No one single player or even a group of players can adequately summarise the aspect of the Spanish national side that will undergo the most scrutiny over the next 5 weeks; rather it is their trademark tactical Tiki-taka approach which has so successfully dominated the international stage since 2008 which will earn that status. For a few years, there seemed no countering Tiki-taka on an international level. It proved tricky enough as it was at club level, where the staff and players train with each other day in and day out but on the international stage it seemed impossible! Between 2006 and last year's Confederations Cup final, Spain lost a total of 2 competitive international matches: to the USA in the semi-finals of the 2009 Confederations Cup and to Switzerland in their opening game of World Cup 2010- both by a single goal. It wasn't until last year's Confederations Cup final, though, that any one team dominated Spain as Brazil managed to do in that final, eventually winning 3-0. That and an extremely rare trophy-less season for Barcelona, coupled with Real Madrid's pasting of a Guardiola-led Bayern side demonstrating Tiki-taka play, have led to people wondering if it's a tactic that has had its time. This is the last stand for Tiki-taka, its last chance for relevance. With many of its pioneers in the team (Xavi, Iniesta, etc.) advancing in age and with people calling for big change at Barcelona, this might be the last time we'll see it feature on the international stage. As such, the question must now be asked whether it will go out in a blaze of glory, or whimper away, tail firmly tucked between legs.
Betting on being a brilliant brother to Bodhi since 2008 (-1 Asian Handicap). Find me @LiamJJohnson on Twitter where you might find some wonderful pearls of wisdom in a stout cocktail of profanity, football discussion and general musings. Or you might not. Depends how red my eyes are.
