Frank de Boer Crashed and Burned At Crystal Palace; He’s Going to be a Great Coach

It’s no secret that Frank de Boer has had a hard time of it since leaving Ajax in 2016. His tenure at Crystal Palace was especially bad. Jose Mourinho even went as far as to call him “the worst manager in the history of the Premier League.”

Mourinho wasn’t wrong. De Boer lasted just five games in charge of Palace, and broke a new record–the shortest tenure in Premier League History–that he would just as soon forget.

Bygone are the days when De Boer won the Eredivisie 4 times consecutively for Ajax. His recent failures haven’t been a result of him losing his identity, though. He’s clung dearly to the blueprint that brought him so much success in Holland.

De Boer favors the 4-3-3 formation made famous by the Dutch school. He employs wide players that hug the touchline in the attack, as passmasters look to switch play quickly to unlock the defense. Creativity is key in the final third, as players are given free reign to express themselves. In defense, the entire team works to win the ball back fast by pressing high up the field.

When teams are able to pull it off, expansive soccer like De Boer’s is a joy to watch. Barcelona and Manchester City use variants of the Dutch system to great effect. However, if the personnel aren’t tactically flexible, technically gifted, or well trained in the fundamentals of their positioning, they can very quickly find themselves overwhelmed.  

That’s exactly what happened at Palace. De Boer inherited a team that was virtually identical to the one fashioned by the previous manager, Sam Allardyce. Big Sam is certainly effective in getting results, but his style was best summed up by Mourinho (who has a knack for saying antagonistic things about other managers), calling it “19th-century football.” Palace was used to hoofing the ball some 40 meters down the field in hopes that it would fall to the right player.

It was a far cry from De Boer’s stylish philosophy, and the results showed that. Anyone unlucky enough to witness one of Palace’s games under the new manager would have seen a team with no discernable identity.

De Boer’s departure from the club was so abrupt that it left little in the way of speculation as to whether Palace could have eventually adapted. It is apparent, however, that De Boer should have been given the freedom to recruit players to play in his system. The general sentiment among pundits and fans alike was that he should have been given more time and support.  

Count on Atlanta United to give him both of those. De Boer arrived in Atlanta under the most favorable conditions. The team is far more stable than Palace, and won’t be looking to play musical chairs with managers. Darren Eales has also shown a willingness to splash the cash when necessary, not that it’s all that necessary right now. Atlanta is bristling with talent.

Better yet, the players are well suited to carry out De Boer’s style of play. Tata Martino alternated chiefly between the 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 formations that De Boer himself is so fond of. High pressing, especially in the inaugural season, is another feature of Atlanta’s play that alignes with De Boer’s philosophy.

Jeff Larentowicz will surely be key to De Boer’s plans. De Boer prefers to use players like Larentowicz, who is wonderfully versatile, to recycle the ball and cover the back four. Darlington Nagbe will also probably be a regular. His ability to retain possession under pressure is another must in De Boer’s setup.

Ezequiel Barco will most likely play central with Pity Martinez on the left and Josef Martinez in the middle. Expect that trio to combine for a lot of goals next season.

It’s best to treat De Boer’s time away from Ajax as a small and strange blip in an otherwise illustrious managerial career. His style suits Atlanta well, and although it’s early days, all signs point to him building a brand of expansive soccer that will breed results as much as it entertains.