Possession. Possession will win the game. Four years ago, it began a Spanish reign of dominance that seemed to last an eternity. But to find the roots of Tiki-Taka, we must dig deep into the roots of the players, of the teams, and of the game that millions so desperately want to win.
Like most styles of play, Tiki-Taka was developed over years of management. It was rooted in the passing skill of Barcelona loyal players Xavi and Iniesta, two players who after Scholes and maybe Pirlo had some of the best passing ability the world had ever seen. Having captured both players for the entirety of their career, the team began to build upon a well-developed midfield. While Barcelona was certainly a world power, the club never reached invincibility in the earlier parts of the millennium. That right was reserved between the English powers, who fought viciously amongst themselves and brought in talent en masse.
While the midfield was strong, Barcelona nevertheless developed problems with their strike force. With a budget bigger than the GDP of some countries, the Spanish club tried to bring in big named strikers to perfect their side. Barcelona had a high striker turnover trying to find a talent that could adequately fit their playing style. Samuel Eto’o played successfully at Barcelona until he was traded for Zlatan Ibrahomivic at Inter Milan. Meanwhile, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry gave a heartfelt goodbye to London and entered the fray. In the end, all three strikers came and went. They each found riches after leaving Barca; Eto’o winning the Champions League with Inter Milan, Zlatan earning a lucrative place with Paris Saint-Germaine, and Henry with a legendary move to the United States.
But if each striker was so skilled, was so destined to go down in history, why did manager Pep Guardiola allow them to leave? Because he had an even better weapon. He had Messi. Following a meteoric rise, Guardiola chose to abandon his other strikers in favor of giving Messi the starting role. Along with his new Barcelona bred striker, Guardiola created what at the time was hailed as “the greatest team of all time”.
But to say that Barcelona was the only driving force for Tiki-Taka would be a crime. In fact, Real Madrid had as much of a say in the style as did Barca. It’s no secret that there are two teams that contribute to the Spanish national team: Real Madrid and Barcelona. Both are giants in the footballing world, and both play in very different manners. While Barcelona are masters of the pass, Madrid prefer to audaciously attack, laying waste to whatever defense dare to stop them. The two sides could never come together, their talent was always wasted as they were unused to each other’s mindset. That was up until one Vincente Del Bosque took control of Spain in 2008.
After losing to the United States in the Confederations Cup semi-final in 2009, Del Bosque rallied his troops to unite under one flag. He convinced the Real Madrid players to commit the ultimate sin; they were going to play like Barcelona. It was a difficult task, but the raw talent that the Madrid players brought to the table was too good to waste. At the World Cup, the Spanish generation dazzled the world by boring everyone to death. Under the sound of the vuvuzelas constantly ringing, the Spaniards would pass, pass, pass. From Xavi, to Xabi, to Iniesta, back to Puyol, back to Valdes, up to Pique, etc, etc, etc. It was the most ardently boring thing that has ever graced the world stage.
And it worked perfectly. Teams that were used to attacking were befuddled by the tactic. Teams could hardly get a touch of the ball let alone make a play, and Spain enjoyed keeping the majority of possession in every game. In the final, the tall Dutch players used sheer physical brutality against the tiny Spaniards in order to get control of the game. While it was dirty, it almost worked up until Iniesta found space in between the Dutch defense and took a shot at goal. They had done it. Tiki-taka had conquered the globe and had given Spain their first World Cup win.
Ever since then, the Spanish national team has dominated the international stage, winning the Euro’s as well as keeping top of the rankings. Barcelona also mirrored the success of the style, winning La Liga and being a force to be feared in the Champions League. But how does Tiki-Taka work? The game begins with the team making a pass. And then another pass. And another. The ball is pinged around the midfield hundreds of times without cause, almost boring the other team into submission. Frustration piles onto opposition, leading them to insanity. Then, the Spaniards strike. One concise pass forward, one through ball to the likes of Messi or David Villa and there’s a clear chance on goal. Barcelona come down and smite their opposition in that one millisecond of brilliance.
It wasn’t until one faithful day, in a nothing special game that a small German team came up and obliterated Barcelona 7-0 over two legs. In all fairness, the score line could’ve been even worse. The defeat to Bayern Munich ended the idea that the golden generation of Barcelona was the greatest of all time. That raises the question: is Tiki-Taka dead?
No, it can’t be dead because it never lived. Tiki-Taka was never a cure-all solution. It wasn’t a style of play that would be used by every team on the planet. In all of Barcelona and Spain’s successes, the raw talent possessed by the squad contributed as much to victory as their tactics. Tiki-Taka simply fit the teams so perfectly, brought out the best of what lay beneath the surface.
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