TIKI - TAKA .... The Spanish Way

On July 11, 2010 at Johannesburg, when Andres Iniesta (playmaker - Spain) slammed a right footer past the outstretched hands of Maarten Stekelenburg (goalkeeper - Netherlands), it was not just the Spanish population of 47 million but more than a billion football fans who celebrated the victory of ‘total football’.

 A concept coined by Johan Cryuff but put to good use by the Spanish national team, it proved that their football team was not just a perennial underachiever. It had championship material too.

At the moment the Spaniards are undisputed kings of world football. Their playing style and the ‘short passing’ concept is being emulated by one and all (not convincingly though). Their Under-21 and Under-19 teams are reigning champions of Europe. Their players dominate the English Premier League, which by far is the best football league in the world.

Spain’s national team has participated in the FIFA World Cup 13 times. Their best performance before the 2010 World Cup, came way back in 1950, where they managed to finish fourth. All this while the team was built around one football star, be it a Emilio Butragueno or a Raul Gonzalez or a Gaizka Mendieta.

Luis Aragones

Something changed in 2006, when Luis Aragones took charge of the Spanish national team. More known for his counter attacking skills, he changed the playing style to ‘short passing’. From then on rather than charging aimlessly, the Spaniards learnt how to control a game. It was around that time, a Spanish commentator coined the word ‘Tiki-Taka’ .

Tiki-Taka percolated from Barcelona to the Spanish national team and then gradually to other Spanish clubs. Even in Spain’s second division one can see midfielders and even defenders weave intricate passes, while their coaches try not to have an heart attack on the bench.

Marcelo Bielsa - Argentina

Tiki-Taka owes it’s origination to the Argentine coach, Marcelo Bielsa who in turn was inspired by Johan Cryuff’s concept of ‘total football’. It was taken further by Josep Guardiola, Barcelona’s coach, who coined the ‘five second rule’.  Whenever Barca lose the ball, they spend five seconds, but only five seconds, chasing to win it back. After five seconds, they give up and assume a compact formation. This concept was learned from Italy, who are known for their dogged defence.

Now, the Spanish football team is known to tire it’s opponents down by continuously short passing the ball in the midfield and the defence, looking to create opportunities for the attackers to move upfront.  Xavi Hernandes, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso read each other so well that they can anticipate not just the next but the third and the fourth pass as well. That gives players like Villa,  Fabregas and Torres enough time to position themselves to score. On an average a midfielder makes around 70-90 accurate passes per game. It’s an astonishing average and these players do it in every single match.

How do they do it????
Something remarkable is going on in Spain. They just don’t have the World’s best players, they also have the World’s best system.

Lionel Messi with his Ballon D'ors

The World’s best player, Lionel Messi, is a product of this very system. Diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, he was offered a contract, by FC Barcelona who offered to pay his medical bills, written on a paper napkin. The Sporting Directors of the La Liga (Spanish Football League) have proved time and again that they have an eye for talent and also the will to nurture them, help them grow and cultivate a world beating team.

The World’s best club team, FC Barcelona, has 17 local players out of a 25 member team.  Real Madrid has maximum players of Spanish origin in their ranks. Valencia and Atletico Madrid too have more local players than foreign recruits. This is exactly the opposite of other clubs in the Premier League where a Manchester United or the big spending Manchester City have more foreign players or rather depend on foreign recruits to earn them victories.

Spanish strikers and midfielders have owned up the Premier league  as well, with the likes of Fernando Torres, Juan Mata, Michu, Santi Cazorla, David Silva, Pablo Hernandez and Mikael Arterta carving out a name for themselves.

This could be the golden period for Spanish football. They’ve won every title on offer. The World Cup, The Euro Cup, The Champions League and The Europa League. Mathematical calculations of total matches played across the year also prove FC Barcelona and Real Madrid to be the top 2 football clubs in the world.

This looks more like the all-conquering West Indian Team of the 80s and 90s who, under Clive Lloyd, destroyed everything that came their way.

But the biggest question remains – How long will this dynasty last??

Unlike Brazil, that fell by the wayside, this football setup is permanent and Spain doesn’t look like relinquishing the numero uno position in the near future.

Given the performance of their national team and the junior sides, this reign is set to last for another decade. While the Under-20 team lost to Brazil on penalties (2-2), the junior Spanish team controlled the game and held possession while Brazil was dependent on exceptional individual performances. The juniors are already working their way up to the senior side of their respective clubs and should be seen wearing the national colors in around 2-3 years, just about when Xavi, Iniesta and Co. would be hanging their boots.

The Spaniards won the Football World Cup when they didn’t have the World’s best player, goalkeeper, defender or coach.
It’s a collective team of inspired individuals that gelled together as a team who won.

If you have a brilliant system, you don’t need brilliant individuals. Happy is the land that needs no heroes.