revisit their previous disappointments in this tournament since 1988, starting with Euro 1992. 

The Lead-Up:

After their disappointing performance and early elimination from World Cup 1990 by eventual World Cup champions Germany, Leo Beenhakker was out as Oranje manager and Rinus Michels, the man who coached them to glory in 1988, was back at the helm. Holland qualified to defend their title in Sweden as European champions. They battled Portugal to win their group which also consisted of Greece, Finland and Malta with Marco van Basten leading the way with 8 goals. This tournament also saw Holland switch from Adidas to Lotto as their kit maker.

Sweden were the host for the 1992 edition. Back then, only eight teams qualified. Holland’s opponents in Group B were Scotland, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) who were the Soviet Union when they qualified but were going through their “Wind of Change”, and none other than the defending World Cup champions, and Holland’s arch enemy, Germany.

The core of the successful 1988 team was part of this 1992 team. We got to witness the fantastic trio of van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard together again along with the outstanding Ronald Koeman in the back and Hans van Breukelen in goal. This was also the tournament debut for the future stars of the Oranje such as Dennis Bergkamp, and Frank de Boer.

Holland kicked off their Group B with a 1-0 win over Scotland with Bergkamp scoring and introducing himself to the world. Holland then faced CIS and played to a scoreless draw. Holland ended the group stage with a memorable 3-1 win over Germany with Rijkaard and Rob Witschge giving the Oranje a 2-0 lead after 15 minutes before Jürgen Klinsmann scored one for the Germans in the second half. However, Bergkamp scored the insurance goal in the second half to ensure the Oranje finished as group leader while the Germans finished second.

Germany would meet host Sweden in the Semi-Finals and defeat them 3-2 to qualify for the final, while Oranje would face Denmark in the other Semi-Final. Denmark did not qualify for this tournament after finishing second to Yugoslavia in their qualifying group. However, Yugoslavia were suspended from the tournament just 10 days before it started because of UN sanctions stemming from the Yugoslav wars. Denmark’s players arrived from their vacation and finished second behind Sweden and ahead of France and England in their group.

The Heartbreak:

It did not matter if some thought Denmark did not belong; the Danes were now in the Semi-Finals and came to play. They were dangerous from the opening whistle as both sides exchanged dangerous counter attacks with van Breukelen coming to his team’s rescue while Peter Schmeichel faced a tame shot from Bryon Roy. Denmark surprised everyone when they scored in the 5th minute. Brian Laudrup got past Koeman and then whipped in a cross, over van Breukelen who couldn’t intercept the ball, for the unmarked Henrik Larsen who headed the ball into the goal and past the sprawling Bergkamp attempting a goal line block. Denmark could have added a quick second goal but Laudrup’s long range effort struck the side netting.

Both sides were dangerous on the counter attack and Bergkamp managed a superb dash to the goal, eluding a few players on his way before he was fouled. Koeman would take the free kick but would blast it a bit high over the bar. Holland though would equalize in the 23rd minute after Gullit headed down a cross inside the box for Bergkamp who would score a wonderful volley from right outside the box and past Schmeichel. Ten minutes later, Denmark would take the lead again after successive headers from Wim Vilfort and Laudrup was met by a Koeman header to deny a scoring chance. However, but the ball fell right to unmarked Larsen who scored his second of the match.

That goal gave the Danes a boost of confidence as they threatened Holland by exploiting the flanks with their speed while Laudrup was causing mayhem with the ball. Holland were in shock and the halftime whistle couldn’t come soon enough. Denmark were still the better side in the second half with the better chances early on but could not score the insurance goal. In the final twenty minutes, Holland chased for the equalizer with Gullit and substitute Wim Kieft both squandering good chances. Just when it looked bleak, Holland grabbed the equalizer four minutes from time.

Holland were awarded a corner kick after Bergkamp’s long range effort took a slight deflection. Rob Witschge’s ensuing corner kick was headed down by Gullit to van Basten, whose effort was blocked. Fortunately, the ball fell to Rijkaard who wasted no time in unleashing a powerful shot that went under Schmeichel, while John Jensen’s effort to block the shot, at the goal line, was futile as the ball ricocheted off his foot and into the goal. Just like old times, the magical trio were connecting once again for the Oranje.

Denmark though came close to winning it in the dying seconds after Holland got sloppy inside their own box following a throw in, but Lars Elstrup’s header was off the mark. A huge sigh of relief for the Oranje and extra time beckoned. Unlike the first ninety minutes, the Oranje were the better side in extra time but failed to score the game winner with Roy squandering two chances in the first half of extra time. In the second half, Gullit’s sliding effort to meet a van Basten cross and redirect the ball on goal was cleared, while Koeman’s trademark long range effort blazed over the bar. Holland’s final golden chance came courtesy of a van Basten cross but Gullit didn’t time his run properly for the chance to tap the ball in. For the first time in their history, a penalty shootout beckoned.

Holland would shoot first in the penalty shootout and Koeman converted from the spot as he made Schmeichel guess wrong by blasting it up into the middle of the goal. Larsen would take Denmark’s first kick and although van Breukelen guessed correct by diving to his left with his left hand making contact with the ball, he couldn’t deny the goal.

Marco van Basten was the second man in the shootout. The hero from 1988 struck the ball and Schmeichel guessed correct by diving to his left and denying van Basten. That penalty save was a sucker punch that I, and others, could not stomach. Denmark’s next penalty taker was Flemming Povlsen and van Breukelen attempted to get under his skin but the referee put an end to it. Povlsen struck the ball and van Breukelen knew exactly where the ball was going and managed to make contact with the ball. However, he failed to stop the shot. Holland’s best chance to make up for van Basten’s miss literally went through their goalkeeper’s fingers.

Bergkamp, Rijkaard and Witschge all converted from the spot. Sadly, so did Elstrup, Vilfort, and Kim Christofte who calmly slotted in the winning penalty. Once Christofte scored, he began to celebrate before Schmeichel and the other Denmark players joined in. For Holland, it was a bitter elimination from a tournament that was theirs to lose. Overall, this was entertaining showing by the Oranje with a memorable performance before their painful exit from their first ever penalty shootout.

The Aftermath:

Denmark continued to surprise everyone as they defeated Germany 2-0 in the final and were crowned champions of Europe. This would be the final time we would see Rinus Michels manage the Oranje or any other team for that matter. Michels stepped down as Holland’s manager and his assistant, Dick Advocaat, became his successor.

This would also be the final time we would see Koeman, van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard play together with Holland at an international tournament. Only Koeman and Rijkaard would feature two years later for Holland at the 1994 World Cup. Gullit fell out with Advocaat during the World Cup qualifiers and retired from the national team. Hans van Breukelen retired from the national team after this tournament while van Basten’s career for club and country ended after the 1992-1993 season because of injuries. Bergkamp would excel at the 1994 World Cup in place of van Basten and would become the recognizable forward of the Oranje for remainder of the decade.

Barça Chasing History On The International Stage.

For the fourth time ever, Barça are participating in FIFA’s Club World Cup since its incarnation. Another successful conquest would be a vital accomplishment in the club’s long history regarding their short history of winning on the international stage.

Before FIFA decided to launch the FIFA Club World Cup in 2005, football fans were entertained by the Intercontinental Cup which pitted the champions of Europe against the champions of South America. It was the Super Cup of Super Cups for us football fans. It started out as a home and away two legged cup clash that then became a one match final held at a neutral site in Japan.

Even with Barça’s rich football history, they only featured in this competition once during the 20th century. That was during the Johan Cruyff “Dream Team” era in 1992 after Barça finally ended their long wait and won the European Cup against Sampdoria. Barça would face Brazilian side São Paulo back then in Japan and took the early lead through Hristo Stoichkov. However, the very talented, and in my opinion historically underrated, São Paulo side equalized in the first half and scored the game winner in final 15 minutes of the match. Thus, Barça were denied their first ever Intercontinental trophy.

Barça’s failure to win another Champions League meant only Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid were the only Spanish clubs to win the Intercontinental trophy. Real Madrid won it a record three times while Atlético won it once even though they were European Cup runners-up because European Champions Bayern Munich declined to participate. The trophy back then was considered too dangerous to play for because of the tendency of South American’s clubs to play rough and dirty in these matches.

Barça’s long wait to win another Champions League title ended when they defeated Arsenal in 2006 under the management of Frank Rijkaard. This triumph meant that Barça booked their first ever ticket in the new FIFA Club World Cup where they defeated Mexican side Club America 4-0 to face another Brazilian club, Internacional in the final. Unfortunately, Barça’s long wait in capturing this elusive trophy would have to continue as they fell to their Brazilian foes 1-0. Barça’s two bites at the apples were denied by Brazilian opposition much to the Blaugrana faithful’s chagrin.

However, Barça proved that the saying “Third time’s a charm” is true when they finally captured their finally ended their wait in 2009. Under the guise of Pep Guardiola, Barça won their first ever treble and then continued their winning ways by capturing the UEFA and Spanish Super Cups. All that was left was for the club to end their hoodoo at this stage and bring home the sixth and final cup of the “Sextuple”. Barça defeated another Mexican side, Atlante, in the Semi-Finals before facing Argentinian side Estudiantes in the final. Barça were down before halftime and it seemed that Barça were going to miss out on this trophy for the third time. Fortunately, the Blaugrana did not relent and  Pedro scored in the 89th minute to level the score and thus became the first player to ever score in all six competitions. Messi’s legend grew when he scored the game winner in extra time with his chest and was awarded the player of the tournament.

Finally, Barça had captured the missing piece for their museum. They would not wait too long to add another one as Pep and the players were back in 2011 after defeating Manchester United, just as they did in 2009, in the Champions League Final. Barça defeated Qatari side Al Sadd 4-0 while resting a few of their key starters. The venue was Japan and Barça’s opponent in the Final was Brazilian side, Santos, which featured a 19 year old Neymar. There was some concern as to whether Barça can end their short comings against Brazilian sides in this competition with the bitter taste of 1992 still in the minds of many fans. Whatever concerns existed were soon eradicated when Barça demolished Santos with three goals in the first half alone through Messi, Xavi and Cesc. Messi scored his second in the second half for Barça’s fourth and final goal of the Final. Messi would win his second player of the tournament which no other player has ever accomplished in this competition’s brief history and also matched Pedro in becoming the second Barça player to ever score in all six competitions.

So here we are in 2015 and once again, Barça are back in Japan. Their Semi-Final opponents are Asian Champions League winners Guangzhou Evergrande who are coached by former Brazil’s World Cup winning manager, Felipe Scolari. Scolari was once rumored to be the next Barça manager if the Blaugrana had fired Rijkaard during his first season in charge. Fortunately that did not happen and the rest is history. Also featuring for the Asian champions is former Real Madrid player, Robinho, so we will get to see another duel between him and Messi which was widely debated in the Spanish media during Messi’s early years. Messi is also only one goal away from tying another Argentinian, “El Chelito” César Delgado as the competition’s top scorer with 5 goals.

If Barça succeed in defeating Guangzhou Evergrande, they will face Argentinian side River Plate in the final. It’s not too often teams from the world’s two biggest Clásicos get to face one another. In 2000, Real Madrid lost to Boca Juniors in Japan and now the other two Clásicos teams might face one another. There will be a reunion of some sorts if both teams meet in the final since former Barça player and teammate to some of the current Barça players, Saviola, is now a member of River Plate. Saviola was a member of the 2006 Barcelona team that came up short.

Barça will be chasing history and making history this week. Success would mean they would be the only side to ever make it to a fourth Final and also become the first club to win the FIFA Club World Cup for a record third time. This would also mean that they would be only one title behind Real Madrid who won this trophy last year. A loss in the final however would also make them the first side to ever lose in a final twice. But before we think ahead to the final, Barça also have to make sure they do not become the first European side to fail to make it to the final if they fail to handle their business against Guangzhou Evergrande.

Luis Enrique and his players are hungry for success and this trophy will help quench their thirst for more titles. Barça are about to embark on a new adventure where unwritten pages of the next chapter in their history book are about to be typed. Here’s hoping they fill those pages with success and new records.

Is Cesc really worth it for Barça?

Qué Pasa Barça? – Time to Adjust, not panic!

Greetings fellow Barça fans and hope you all were able to put the club’s latest loss behind you and not let it stress you out just as I have. I want to first thank FC Barcelona Supporters Club Miami-Penya Barcelonista de Miami for allowing me to do this and look forward on doing more in the future. My name is Ibrahim Ayyub and I have been a Barça fan since 1994, when I was teenager in Lebanon, and have been following them ever since. Big reason was thanks to the 1994 World Cup where I fell in love with Romario and Stoichkov and then discovered they were teammates at FC Barcelona thanks to the World Cup Panini sticker album for allowing me to discover this bit of information.

Growing up in a war country pre-internet era made it tough to follow football and back then, I only cared for international football and only cared for, and still do, follow the Dutch national team, yet I couldn’t believe it that Romario, Stoichkov and Koeman were all on the same team. Back then, I had just missed out on the glory years of the Dream Team but these years of following Barcelona have rewarded me with great football, great players and great experience of being with the club when things are great and when things are disastrous.

From Lebanon to America, I still have been following Barça and the icing on the cake for me was this past summer when I went to Chicago to see my first FC Barcelona game against Chivas and then went to the team hotel and was fortunate to meet Dani Alves, Iniesta, coach Guardiola and club president, Joan Laporta. That day ranks up there with my wedding and graduation from law school.

Just in case you were wondering who is my all time favorite player, then that honor goes to Luis Enrique, who displayed great passion and leadership that I think is at times missing from this current club.

This season was supposed to be a season of change and adjustments. Gone was the era of Frank Rijkaard and a new era of Josep Guardiola was ushered in. Many thought the move was a bit risky since Guardiola had only one years’ worth of experience and that was with the Barça Atletic / Barça B team in the lower divisions. I actually welcomed having Pep as the coach and actually wanted him to replace Rijkaard before the Champions League encounter against Manchester United.Pep is a legend of the club and is a true Culé, so he know what the expectations were and what the club’s history and legacy is all about. Sadly the team started off slow and everyone was criticizing him.

However, the results started going his away and soon enough the club was off to one of the greatest starts in the club’s history. Come late December, they had defeated Real Madrid at home and had a 12 point lead, were comfortable in their Champions League pursuit and managed to stay alive in Copa Del Rey. Unfortunately, that 12 point lead has now shrunk to four points and questions and tempers have flared about what has happened to the club.

What happened to this club is that they are human. These guys have played more games than their direct rival Real Madrid and fatigue and wear and tear is starting to set in. That’s the cost of trying to win cups. Barcelona are still in the hunt for a treble while Real Madrid crashed out of Copa Del Rey back in October and might crash out of the Champions League next week. Barcelona players were bound to get tired and it seems that’s just the case.

The defense in the new year has allowed 14 goals already following that gut wrenching loss to Atletico Madrid that I was fortunate not to have seen. The offense has been a bit stagnant, midfield not providing service, and the keeper Valdes starting to resort to his old shaky self. They have been playing twice a week for a while now because of International friendlies along with Copa Del Rey and Champions League games. Injuries have forced some players to play more than usual and thus, fatigue is a becoming a big cause of concern. Rotations cannot be implemented when players are hurt and because of that, players are playing more than they should with less time to rest and recover.

The bottom line though is that should not be an excuse. To win titles, these are things a club must be ready to face and endure and the club captains should show the leadership to not allow the players to relax. Inter Milan and Manchester United are in the same situation and they still are hanging in there. I believe the lack of leadership is why this club has thrown away points. Some would say it’s injuries; some would say it’s players creating distractions by what they say through the media – Eto’o and Yaya’s agent’s comments to the media; or some would say it’s because of Victor Valdes, and I would like to throw in the curse of Kobe Bryant declaring he is a Barça fan thanks to that ESPN Magazine cover back in January. It’s not that farfetched when you look back at what happened in 06-07 season. He declared back then that he was a fan too during the California visit of the club’s USA preseason summer tour and then look at what happened next. Bad Karma repeating itself again?

Seriously, the club’s leaders need to make the players focus and not lose track of what is important.

Now is not the time to talk about contracts but time to think of the next game. All Pep should do is play last season’s 4-1 loss to Real Madrid to wake them up. Just the part where they welcome the Madrid players alone should let their blood boil. My life motto is “It’s not how you start, but how you finish.” This club started well but that means nothing if you blow it in the end.

Pep has a big task ahead of him and must adjust and not panic. I still have faith in him and think he tries his best to accommodate and appease everyone. Coaching is not just about tactics, but also about managing egos and keeping spirits up. Basically he is a manager, a father and a psychiatrist. He can get the job done but the players have to step it up. Eto’o, Xavi and Valdes need to play better. The defense needs to stop playing sloppy and the midfield needs to provide better service. Eto’o and Henry have eight and seven goals in this new year, with Henry scoring in six games while Eto’o has only scored in five games in this new year. Too many goals have been conceded from dead ball situations.


Time for now is to adjust and not panic. Maybe Pep needs to be a bit more considerate of protecting a lead and not expanding one. If you’re winning 2-0 or 3-0, then slow it down and control the game and be more counter attacking than continuing to look for more goals. I am not saying to become negative football and depart from the club’s beautiful football, just be smart in when to play beautiful and when to sit back and then go for the kill. Protect the lead with two defensive midfielders. Adjustments and not panic means maybe playing Pedro on the wing and giving Eto’o a breather and let Henry or Bojan start as the center forward. Now would be a good time to let Caceres play in place of the injured Abidal and not over use Puyol as a fullback. Maybe it also means time to bench Valdes for Pinto.

A long time ago, I defended Rijkaard’s decision in playing Valdes over the Turkish keeper Rustu. He was young and smart and benching him would only ruin his confidence and he repaid that opportunity by leading this club to two league titles and a Champions League trophy in that magical night in Paris. However, it now seems that no matter what, Valdes will never stop looking shaky. Four consecutive shaky performances where he has let down the team with his decisions have cost the club. He is 27 now and just don’t see him ever letting go of his cartoon Johnny Bravo image; the image of he looks good but is oblivious to what’s going on. Valdes is a good goal keeper but there are times where you just wonder what was he thinking. Pinto has been playing in Copa Del Rey games which are never short of pressure, experience in the Champions League with Celta Vigo and is a past winner of the Zamora for those who want the argument that Valdes is a past Zamora winner and should start this weekend in my opinion and go the rest of the way. By the way, Casillias just won his first Zamora award last season and don’t tell me he wasn’t the best until he won that award.

The fans need to support the players too and not jeer them when the going gets tough too. Jeering Valdes is not going to help his confidence at all. Mallorca semi-final leg away this Wednesday will be vital indeed and then have to get ready for Athletic de Bilbao at home this weekend. Good news for us fans is that these two games a week will be getting less. Advancing to the Copa final or being eliminated will mean more rest for the players and of course we all want them to advance. Additional good news is that Iniesta will be back soon too.

Finally, I would like to address one thing before I sign off. FC Barcelona updated their official site not too long ago and one of the new features that they added was a legends section. I think that was something that the old site lacked and was great to see this feature added. However, when looking through the listed names of the players, I could not get over the fact that there was a one glaring omission. José Mari Bakero.

The club has updated that page since its introduction but Bakero’s name still is not there. This man was a member of the “Dream Team” and won 13 titles in his time as a member of the blaugrana. His last second header goal against Kaiserslautern helped save the club from elimination through away goals rule in the Champions League (back then was the Champion’s Cup) which they would go on to win that year. Hopefully the club will add his name to that list soon and if anyone knows those in charge of that section, please mention it to them.

Well I hope you enjoyed this and please stay positive and remember that the season is not won or lost in February, but in May. Until next time, keep the faith Barcelona fans and don’t give up.

Visca Barça!