Real Madridai??i??s Dismantling of Bayern Munich: End of Tiki Taka Era?

By Kalyan Kulkarni
10 years Ago

Real Madrid ripped apart Bayern Munich with a ruthless first-half display as they thrashed the defending champions 4-0 in their own Allianz Arena to reach their first Champions League final for 12 years last night. The biggest question in minds of Football pundits across the globe is now this: Is this the end of Tiki Taka era?

The victory wasAi??extraordinarily more comprehensive, but this tactical battle was incredibly similar to the first leg, whereAi??Bayern Munich dominated possession without offering any penetration, andAi??Real Madrid attacked at speed. In Madrid, the Spanish side’s best two chances had come from ruthless counterattacking play ai??i?? Karim Benzema putting Real ahead on the break, and Cristiano Ronaldo missing a golden chance to double the lead in similar circumstances. Here, the pattern was simply more extreme.

Bayern, treble winners last season and playing Pep Guardiolaai??i??s beloved tiki taka brand of Football, were never in the hunt as they slumped to a 5-0 aggregate defeat which will leave a huge stain on coach Pep Guardiola’s previously enviable record in the competition.

Real were rampant, and there were warning signs from the opening minutes, with Angel di MarAi??a overlapping Ronaldo on the break in an almost identical situation to the movement shown by FA?bio CoentrA?o for Real’s goal in the first leg. Bayern started by playing more directly than we’ve come to expect, but then retreated into their shell and offered slow, patient and rather predictable passing football. Real simply sat deep in two banks of four, waited for Bayern moves to break down, then attacked at tremendous speed.

As vulnerable as Bayern were to counterattacking, however, their terrible set-piece defending was their most crucial failure. Twice Sergio Ramos headed into the net when unmarked, which represents a worrying regression from last season, when Bayern got their noses in front against Spanish opposition, Barcelona, at this stage because of their own set-piece power.

Unlike Pepai??i??s Bayern, Carlo Ancelotti’s side defended excellently as a unit, with their physically imposing but occasionally rash centre-backs protected by a highly disciplined midfield quartet. Arguably Ancelotti’s most impressive achievement is fielding a midfield featuring four naturally creative players ai??i?? Bale, Luka Modric, Xabi Alonso and Di MarAi??a ai??i?? without suffering from any defensive issues. Alonso’s suspension from the final is a significant blow to Real, although it’s at least an excuse for Ancelotti to bring some physicality into the midfield, assuming the long-term injury absentee Sami Khedira is fit to return.

Meanwhile, prior to Realai??i??s game too, there were plenty suggesting that Pep Guardiola had been ‘found out’, that tiki-taka was now dead, that possession had been supplanted by power. If it all sounds familiar it’s because we have heard it all before – when Inter beat Barcelona in 2010, when Spain lost to Switzerland in the World Cup later the same year, every sodding time Jose Mourinho triumphs over a Pep Guardiola, Arsene Wenger or Brendan Rodgers.

Now, it is being argued that Tiki-taka is not entertaining anymore due to the lack of importance to the pure strikers in the team and their use of a false ‘9’ or a midfield player as a forward. This makes the game of football full of midfielders and no strikers or defenders.

What really is tiki taka?

Tiki-taka is above all, aAi??systems approachAi??to football founded upon team unity and a comprehensive understanding in the geometry of space on a football field.

Tiki-taka has been variously described as “a style of play based on making your way to the back of the net through short passing and movement,”Ai??a “short passing style in which the ball is worked carefully through various channels,”Ai??and a “nonsensical phrase that has come to mean short passing, patience and possession above all else.”Ai??The style involves roaming movement and positional interchange amongst midfielders, moving the ball in intricate patterns,Ai??and sharp, one or two-touch passing.Ai??Tiki-taka is “both defensive and offensive in equal measure” ai??i?? the team is always in possession, so doesn’t need to switch between defending and attacking.

Is Ancelotti the first coach to destroy tiki taka with ai???attractiveai??i?? Football?

There is little doubt that Ancelotti is the best tactician in Europe at the moment (sorry Mourinho fans). Yesterday, Real Madrid was never boring to watch. With excellent counterattacking display and brilliant efforts of Modric and Alonso in the midfield, no one can accuse them of ai???parking the busai???.

Ancelotti has proved many times in his glorious career that he is the most adaptable coach in the game. Over a decade on, Ancelotti has a very different attitude. Asked about the formation he would play in Munich, he said: “A 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 does not change much the dynamic of the game. The system is not the most important. The most important is how we start the game.”

Guardiola somewhat disparagingly claimed Real Madrid have been a counter-attacking side for as long as he’s watched them.

But that’s not true of Ancelotti. The Italian coached Milan in three Champions League finals, winning two, and they dominated possession each time.

But at the helm of this Real Madrid squad, he has adapted his thinking: “With players like Bale, Benzema and Cristiano it is more difficult to play possession football, we must look for spaces, and play the ball forward more quickly. Football is nice for that, as everyone has their own ideas.”

What’s really nice is that Ancelotti’s ideas are always flexible. Perhaps that has hampered his ability to win league titles – over the course of a season, the relentless drilling of a single style can help grind out victories – and instead made him the most effective of cup managers on the big stage.

When faced with the choice between the formation, the philosophy and the personnel, Ancelotti opts for the latter.

And regardless of whether AtlAi??tico Madrid or Chelsea progress to face Real in the final, it will be a contest between two counterattacking specialists, rather than possession hoarders.

This certainly isn’t the death of tiki-taka ai??i?? but it is increasingly becoming clear that tiki taka is not the most result producing and trusted philosophy anymore.

Categories: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Champions' League, Columns, Features, German Bundesliga, News, Real Madrid, Spanish La Liga, UEFA, Whiteboard - Football Tactics
Tags: Bayern Munich Champions' League Guardiola Real Madrid

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