Marinus Michels arrived at Barça after winning everything with Ajax. ‘Mister Marble', as he was nicknamed, imposed a strict discipline in the Barcelona changing room. In his first season, his only success was the winning of the great final of the Fairs Cup, which Barça won after beating Leeds United. In the League, an unexpected defeat against Cordoba, meant that they lost the title.
The following season more or less the same thing happened, and the team did not win anything.
michels004.jpgThe Blue-and-Reds supporters had to wait until the arrival of Johan Cruyff, to see the League Championship title won. With him in the side, Michels's game plan had no holes in it and worked to perfection. Barça was once again proclaimed Champions, fourteen years after their last League trophy.
The 1974-75 season saw a return to a stream of bad results and an absence of trophies. It was then that Marinus Michels decided to put an end to his first period at Barça. He was soon to return, however, and was back on the bench at Camp Nou for the 1976-77 season. His stay at Barça ended in the 1977-78 season, when he won his third trophy with the club, the Copa del Rey.
