Andres Iniesta via Wikimedia Commons
by Andrew Jordan
Even though true tiki-taka is very difficult to emulate due to the personnel and talent requirements needed to successfully run the system, many teams and coaches have taken bits and pieces of the fluid philosophy and used it in their own teams. The most notable example of this has been from Germany, who shed their machine-like national image and played “beautiful football” in order to triumph in the latest World Cup (Murphy).
However, tiki-taka is definitely not the be-all-end-all of football. Despite its success it still has a major flaw: it’s not designed to produce numerous goals. What happens when your team finds itself trailing with time running out? Tiki-taka a poor strategy when a team needs coming back from behind. Barcelona and Spain have paid the ultimate price several times because of this. Barcelona was trounced by a more versatile and aggressive Bayern Munich with a combined score of 7-0 in the Champions League in 2013. Additionally, Spain lost 3-0 to the beautiful, yet deadly offense of Brazil in the Confederations Cup Final. Having 60% of possession doesn’t mean much when you can’t find the back of the net. This is why some believe that tiki-taka is becoming outdated. All one needs are a couple goals and then they just have to sit back on defense and wait for the Spanish to lull themselves to sleep with their excessive passing (Mathew).
Another critique of tiki-taka is that the team-oriented approach stifles the individual talent of superstars. Sometimes it only takes one great player to score a goal, and tiki-taka doesn’t allow that to happen. Lastly, Spain’s midfield masterminds, Xavi and Iniesta, won’t be able to play forever. It will be interesting to see the style that Spain and Barcelona adopt when it finally comes time to change the guard (Mathew).
How to Cite this page: “Spain’s Tiki-Taka: Good, But Far From Perfect”, Written by Andrew Jordan(2016). Olympic Football 2016 Guide, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/olympic-football-2016-guide/team-playing-styles-in-soccer/spains-tiki-taka/spains-tiki-taka…far-from-perfect/, (accessed on (date)).
How to Cite this page: “Spain’s Tiki-Taka: Good, But Far From Perfect”, Written by Andrew Jordan(2016). Olympic Football 2016 Guide, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/olympic-football-2016-guide/team-playing-styles-in-soccer/spains-tiki-taka/spains-tiki-taka…far-from-perfect/, (accessed on (date)).
