Netherlands

Pioneers in football, the Netherlands created an entirely new system of play in the 1970s and have been a force in world football ever since. 'Total football' was the brainchild of then coach Rinus Michels and helped Netherlands to qualify for the World Cup in 1974, their first since 1938. The fluid system which allowed players to swap positions at will saw the Dutch reach successive World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978 but fall at the final hurdle on each occasion. Netherlands finally found success in 1988 when they won the European Championships, thanks in large part to striker Marco Van Basten, now a coach within the national team set-up.