Frank de Boer aims to fire Crystal Palace to new heights with Total Football

Frank de Boer’s appointment as Crystal Palace manager took the number of former Barcelona players now managing in the Premier League to five, 25% of the total workforce and a ringing endorsement for the philosophy of Total Football Johan Cruyff introduced to the Catalans after making it famous in his native Netherlands.

De Boer, who signed a three-year deal with Palace yesterday, joins fellow Dutchman Ronald Koeman, former team-mate Pep Guardiola, plus two other Barca alumni in Mauricio Pellegrino, the new man at Southampton and Mark Hughes of Stoke. Add to the mix Jose Mourinho, who learned to coach under Bobby Robson at the Camp Nou and it is clear how much impact the Catalan club has on modern football, a fact De Boer acknowledged while paying tribute to Cruyff, who passed away in 2016.

“Cruyff started it with total football at Ajax and then Barcelona. He died two years ago, but his legacy lives on. It’s about technical football, smart tactics,” said de Boer.