Possible new coach & barça philosophy

Alarcón said:

What does that mean anyway, to hang onto tiki-taka? We don't play tiki-taka anymore, we haven't for some years now. It's clear as day we have to improve our movement off the ball tenfold, our positioning and workrate also has to improve and we need to be able to adjust the tempo of our attacks as we like it, that means quick transitions if necessary, and we desperately need players who can play within our system, that means players who have great positional awareness, awareness of their surroundings, decision making and who think fast. Unfortunately we have bought a lot of players in the last few years who do not fill that criteria like Fàbregas, Alexis and Song, but our only chance at maintaining that high level of football is if all our players have those abilities, and anyone who doesn't looks considerably worse than he actually is.

... If we find world class players who suit or playing style and a coach who is willing to put his idead through and doesn't hesitate to bench players with a lacklustre workrate or willingness to abide by his rules, then we can dominate Europe again.

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Flavia said:

Right now Barça is playing possession only. Too slow to call tiki-taka. I'd really like to see them playing fast again, in order to open up the spaces and score more.

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Exaclty! :beer2:

Kohe321 said:

... As a result we're creating parked busses everywhere we go as we're "herding" the opposition into their own box by moving the ball and players slowly up the pitch keeping possession at all cost, before sending a cross in or (rarely) trying to attack through the middle. And yet we complain about buses? We're largely at fault for creating them! I mean why wouldn't opponents keep parking the bus when our style practically begs for it?

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Well put! :thumbsup2:

Kohe321 said:

Barcelona in 2009 gave up possession in a heartbeat for a chance to attack vertically, it was the perfect balance between attack and control. Tiki-taka was used mainly as an attacking weapon, and for control and possession only when needed - usually when playing out from the back. Pep has been blinded by possession thinking THAT alone was what gave us the dominance of 09/10/11, you could see it in the Bayern match yesterday how much they look like us right now. Our tiki-taka is being used as a means to gain possession and control rather than to attack the opponents goal.

We've become like a chessplayer who only thinks about position rather than going for the enemy king.

The good thing is that the football we played in 2009 is timeless - it can't be "figured out", it's almost completely perfect. The only way to beat it is simply by playing better, which almost none succeeded in doing when we were at the top.

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The way some people talk about Tiki-taka like it's a luxury with little point than the aesthetic is annoying me.

I'm starting to think most people don't actually know what Tiki-taka is:

Tiki-taka is above all, a systems approach 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," a "short passing style in which the ball is worked carefully through various channels," and a "nonsensical phrase that has come to mean short passing, patience and possession above all else." The style involves roaming movement and positional interchange amongst midfielders, moving the ball in intricate patterns, and sharp, one or two-touch passing. Tiki-taka is "both defensive and offensive in equal measure" – the team is always in possession, so doesn't need to switch between defending and attacking.

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This season I have only seen fleeting glimpses of Tiki-taka at Barca. Tata has all-but abandoned the method, and persisted with this reliance on individual brliance rather than the team unit and plenty of high-crosses. Barcelona is NOT a crossing team, nor do we have that type of player. Manchester United ARE, Tata's football would be more effective there.

Our possession football this season has been slow, lethargic, with lack of off-the-ball movement, predictable and without tempo, without positional awareness and lacking confidence and imagination. That does not lend itself to Tiki-taka.

I am not saying Tiki-taka is the ultimate answer to parked busses, but what is? Truth is most teams Barca play against defend deep and yet we still manage to win most of our games.

When any team comes up against a "Parked Bus" with a well disciplined and organised defence with top-class opponents, then whatever system is employed they are going to find it incredibly difficult to break down.

Mitchell1978 said:

You can maintain control without 65 % of possession but then you need to be solid defensively, a lot more then barça are at the moment.

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Exactly. Compare our defense now with that of the 2009 squad. Alves, Pique, Puyol and Abidal all in their prime form. Add to that a beastly Toure in midfield, and a prime Xavi who also worked hard defensively.

Now we have an Alves who is way over the hill, Pique who can go from good to really bad, Mascherano who works hard but is being played out of position and simply isn't good enough as a CB (and also way to short), and finally Alba who works really hard doing a good job in defence, but is often caught out of position due to his offensive duties...

So yeah, you're right, in order for us to "let go" of control like we did in 2009, we need the backbone of a balanced defense that can give the players in front of them the confidence they need to attack without the worry of losing the ball.

ceefoo said:

When any team comes up against a "Parked Bus" with a well disciplined and organised defence with top-class opponents, then whatever system is employed they are going to find it incredibly difficult to break down.

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Exactly right, just look at how well Atletico and Diego Costa dealt with Mourinhos bus. A tall number 9 crossing tactic doesn't work any better than a quick-passing tiki-taka style, it's even worse in my opinion.

Don't really care about the style as long as it's effective and isn't boring as fuck (so no Mourinho style 9-0-1s or whatever).