Passing from the back (death by football)

To be fair, I don't think the Gaffer has ever said his philosophy is 1000% pure 'tiki-taka' football, and whether it was or not, he seemed to adopt a more direct style of play during the second half of last season.

He definitely binned off some of the over-sideways and backwards stuff that gave us such a bad start to the season, and we did get a bit more direct and adventurous in the second half of the season.

Or it could have just been that Joe Allen played less.

He definitely binned off some of the over-sideways and backwards stuff that gave us such a bad start to the season, and we did get a bit more direct and adventurous in the second half of the season.

Or it could have just been that Joe Allen played less.

One thing I take from the gaffer last season, he made mistakes but for the most part he came roaring back with successful alternatives.

I sometimes have to remind myself that he's still learning the game at this level. I think it bodes well for us in the future.

In all honesty, for the first time in a long time, I'd much rather be in our position than the mancs. I've usually envied their set up, with money and star players, but things are starting to shift. The wheel turns as they say

there is only one way a ball should move and that's forward. Unless you go back to the 70's and the backpass to Clemence in our European away legs counted for about an hour of the game.
Who cares as long as we win the game and the payers give their all.

I think both Bayern and Brazil have demonstrated that an accomplished mix of technical ability, speed and strength, as well as quick transitions and a high line can exploit the weaknesses in the 'tika taka' style. If you sit off and do a Chelsea, you have to rely on good defending and a bit of luck.

Rodgers has definitely demonstrated over his career he learns from his mistakes quickly, and I agree we seemed to become more direct at times last year, which was positive.

there is only one way a ball should move and that's forward.

What a stupid, stupid statement.

What a stupid, stupid statement.

I think what he means to say, is ultimately, the ball needs to move forward to score goals

What a stupid, stupid statement.

right back at yeh stupid. if you want to quote people have the decency to  quote everything and not just a snippit.

... just a snippit.

I agree.  It's bad form.

there is only one way a ball should move and that's forward. Unless you go back to the 70's and the backpass to Clemence in our European away legs counted for about an hour of the game.
Who cares as long as we win the game and the payers give their all.

The other two sentences don't really make that much of a difference....

The Death Of Tika - Taka ?

Spain's utterly-average display in their 3-0 Confederations Cup defeat to Brazil led to the usual suggestions that their era of supremacy is over.
Kaput.
Finito.

It's a pretty tired follow-up that we see every time the Spaniards or the club football kings of tiki-taka, Barcelona, take the sort of beating they're apparently only allowed to dish out these days.

In fact, there were plenty of participants on both sides at the Maracana who also featured the last time the 'end of an era' autopilots took to the skies - Bayern Munich's brutal splattering of Barca in the Champions League last four.

It probably feels like deja vu to them. And to us spectators too.

But the truth is that this isn't a death. Quite the opposite.

Football is alive. And a supposedly-meaningless tournament has provided the finishing touches to the resurrection.

Credit where it is due, Spain have been nothing short of amazing for the last six years. Their style of football has become a thing of sporting fashion and their success has made them one of, if not the top national football sides of all time.

But it was getting dull. So, so dull.

Tiki-taka will keep the ball.

Tiki-taka will keep the ball some more.

Tiki-taka will be salivated over and worshipped by puny opponents.

Tiki-taka will sap the willpower of everyone in sight.

ED is not saying that Spain and Barcelona must do badly for football to prosper. We've just been in dire need of someone, anyone, to drag them out of their almost painfully smug comfort zones.

Bayern did that in the spring, and now Brazil have followed suit in a wonderful culmination of a staggeringly enjoyable 'minor' event.
Neither side were underdogs, of course, but their successful approaches against tiki-taka can and will be replicated.

Sure, Spain could yet easily retain the World Cup on the very same pitch which hosted their dissection, and subsequently dismiss the 3-0 humbling as an insignificant blip on the road to another 'real' final.

But there now exists cast-iron evidence that tiki-taka is not the only way to play these days.

Not only that, but the antidote to the Spanish stronghold cooked up an absolute humdinger of a contest for a massive global audience. And exciting, open football matches are good, right?

Brazil of course would love to replicate the deafening roars inside the Maracana in a year's time. They have reason to believe they can do anything at the moment.

But their key to success against Spain was not exactly rocket science.
They simply showed the world champions no respect, put them under intense pressure and forced them into unfamiliar, uncomfortable territory.

And even when the Spanish hit their attacking stride, Brazil showed the true meaning of a superb defensive display (SPOILER ALERT: it isn't putting 10 men inside their own final third). Julio Cesar, David Luiz and Thiago Silva in particular were superb.

Brazil have a shedload of quality players at their disposal, of course: a country of 193 million football-obsessed people means the deepest talent pool on the planet.

But they are not the only country who can realistically take the same approach. There are at least half a dozen nations with the firepower to match Sunday night's intrepid approach and open up a ton of otherwise lop-sided games.

If more teams wake up from the hypnotic spell football has been under thanks to Spain and Barca, the 2014 World Cup will be wide open. The action will feel fresher. And it won't just be in Spain matches where things improve.

Every match between a clear favourite and a clear underdog will no longer likely be a tedious tussle between classy and cynical play. Put the superior teams under pressure. Roll the dice.

It may end in a heavier defeat but it could yield a performance with the guts and glory that Big Phil Scolari and his boys treated a delighted partisan crowd to on Sunday.

The common case against this argument appears to be Tahiti. Who would want to ship six, seven or 10 and 'devalue the tournament' when they can just plead guilty to the crime of being less developed as a nation and accept the lesser charge of a 2-0 snorefest reverse?

What tripe. Tahiti devalued nothing. They earned their spot and they attracted more casual fans than your average whipping boy ever could.

The Confederations Cup has proven that a little hustle and a complete lack of fear is a breath of fresh air.

And even Spain now must go back to the drawing board and add a few new wrinkles to their battleplan if they are to be sure of a second world title in 2014.

Their loss could be a huge win for fans bored with 99% of the world accepting their roles in tournaments.

Here's hoping it really does shake things up on the road to the finals, and isn't just a one-off.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/early-doors/tiki-taka-dead-no-football-alive-well-015447501.html


Keep on your toes Brendan !

The Death Of Tika - Taka ?

Spain's utterly-average display in their 3-0 Confederations Cup defeat to Brazil led to the usual suggestions that their era of supremacy is over.
Kaput.
Finito.

It's a pretty tired follow-up that we see every time the Spaniards or the club football kings of tiki-taka, Barcelona, take the sort of beating they're apparently only allowed to dish out these days.

In fact, there were plenty of participants on both sides at the Maracana who also featured the last time the 'end of an era' autopilots took to the skies - Bayern Munich's brutal splattering of Barca in the Champions League last four.

It probably feels like deja vu to them. And to us spectators too.

But the truth is that this isn't a death. Quite the opposite.

Football is alive. And a supposedly-meaningless tournament has provided the finishing touches to the resurrection.

Credit where it is due, Spain have been nothing short of amazing for the last six years. Their style of football has become a thing of sporting fashion and their success has made them one of, if not the top national football sides of all time.

But it was getting dull. So, so dull.

Tiki-taka will keep the ball.

Tiki-taka will keep the ball some more.

Tiki-taka will be salivated over and worshipped by puny opponents.

Tiki-taka will sap the willpower of everyone in sight.

ED is not saying that Spain and Barcelona must do badly for football to prosper. We've just been in dire need of someone, anyone, to drag them out of their almost painfully smug comfort zones.

Bayern did that in the spring, and now Brazil have followed suit in a wonderful culmination of a staggeringly enjoyable 'minor' event.
Neither side were underdogs, of course, but their successful approaches against tiki-taka can and will be replicated.

Sure, Spain could yet easily retain the World Cup on the very same pitch which hosted their dissection, and subsequently dismiss the 3-0 humbling as an insignificant blip on the road to another 'real' final.

But there now exists cast-iron evidence that tiki-taka is not the only way to play these days.

Not only that, but the antidote to the Spanish stronghold cooked up an absolute humdinger of a contest for a massive global audience. And exciting, open football matches are good, right?

Brazil of course would love to replicate the deafening roars inside the Maracana in a year's time. They have reason to believe they can do anything at the moment.

But their key to success against Spain was not exactly rocket science.
They simply showed the world champions no respect, put them under intense pressure and forced them into unfamiliar, uncomfortable territory.

And even when the Spanish hit their attacking stride, Brazil showed the true meaning of a superb defensive display (SPOILER ALERT: it isn't putting 10 men inside their own final third). Julio Cesar, David Luiz and Thiago Silva in particular were superb.

Brazil have a shedload of quality players at their disposal, of course: a country of 193 million football-obsessed people means the deepest talent pool on the planet.

But they are not the only country who can realistically take the same approach. There are at least half a dozen nations with the firepower to match Sunday night's intrepid approach and open up a ton of otherwise lop-sided games.

If more teams wake up from the hypnotic spell football has been under thanks to Spain and Barca, the 2014 World Cup will be wide open. The action will feel fresher. And it won't just be in Spain matches where things improve.

Every match between a clear favourite and a clear underdog will no longer likely be a tedious tussle between classy and cynical play. Put the superior teams under pressure. Roll the dice.

It may end in a heavier defeat but it could yield a performance with the guts and glory that Big Phil Scolari and his boys treated a delighted partisan crowd to on Sunday.

The common case against this argument appears to be Tahiti. Who would want to ship six, seven or 10 and 'devalue the tournament' when they can just plead guilty to the crime of being less developed as a nation and accept the lesser charge of a 2-0 snorefest reverse?

What tripe. Tahiti devalued nothing. They earned their spot and they attracted more casual fans than your average whipping boy ever could.

The Confederations Cup has proven that a little hustle and a complete lack of fear is a breath of fresh air.

And even Spain now must go back to the drawing board and add a few new wrinkles to their battleplan if they are to be sure of a second world title in 2014.

Their loss could be a huge win for fans bored with 99% of the world accepting their roles in tournaments.

Here's hoping it really does shake things up on the road to the finals, and isn't just a one-off.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/early-doors/tiki-taka-dead-no-football-alive-well-015447501.html


Keep on your toes Brendan !

Idiot article for idiot people in my view. One loss and one fairly average competition (by Spanish standards) and we get this load of predictable guff. Tiki taka isn't a recent phenomenon and is a style of football that transcends to the success of clubs like Dortmund in recent years. They didn't do too bad this season or in seasons just past.

The Death Of Tika - Taka ?

Spain's utterly-average display in their 3-0 Confederations Cup defeat to Brazil led to the usual suggestions that their era of supremacy is over.
Kaput.
Finito.

It's a pretty tired follow-up that we see every time the Spaniards or the club football kings of tiki-taka, Barcelona, take the sort of beating they're apparently only allowed to dish out these days.

In fact, there were plenty of participants on both sides at the Maracana who also featured the last time the 'end of an era' autopilots took to the skies - Bayern Munich's brutal splattering of Barca in the Champions League last four.

It probably feels like deja vu to them. And to us spectators too.

But the truth is that this isn't a death. Quite the opposite.

Football is alive. And a supposedly-meaningless tournament has provided the finishing touches to the resurrection.

Credit where it is due, Spain have been nothing short of amazing for the last six years. Their style of football has become a thing of sporting fashion and their success has made them one of, if not the top national football sides of all time.

But it was getting dull. So, so dull.

Tiki-taka will keep the ball.

Tiki-taka will keep the ball some more.

Tiki-taka will be salivated over and worshipped by puny opponents.

Tiki-taka will sap the willpower of everyone in sight.

ED is not saying that Spain and Barcelona must do badly for football to prosper. We've just been in dire need of someone, anyone, to drag them out of their almost painfully smug comfort zones.

Bayern did that in the spring, and now Brazil have followed suit in a wonderful culmination of a staggeringly enjoyable 'minor' event.
Neither side were underdogs, of course, but their successful approaches against tiki-taka can and will be replicated.

Sure, Spain could yet easily retain the World Cup on the very same pitch which hosted their dissection, and subsequently dismiss the 3-0 humbling as an insignificant blip on the road to another 'real' final.

But there now exists cast-iron evidence that tiki-taka is not the only way to play these days.

Not only that, but the antidote to the Spanish stronghold cooked up an absolute humdinger of a contest for a massive global audience. And exciting, open football matches are good, right?

Brazil of course would love to replicate the deafening roars inside the Maracana in a year's time. They have reason to believe they can do anything at the moment.

But their key to success against Spain was not exactly rocket science.
They simply showed the world champions no respect, put them under intense pressure and forced them into unfamiliar, uncomfortable territory.

And even when the Spanish hit their attacking stride, Brazil showed the true meaning of a superb defensive display (SPOILER ALERT: it isn't putting 10 men inside their own final third). Julio Cesar, David Luiz and Thiago Silva in particular were superb.

Brazil have a shedload of quality players at their disposal, of course: a country of 193 million football-obsessed people means the deepest talent pool on the planet.

But they are not the only country who can realistically take the same approach. There are at least half a dozen nations with the firepower to match Sunday night's intrepid approach and open up a ton of otherwise lop-sided games.

If more teams wake up from the hypnotic spell football has been under thanks to Spain and Barca, the 2014 World Cup will be wide open. The action will feel fresher. And it won't just be in Spain matches where things improve.

Every match between a clear favourite and a clear underdog will no longer likely be a tedious tussle between classy and cynical play. Put the superior teams under pressure. Roll the dice.

It may end in a heavier defeat but it could yield a performance with the guts and glory that Big Phil Scolari and his boys treated a delighted partisan crowd to on Sunday.

The common case against this argument appears to be Tahiti. Who would want to ship six, seven or 10 and 'devalue the tournament' when they can just plead guilty to the crime of being less developed as a nation and accept the lesser charge of a 2-0 snorefest reverse?

What tripe. Tahiti devalued nothing. They earned their spot and they attracted more casual fans than your average whipping boy ever could.

The Confederations Cup has proven that a little hustle and a complete lack of fear is a breath of fresh air.

And even Spain now must go back to the drawing board and add a few new wrinkles to their battleplan if they are to be sure of a second world title in 2014.

Their loss could be a huge win for fans bored with 99% of the world accepting their roles in tournaments.

Here's hoping it really does shake things up on the road to the finals, and isn't just a one-off.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/early-doors/tiki-taka-dead-no-football-alive-well-015447501.html


Keep on your toes Brendan !

Idiot article for idiot people in my view. One loss and one fairly average competition (by Spanish standards) and we get this load of predictable guff. Tiki taka isn't a recent phenomenon and is a style of football that transcends to the success of clubs like Dortmund in recent years. They didn't do too bad this season or in seasons just past.

Spain were unbeaten for 29 games prior to this loss, which is a new record. Yet now they loose a game and they're supposed to be done for, I think not.

Football tends to go in cycles and fashions so it's no great surprise that a few sides are figuring out strategies and tactics to deal with the metronome that is tika taka although I wouldn't get too carried away with last night's win for Brazil. Am sure it meant a lot more to Brazil and the 80,000 screaming home fans than it did to the Spanish side and none of us will be too surprised to see Spain carry off another World Cup this time next year.

As for our own style/approach I agree it changed as the season progressed. My own observations were:

- Rodgers had us trying to run before we could walk at the start of the season, in particular I think he overestimated the capabilities of the back 4 to get aclimatised to playing such a high line and being in posession of the ball in such high pressure/risk situations (ie. lose it and we're screwed). I also felt our pressing of the ball was a bit too gungho.

- We definately did get a little more direct as the season progressed however, I don't know if that was necessarily a tactical switch and may have been as much to do with changes in personnel. Enrique didn't really feature much in the opening couple of months but he isn't shy of putting a ball into space for others to run onto and we saw him link brilliantly with Suarez on several occasions (the goal against Newcastle being the most memorable). The introduction of Sturridge also gave us the 'on the shoulder' pace and directness that we were lacking during the first half of the season and young Coutinho is another player who was always looking to commit defenders and play the ball forwards with those brilliant slide-rules passes.

- Our defensive approach also changed as the season went on. Early doors we pressed high and often and got caught out often enough to concede silly goals. As the season wore on we got more selective and picked better moments to press the ball and by season's end and with Carra back in the side we were playing much deeper and pressing less often. It wasn't just down to pace at the back but at times our midfield weren't quick or mobile enough to hunt as a pack. Neither Gerrard, Lucas or Allen can hold up to someone like a Momo Sissoko or Mascherano when it comes to gettting after the ball. I think we need to be able to find a balance next season ie. pressing less than at the begining of the season but more than at the end of the year.

- In terms of the Tiki Taka element that everyone gets quite fixated on, I think that early in the season we played some pretty stuff and we passed it well BUT it was often without penetration. You can pass it all day BUT you need players in your side who can beat a man, you've only got to beat one player and then you force the oppo to commit another which in turn creates space for a teamate. It was no coincidence that the arrival of Sturridge and Coutinho meant our pretty passing game suddenly had a frequent end product so again, i don't think it was born out of any major realisation or tactical adjustment from the manager and more simply a case of better players equalling better performances.