In a lot of people's eyes, the style of Spain's most successful team is now outdated. The once breathtaking style of Catalonia's finest has now been replaced by the powerhouse type style's of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid; teams which balance possession based play with blistering counter attacking and ferocious off ball pressure. But is the Barcelona philosophy really dead and buried? The answer is both yes and no. Tiki Taka still has a place in modern football but it has evolved. Barcelona have just not evolved at the same pace. Bayern Munich demolished them in the Champions League last year while Atletico stifled them in this year's competition. Atletico also pipped them to the La Liga title with Real Madrid beating them in the Copa Del Rey final. Fans of the beautiful game have pointed to various reason for the Spanish clubs demise such as struggling to replicate the success they enjoyed under Guardiola and defensive frailties but again, the real problem lies in Barcelona's changing philosophy and the fact that they have strayed from what brought them success in the first place. They have been tactically outwitted time and time again because of their reluctance to adhere to their traditional play style. Barcelona may not the same team any more but above all they need to embrace their philosophy rather than betray it and no player in the world can fix that problem. That change needs to happen internally. Get it right and Barcelona can once again reign over all other clubs; get it wrong and their legacy is tarnished a little bit more.
Barry O' Halloran has been a whatculture writer for the last two years and having recently graduated, now plans on writing about games & movies until his hands fall off. Follow him on twitter!
