Irregular 4-3-3 System

Cruyff's name was written in the ninth spot on the team member list, which would normally mean that he was the center-forward, but the order of the list was only but for the sake of formality. In actual games, he could be anywhere. At one moment he was playing as center-forward, at the next he was controlling the defense line as the sweeper. The right-side back, Wim Suurbier, also changed positions freely: sometimes he broke through the opposing defense on the left side and centered the ball. In short, any player who had the ball became the control tower; any player at the goal mouth became a center-forward. Their defense strategy was to check attacking players as far upfield as possible and immediately start to attack instead of allowing the opponents to take the ball deep into their own territory.

Holland's system was highly acclaimed as "Total Football," meaning offense and defense by all the members, and led the way to what is now known as "zone press."