Before taking his first senior managerial job, Frank de Boer travelled to Barcelona, this wasn’t a personal call but one he’d hope would further shape his vision. It did.
As he now begins a new life in Italy, becoming Internazionale’s thirteenth different permanent manager this century (and only the second Dutchman to lead a Serie A club) after winning four consecutive Eredivisie shields in five-and-a-half years with boyhood club Ajax whom he left this May, he can look back on with a sense of contentment with how things have panned out.
De Boer in the autumn of 2010 was still a youth team coach in Amsterdam as well as being part of the Dutch national team set-up as Bert van Marwijk’s assistant. He was then a guest of former Barcelona teammate Pep Guardiola, after sharing old memories, it quickly transpired to the reason for his visit.
Reminiscent of Guardiola’s now famous meeting with Marcelo Bielsa, with no barbecue in sight, and it wasn’t close to lasting for eleven hours. However, there was the same passionate discussion of the beautiful game, every subject under the sun was touched upon; current PSV boss Phillip Cocu since commented how that enlightening meeting changed him.
There was also an underlying reason: Guardiola’s conviction De Boer would make for an outstanding manager. His feeling was anything picked up in his young (and successful) managerial career to date could be invaluable to the Dutchman who shared a similar belief in how football should be played.
De Boer was an admirer and Guardiola was more than happy to help with his fact-finding mission remembering not so long ago he was in a similar position, inspired by those who’ve tasted management and shared his outlook, Juanma Lillo springs to mind.
As teammates both enjoyed lengthy conversations about the game, De Boer noted how Guardiola back then was effectively a coach. Guardiola equally saw the same in the former Oranje skipper even if De Boer doubted himself. A decade ago Bielsa advised Guardiola to go into management Guardiola was now doing the same.
In fact, once De Boer eventually went into coaching after retiring in 2006, Guardiola approached him to be his assistant– once learning he’d be taking over from Frank Rijkaard – an invitation De Boer turned down, in order to strike out his own path. One trait both have in common is their steadfast belief in the ‘Ajax model’.
Ronald de Boer – Frank’s twin – once said Guardiola is borderline obsessed, describing him as ‘half-Dutch’, after discovering and learning under Johan Cruyff and then Louis van Gaal. It was the latter whose distinct brand Guardiola revealed shaped much of his Barcelona side. “My jaw dropped when I saw Van Gaal’s Ajax play,” Guardiola wrote in his autobiography My People, My Football. “They perfectly did everything a football team should do in my eyes.”
De Boer’s own philosophy started to unfold in his second season with Ajax, an amalgamation of the Cruijffianen and Van Gaalisten School, individual and collectivism intertwined, each individual’s strength combines to make a strong eleven: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
“We are now more of a unit,” Toby Alderweireld then said when comparing with the approach under De Boer’s predecessor Martin Jol, where there was a large dependency on “one or two” players (notably Luis Suárez). “Ajax plays differently under De Boer,” former player turned analyst Jan van Halst added. “They no longer depend on one player.”
Whether by accident or design it quickly became apparent De Boer’s team was not built around one single player, goals were being shared around, every player contributed collectively as a result; through kinetics and the link between brain and body, there’s a comfortable equilibrium in transition between attack and defence.
“This Ajax team has a lot, but no focal point,” Sjoerd Mossou wrote in Algemeen Dagblad. “No outsider, artist, rebel, pop star or teen idol. This is mainly down to the slick collective spirit Frank de Boer has forged.”
“Football is a team sport,” De Boer begins. “With a great striker you don’t become champion, you do it all together. Our strength is that we are not dependent on one person.” Man-management is his greatest strength. “As a coach, you’re effectively a surrogate dad, so you need to pay attention to everything,” he once said. Many of his former players saw him as a father figure as well as attributing their improvements down to De Boer.
“He is authentic,” Siem de Jong, his former captain, now at Newcastle United enthused. “I’ve learned a lot from him,” Jan Vertonghen, another ex-skipper, added. “Analysing situations during a game and building attacks. He stands for the old Ajax style, daring football.”
His biggest achievement, though, is getting his players to buy into his approach without taking away their individuality. “Frank de Boer is like no other,” Lasse Schöne, one of his many signings, told NUsport. “His vision is extremely clear and has the gift of keeping everyone content, whether they’re on the bench or playing.” He’s not a totalitarian but isn’t afraid to crack the whip. A typical free thinking Amsterdammer, albeit born in Hoorn, a fundamentalist in every sense of the word.
Though a disciple of Cruyff and Van Gaal, evident in rekindling their ideas, it’s Guardiola’s Barça he’s used as his reference on the basis the Catalan side during his reign showed the ‘Ajax way’ has a place in the modern game. He doesn’t claim to be innovative; instead De Boer appreciates his many influences, often describing himself as a ‘student of the game’.
What does set De Boer apart is his acumen, a sharp thinker as well as a meticulous planner, every opposition analysed in the greatest of details. A real team player, the specialists around him are just as important, for example a spate of muscle injuries hampered Ajax, after listening to medical staff adjusted the intensity of his training.
Analytical obsession aside De Boer doesn’t believe in adapting to the opponent but rather playing their own game. “I’d rather go down fighting,” he once boasted. “I share Louis van Gaal’s desire to make continuous progress, to demand that your team constantly push things to the limit,” he added. “When it comes to playing football, movement on the field and attacking, I am close to Johan Cruyff’s philosophy. Simple football is the most beautiful. But playing simple football is the hardest thing.”
Winning an unprecedented four successive championships in the Netherlands saw Patrick Kluivert, whom he played alongside at Ajax and Barcelona as well the Dutch national team, dub him the “face of a new generation of coaches,” and sees no difference between the player and manager: “He’s an absolute winner, a perfectionist. He leaves nothing to chance, is always well prepared.”
Cruyff, whose revolution paved the way for De Boer, was proud of his protégé. “If not for his ‘velvet revolution’ I would probably have made the steps to become manager now,” the 46-year-old reflected. “Frank was thrown into the deep end,” Van Gaal told Algemeen Dagblad. “After the win against Milan I sent him a text message which read ‘this is very promising’. He’s taken the time to learn the trade. I find that very good.”
Guardiola and Van Gaal were among the many including Marco van Basten – who enjoyed a decorated spell with city rivals’ AC Milan – to congratulate De Boer on making the step into the cutthroat world of football management all those years ago. Each will no doubt be keeping a close eye on his latest adventure with the Nerazzurri which is sure to further evolve him as a coach.
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