Total football is a thing of the past, according to Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk.
Van Marwijk said Thursday that a team playing the kind of ``total football'' Dutch sides perfected in the 1970s - when all players could swiftly swap positions and pour forward in attack - would stand little chance of winning the World Cup these days.
The Netherlands has been criticized at this World Cup for its lack of flair, despite winning all four of its matches so far going into Friday's quarterfinal with five-time winner Brazil.
But Van Marwijk said that the attacking style of Dutch teams that reached two World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978 belongs to a different era, as opponents now are fitter and better organized.
"It was a long time ago, total football - 1974,'' Van Marwijk said.
"We could play football very well for 20 or 30 years. It was total football, and I also remember Brazil's samba football, but sport changes and football changes also,'' Van Marwijk said. "It has to do with the fact everybody is getting fitter, better organized so if you play as your did in former times I think it would be very difficult to win the World Cup.''
Of course, Dutch teams playing total football never won the World Cup either. In 1974, the Johan Cruyff-inspired team lost to Germany in the final. Four years later, without Cruyff, the Dutch lost to Argentina in the championship match.
The country's only major tournament win was the 1988 European Championship.
Brazil coach Dunga, however, was more optimistic both the Netherlands and Brazil could still turn on the style Friday at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
"Both sides play an attacking game, both feature very technical players, both know how to dribble and take risks, and both want to score,'' he said. "So you can always expect a great football game.''
After taking over from Marco van Basten following the Netherlands quarterfinal loss to Russia at Euro 2008, Van Marwijk unapologetically vowed to make the team more pragmatic.
At that tournament, "We played to very good matches, but we gave away a lot of chances,'' he said, referring to the Dutch victories over France and Italy in the first round.
"I said when I started that I wanted to teach the team to defend,'' he said.
But the team still likes to attack when it can, he said, pointing to its successful warmup campaign, in which it beat Mexico, Ghana and Hungary by a combined 12-3.
"We played sparkling football,'' he said.
In South Africa, the problem is that the team is missing its finishing touch. Striker Robin van Persie, who scored four times in the warmups, has just one goal.
"We have won four matches, but we have scored too few goals,'' Van Marwijk said. "Beautiful football is usually judged on scoring goals.''
Captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst said the Netherlands deserved to win its four matches at the World Cup, but he acknowledged the team managed it "without beautiful football.''
And he insisted the Dutch players can play better than they have so far.
"I hope that comes when necessary,'' he added. "We will need it against Brazil.''
