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One more book review in honor of last month’s FIFA World Cup. Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football is an examination of where the Dutch style of play came from, who is responsible, and why things always seem to go wrong for them. Brilliant Orange examines the questions that most football (sorry soccer) fans find themselves asking every World Cup and European Championship. Why aren’t the Dutch world and European champions several times over? With the exception of the 1988 Euro Cup the (which the Dutch managed to win) they continually stumble whenever they approach greatness. 
For some time the Dutch have been famous for creating a style of play referred to as Total Football which many consider as the name indicates to be the most complete style of play there is. In Total Football every player is an attacker, a defender, and a midfielder based on where he/she is needed at the time. Unfortunately, for the reader, the books was written several years ago and so there is no comment on the Dutch losing in the most recent World Cup Final to Spain who play a form of football that was born directly out of Total Football. You see, Rinus Michels and then Johan Cruyff brought Total Football to Spain through coaching stints at Barcelona. Cruyff took Total Football to its next level of evolution while at Barcelona. The Spanish national team has played Cruyff’s style of Total Football over the last two years in which they have won both the Euro and World Cups. 
The book delves into Dutch art, architecture, and even political practices to find the cultural reasons that resulted in Total Football. In short, it shows Brilliant Orange does a very interesting job of explaining how Total Football could not have evolved anywhere else. It also posits several theories on how and why the Dutch seem to blow it every time they close to winning a World Cup. There are few with in depth knowledge of the footballing world that will argue that the Dutch have been on several occasions the best team in the world.  If you are interested in finding out why the title World Champions eludes them then you shouldn’t hesitate to read Brilliant Orange. The book probably takes some understanding of the game to enjoy on the level that I enjoyed it but I believe that any one can enjoy it. If you read the Blind Side and were able to enjoy it you should enjoy this.