How To Play Tiki Taka

[Brinda]

Tikitaka (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-smallfont-size:85%.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-smallfont-size:100%Spanish: [ˈtikiˈtaka]) is a style of play in football characterised by short passing and movement, working the ball through various channels, and maintaining possession. The style is primarily associated with the Spain national team since 2006 by the managers Luis Aragons and Vicente del Bosque.[2][3][4][5] Tiki-taka methods were eventually embraced by the La Liga club Barcelona from 2009, especially during the era of manager Pep Guardiola; however, Guardiola distanced himself and the club from the style: "I loathe all that passing for the sake of it", stating, "Bara didn't do tiki-taka!", adding, "You have to pass the ball with a clear intention, with the aim of making it into the opposition's goal."[6] Its development and influence goes back to Johan Cruyff's tenure as manager in the early 1990s all the way to the present. The first goal using this system is considered to be the Sergio Ramos goal in the qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2008, played in Aarhus (Denmark) on October 13, 2007.[7] The play involved 9 players making 28 passes with 65 touches over 75 seconds. Spain went on to win the competition.

Earlier tactics that, like tiki-taka, rose to success in their times due to an unprecedented perfection in passing and movement without the ball include the Schalker Kreisel ("Schalke spinning top"), which won Schalke 04 six German championships between 1934 and 1942, and the Total Football used by Ajax and the Dutch national team during the 1970s.[8][9][10]

Manager Angelo Niculescu adopted a style that is also considered a precursor of tiki-taka (the Romanian term was "temporizare", which translates to "delaying"). The team would try to keep possession of the ball for as long as possible, using repeated and short passes until a breach in the opposition defense was found. Using this tactic, he transformed the Romanian national team and managed to qualify them to the Mexico 1970 World Cup after a 32 year absence.[11]

The late Spanish broadcaster Andrs Montes is generally credited with coining and popularizing the phrase tiki-taka during his television commentary on LaSexta for the 2006 World Cup,[12][13] although the term was already in colloquial use in Spain's football[14] and may have originated as a critical or derogatory term by then Athletic Bilbao coach Javier Clemente.[15] In his live commentary of the Spain versus Tunisia match, Montes used the phrase to describe Spain's precise, elegant passing style: "Estamos tocando tiki-taka tiki-taka" ("we are playing tiki-taka tiki-taka").[13]

The roots of what would develop into tiki-taka began to be implemented by Johan Cruyff during his tenure as manager of Barcelona from 1988 to 1996.[16] The style of play continued to develop under fellow Dutch managers Louis van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard and has been adopted by other La Liga teams.[16][17] Barcelona's Dutch managers made it a point to promote from their youth system, and Barcelona's La Masia youth academy has been credited with producing a generation of technically talented, often physically small, players such as Pedro, Xavi, Andrs Iniesta, Cesc Fbregas and Lionel Messi;[18] players with excellent touch, vision and passing, who excel at maintaining possession.[19]

Pep Guardiola managed Barcelona from 2008 to 2012, winning 14 titles. Under his guidance, tiki-taka was established. This was partly due to Guardiola's visionary coaching, partly due to an exceptional generation of players, many of whom had been schooled in La Masia's idiosyncratic style, and partly due to Barcelona's ability to sustain intense pressure on the ball.[20][21] The 2005 update to the offside law was also a contributing factor: by forcing defenders deeper, the law expanded the effective playing area, making players' size matter less and allowing technical skills to flourish.[20][22] The tactic shared Dutch Total Football's principle of high defensive line, positional interchange and use of possession to control the game. Tiki-taka diverged from its Total Football roots by subordinating everything to the pass: Guardiola played a centre-forward as a false nine to keep the ball moving fluidly from different angles; he played the full-backs higher; he selected midfielders in defence to exploit their passing ability; and he forced the goalkeeper to play the ball out from the back.[20]

The guiding principle of this type of play was efficient use of space. The teams must narrow the playing space while defending, and must expand the playing space wider while attacking. The objective was to make quick and short passes, till an opponent was caught out of position and space was created. Pep also used the concept of positional play, which in simple words mean that the pitch is divided into different zones, and that no more than two players must occupy the same line vertically and no more than three players should occupy the same line horizontally. Guardiola trained his players by painting lines on the training ground to show players what the zones were. This training made it an instinct of the players to find zones where they can receive or play a pass. Thus, for a layman, it would have look like passing and keeping possession, it was actually quite calculated.

Raphael Honigstein describes the tiki-taka played by the Spain national team at the 2010 World Cup as "a radical style that only evolved over the course of four years," arising from Spain's decision in 2006 that "they weren't physical and tough enough to outmuscle opponents, so instead wanted to concentrate on monopolising the ball."[23] Luis Aragons and Vicente del Bosque successfully employed the tiki-taka style with the Spain national team; during their tenure, Spain won three consecutive major titles: Euro 2008 (under Aragons), the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and Euro 2012 (under del Bosque).[3][24][25]

Pep Guardiola's example of tiki-taka at Barcelona is considered the best application of this style after they won the sextuple in 2009. Barcelona played with a high defensive line usually applying the offside trap with midfielders providing support to defenders to make more passing options available. Defenders are patient, preferring safe pass options looking for midfielders with the ball circulated anywhere on the pitch waiting for a gap to make a vertical pass. The team created most of chances depending on through balls and performing give and go pass usually with Lionel Messi involved in action. Guardiola preferred freedom in the final third of the pitch which was effective as the team created many chances per match.

Sid Lowe identifies Luis Aragons' tempering of tiki-taka with pragmatism as a key factor in Spain's success in Euro 2008. Aragons used tiki-taka to "protect a defense that appeared suspect [...], maintain possession and dominate games" without taking the style to "evangelical extremes." None of Spain's first six goals in the tournament came from tiki-taka: five came from direct breaks and one from a set play.[28] For Lowe, Spain's success in the 2010 World Cup was evidence of the meeting of two traditions in Spain's football: the "powerful, aggressive, direct" style that earned the silver medal-winning 1920 Antwerp Olympics team the nickname La Furia Roja ("The Red Fury"), and the tiki-taka style of the contemporary Spain team, which focused on a collective, short-passing, technical and possession-based game.[36]

Analyzing Spain's semi-final victory over Germany at the 2010 World Cup, Honigstein described the team's tiki-taka style as "the most difficult version of football possible: an uncompromising passing game, coupled with intense, high pressing." For Honigstein, tiki-taka is "a significant upgrade" of Total Football because it relies on ball movement rather than players switching position. Tiki-taka allowed Spain to "control both the ball and the opponent."[23]

At the 2011 Women's World Cup, the Japan women's national football team (Nadeshiko) employed a form of tiki-taka under coach Norio Sasaki.[37] They upset hosts Germany and the United States to win the tournament.

The high-profile success of tiki-taka as practiced by Barcelona and the Spain national team in the late 2000s led to a variety of tactics and formations designed to contain and counter the system's domination of ball possession.

Bayern's first-half tactics involved "fake pressing", pushing close to their markers in possession to drive Bara away from danger areas with sheer presence, while conserving their energy by not committing themselves, keeping Bayern's players fresh enough for the second half to mount attacks.[69][70] Though they had managed to outscore lesser opponents, Barcelona's defense was vulnerable, as the absence of center-backs Carles Puyol and Javier Mascherano robbed the team of physical presence to guard against set pieces which Bayern exploited.[71][72] The Guardian proclaimed that "some suggested Bayern would attempt to outplay Barcelona at short passing football, but ultimately it was a perfect recipe of Barcelona's traditional problems: set pieces, counterattacks and physicality, that will lead many to suggest the balance of power has shifted from Catalonia to Bavaria."[67]

might be hard to play tiki taka in a flat 4-4-2, not saying you cant but you have to be clever with player roles. Maybe try vertical tiki taka with lazaro as a IW on support, gilberto as a WB on attack

Could work, though I agreed with @dja2k14 about a 442 tiki taka. Hard to press high with only two players in the Striker/AM stratas I'd play some friendlies and see. A few things which might be issues (or might not):

PI's: Stay wider on FB-Attack and WM - Support and potentially Hold Position on LCM - Support. adding Roam from Position for the DLF and Moves into Channels for the CM - Attack. Comes deep for the Ball would be a useful trait on any plyer due to flat shape. If your players have the ability, I would be tempted to implement Use tighter Marking. I would also be tempted to instruct the two strikers and the CM - Attack to Close Down More in their PI's to affect a limited press.

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