Johan Cruyff and Liverpool: The unlikely catalysts for the other’s success

Johan Cruyff once spoke of his great admiration for Liverpool, whose fans, he recalled, "sent shivers down my spine". Then again, he also wasn't slow in denouncing Gerard Houllier's treble cup-winning side of 2001 as "horrible" due to their being "incapable of putting three passes together". Ah, the wild inconsistencies and total lack of interest in pandering to public opinion! Arguably the two most important factors in making this great man really great.

Cruyff's history with Liverpool goes back a long way, almost to the very beginning of his storied career. Liverpool, semi-finalists in the 1964-65 European Cup, were heavily backed to do even better when they entered the competition for a second time a couple of years later. They drew Ajax in the second round of the 1966-67 tournament, and were expected by most observers to progress. Dutch teams, up to this point, had achieved very little on the European stage.

Until now. In a pea-souper of an Amsterdam fog, a youthful Cruyff inspired Ajax to a 4-0 half-time lead. At one point, with visibility reduced to half the distance of the pitch, Bill Shankly wandered onto the field under cover of fog and gave his players a royal bollocking. But it was too late. Liverpool lost 5-1, and though Shankly was at his pugnacious best after the game - he accused Ajax, preposterously, of playing "defensive football" and promised to "smash in at least seven goals" in the return at Anfield - it was all over. Ajax eased their way to a 2-2 draw on Merseyside, Cruyff scoring both goals, and Liverpool were out.

It remains Liverpool's most humbling defeat in Europe. Still, if you're going to go down hard, your fall may as well be precipitated by of one of the greats. And anyway, Liverpool would gain revenge on their genius tormentor a decade later.

Liverpool drew Barcelona in the semi-finals of the 1975-76 Uefa Cup. They were engaged in a tight title chase at the time, trailing Queens Park Rangers, Manchester United and Derby County in the Division One table, by no means certain of landing a first championship under their relatively new manager Bob Paisley. A few goals from 19-year-old supersub David Fairclough had kept them in the race. Their season was on the knife-edge all right.

Not that Barcelona were any more confident. The Catalans could boast Cruyff and his Dutch international colleague Johan Neeskens, but much good their star names were doing them at the time. Ahead of the first leg of the semi at Camp Nou, Barca had been abjectly defeated 3-1 in La Liga at relegation-haunted Las Palmas. It was their eighth defeat in 12 on the road that season. Liverpool knew a draw in Spain might suffice.

Barca were also hindered by a running battle of wills between the gloriously contrary Cruyff and their new coach Hennes Weisweiler, who was deemed not good enough by the star player, despite having just won three Bundesliga titles with Borussia Monchengladbach. Weisweiler was also the reigning Uefa Cup champion, having led the Foals to a 5-1 victory over Twente in the previous season's final.

Rumours circulated that Weisweiler would do the unthinkable and drop Cruyff for the visit of Liverpool. But Cruyff was named in the starting XI, and Barcelona were, their poor away form uppermost in mind, sent out with orders to win the first leg by at least two goals. Liverpool, having learned that painful lesson in Amsterdam all those years ago, were by now masters of digging out draws away from home. So the game was expected to be a matter of attack versus defence. Which is exactly how it panned out, though not in the manner anyone had anticipated, or Barcelona had planned.

On 13 minutes, Ray Clemence kicked long. John Toshack headed down for his partner Kevin Keegan, who adroitly returned the ball to set the big man free. Toshack dispatched the ball past goalkeeper Pere Valenti Mora with ease. An away goal in the bag, Liverpool dominated from there on in. Keegan passed up a couple of good chances to extend their lead. Cruyff, an early pass or two apart, was next to anonymous. Contemporary reports suggested Cruyff lost interest as Barca struggled; according to the Guardian, he "threw in the towel long before the end".

Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes dismissed the eventual 1-0 victory as "poor", on account of his side's inability to register a couple more goals, something their overall performance certainly deserved. But their tails were up. "We've now done more than half the job to reaching the Uefa Cup final," smiled Paisley, "and if we can keep up in the league our form against Barcelona, obviously we're going to stretch Queen's Park Rangers, Manchester United and Derby all the way. I am well satisfied with the way things have gone for us."

Before the second leg, Liverpool beat Everton and Leicester City, then drew at Aston Villa, to keep on the tails of domestic league leaders QPR. Then Barca came to town, though they didn't really turn up. Cruyff was again anonymous as Liverpool were rampant in attack - they had 20 corners to Barcelona's one. They should have won easily, but after going ahead early in the second half through Phil Thompson, lost concentration at the restart to allow Carles Rexach to belt in the equaliser. Barca, though, seemed more interested in kicking Liverpool about the park in the frustrated style, and never really threatened to force a winner. Paisley's side went on to beat Bruges in the final, and pipped QPR to the league title. Weisweiler, needless to report, was soon on his way out of Camp Nou, Cruyff getting his own way as usual.

So Liverpool faced the great man twice in European competition. They came a serious cropper against emerging Ajax in 1966; they exacted revenge when outplaying Barca ten years later. An honourable draw between two great footballing institutions, then, with both results doing much to shape the history of European football. Cruyff's Ajax, having made their first great statement in Europe against Liverpool, slowly blossomed before winning three European Cups in a row during the early 1970s. Liverpool, having put in two confidence-boosting performances against Cruyff's Barca, went on to win the league and dominate Europe with four European Cups in eight seasons. Cruyff and Liverpool were good for each other.