Tiki-Taka And How It Dominated Football For Years

11 months ago

Tiki-taka. The name evokes memories of Barcelona, ​​Spain, and its years of dominance in the past decade. Most fans understand that tiki-taka is about keeping the ball and passing between players to control opponents.

However, the actual implementation of the tactic was a bit more complicated. Tiki-taka was the defining legacy of the late 2000s, as it seemed every team wanted to play this way.

Of course, there were shortcomings, and neither Barcelona nor Spain could withstand them for a long time. The evolution of tactics saw the emergence of many new possibilities. However, Tiki Taka will long live in the memory of fans around the world as the backbone of Spanish football during its glorious years.

What is tiki taka?

The name was coined by the late great Spanish commentator Andres Montes during the 2006 World Cup. Tiki-taka loosely translates to “touch-touch,” which signifies how teams play. Pep Guardiola is credited with being the financier of the system, but his roots are steeped in history. Tiki Taka is the end product of the evolution of Schalke tactics in the 1930s and the comprehensive football school of the 1970s.

The Dutch association is strong with Barcelona, ​​and of course it was Johan Cruyff who led the establishment of the modern version. Pep Guardiola was one of the players during Cruyff’s training period, who emphasized development no masia In the mold of the first team. Louis van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard. So, when Pep Guardiola arrived, the stage was well set for the peak years of his former subjects.

Tiki-taka mainly focused on the passing aspect of the game. It is about using short and fast passes to open up the opponent’s defense line one by one. Moreover, tiki-taka also uses inter-balls to find the runner behind opposing backlines.

Teams emphasized keeping it for as long as possible, but in the end, they had to lose it sometimes. Then it was all about getting the ball back at breakneck speed. Barcelona and Spain used the high pressure that started with the strikers.

They will try to take the ball off the opposing defenders in the same attacking half. The style is now outdated as teams discovered the style by early 2010.

However, when nothing came close to beating tikki taka. Teams were confused about how to get past the strict and highly effective passing technique that left them in the dust.

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He excelled in Spain, and is practiced all over the world

Pep Guardiola may have mastered tiki-taka to the tee, but he wasn’t alone. Vicente del Bosque, the legendary manager of the Spanish national team, used Barcelona’s tactics during his years in charge. Spain had a strong group of players from the Blaugrana. Apart from the midfield trio, La Ruga He had Gerard Pique, Carles Pique, Jordi Alba and Pedro.

The Barcelona School won the hexa with Guardiola and is regularly considered one of the best teams in history. Spain’s dominance at the top for four years would not have been possible without tiki-taka. Many clubs around the world have tried to adopt this tactic, but the effect has not been the same.

The quality of Barcelona was too formidable to be copied anywhere else. no masia He mastered the art of tiki-taka which translated seamlessly into the first team.

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phase out over time

Needless to say, tiki-taka has had a long and fruitful run at the top, but it will never last. When he appeared on the scene, he was all the rage. However, opponents slowly began to improve the technique. Guardiola later strongly denied that his Barcelona team played tiki-taka.

“I hate all this passing for that, all that tiki-taka. It’s a lot of bullshit and it has no goal,” Guardiola said in 2014. “You have to pass the ball with a clear intention, to make it into the opponent’s goal. It’s not about going through for him.”

However, in 2013 Cruyff spoke glowingly about the style of the Catalans, saying,

“I think the way Barcelona played, it is a pleasure for everyone who loves football because the technical qualities are of the highest level and every young child can try to perform the technical qualities.”

Spain’s international dominance ended abruptly at the 2014 World Cup. Barcelona would go on to win titles, but that was in different ways.

It remains one of the greatest philosophies in world football. It has been the dominance, proliferation and success it brought from icons.

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