The Death of Tiki-Taka Football --- Why Spain Had No Chance in the World Cup

As most football fans are aware of, the 2008 Euro Cup, 2010 World Cup, and 2012 Euro Cup winners, Spain, have been eliminated after just two World Cup matches. Not only did Spain lose, they lost badly. A Spanish side that only conceded two goals in seven matches in the 2010 World Cup gave up seven goals in only two matches thus far in the World Cup. Frankly, Spain were dominated.

But the question is why? This was practically the same squad that won all the previous championships, with the same manager, with the same tactics. Could age have really been the main factor? Not likely, although many of the Spanish players have reached or are soon to reach their thirties.

As all of these things have stayed the same -- stayed constant -- there is one very important factor that has changed over the last six years. The style of football that other countries and clubs play. With Tiki-Taka dominating everyone, there was an increased demand to figure out a way how to defeat it. All Tiki-Taka is is slow build-up play through the middle of the field with short passes. This is why Spain's excellent midfield of Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, etc., were so key to their successs; they had the ability to control the ball in the middle of the field and complete hundreds of passes.

Alba struggled mightily against
a pressuring Chile side

So if a team is going to just play through the middle of the field, how do you plan to stop them? Well of course, you're going to stack the middle of the field and outnumber them. Although Iniesta is one of the best dribblers in the world, there is no way he can dribble through three players on a consistent basis. With the center of the field shut down, Spain now has to play wide and use their wing backs to push forward and send in crosses. As shown yesterday, Jordi Alba is not too used to doing this for the national team, and he struggled mightily. It would be one thing if Alba had all day
on the ball to pick out a cross, but the style most teams play now is to be high pressure on the ball.

This brings us to the successor to the Tiki-Taka, a style that I cannot think of the name for. This style, however, is similar to the style Pep Guardiola uses at Bayern Munich; a style where the ball is constantly being pressured and the team doing the pressure is looking for a dribbling mistake from a player who is not used to holding possession of the ball. Look at the Australia v. Netherlands game yesterday. Australia was pressuring the ball very aggressively, and it turned out that they had a 2-1 lead at one point in the game. Australia had a lead over the Netherlands. That is not something that happens by chance.

Compare the Australia v. Netherlands game to the Cameroon v. Mexico game. Cameroon did not pressure the ball at all. They were very content with letting Mexico hold possession throughout almost the entirety of the match until the 80'. This lack of ball pressure made it almost impossible for Cameroon to create any chances. When you don't have the ball, you can't score. Needless to say, Cameroon lost that game 1-0 with only one real scoring opportunity coming after the 80', after they decided to pressure the ball.

So should every team and club start using this high pressure style? It doesn't really matter if they should, they're probably going to.

So is this high pressure, ball attacking style going to be the tactic to rule for the next 20 years? Most likely not, just as Tiki-Taka lasted about 6 years (or until a new tactic arose), this high pressure style will most likely have the same life cycle.

Germany v. Portugal World Cup Match Preview --- Will a Less Than 100% Ronaldo be Enough?

The Group G matches, better known as the 'Group of Death', start today with favorite Germany against a Portugal side with an injured Cristiano Ronaldo. This World Cup has been one of the most exciting tournaments in terms of number of goals scored in history, and hopefully this next match will not disappoint.

Germany

The Germans are once again favored as a team to make a run deep through the knockout stages and it is quite clear as to why when looking at the roster. Every position has either a superstar, a former superstar, or a brimming superstar. They arguably have the best goalkeeper in the world in Manuel Neuer, the best right back in the world in Phillip Lahm, and the best center mid in the world in Bastian Schweinsteiger. 

Lahm's ability to know push forward and play more of a midfield spot and send in beautiful crosses and passes all while also being able to get back and play solid defense is what makes him so special. Many past coaches of Lahm have referred to him as the smartest player they have ever coaches, and it is easy to see why when you watch a Germany or Bayern Munich game. 

Unfortunately for the Germans, a key starter and brimming superstar, Marco Reus, was injured in the pre-tournament friendlies and is out for the entirety of the World Cup. Reus is seen as one of the best young players in the world, and his combination of pace, dribbling, and finishing make it obvious as to why. There are several players who can fill Reus' spot quite well, so German fans need not fret.

Tactically, look for a 4-2-3-1 from the Germans, a formation that has been adopted throughout much of the Bundesliga and will allow the German players to play in a system they are most comfortable and familiar with. The lone striker will be Thomas Mueller, who is known for his movement off of the ball and his finishing ability. Although not very aesthetically pleasing, Mueller plays quality football.

Portugal

The Fighting Ronaldos are going to have their hands full with this German side, particularly with an injured Cristian Ronaldo. Some good news for the Portuguese came in their last friendly when Ronaldo played 65' and seemed to not be hobbled at all. However, the intensity of a friendly match vs. the Republic of Ireland and a World Cup match against Germany are two totally different animals. With Messi scoring a goal and leading Argentina over Bosnia and Herzegovina last night, Ronaldo will be chomping at the bit to score a goal and prove that he is the best player in the world. Unfortunately for Ronaldo, he will most likely be doing this by himself as the other Portuguese players are nowhere near the quality of Ronaldo or most of the German side.

Prediction

The Germans will show their quality and why the 4-2-3-1 is the best formation to utilize with their roster. Ronaldo will struggle with injury against the strength of the German defenders and will be held scoreless.

Germany: 2

Portugal: 0 

Heat @ Spurs Game 5 --- Can the Spurs Clinch the Title? Live Blog Commentary

FINAL
MIA-84 SA-107

MIA-81 SA-100 1:53: Great moments for the Spurs that show what a class act Popovich is as he takes out the Spurs starters one-by-one each to a standing ovation.

MIA-72 SA-90 6:30: The Spurs continue to shot lights out from 3-point range and the Heat have no answer. They have even resorted to putting Michael Beasley on the floor for some offensive production. Although the Spurs are up by 18 with half a quarter left until they win an NBA Championship, they have not let up on either end of the court.

END 3Q
MIA-58 SA-77 This game has played out just like the last two ever since the start of the 2nd quarter. An unbelievable shooting performance by the Spurs has left them with a 19 point lead to begin the 4th. Many people wonder how Popovich has such total control and respect from his players, but the answer is very evident if you watch them during blowouts. Although the Spurs have been up by about 20 for the majority of the 3rd quarter, Pop has never stopped coaching and getting on his players -- particularly about any defensive lapses that may occur. This may seem like a small thing, or even a mean thing, but this constant coaching is what has caused the Spurs to not be satisfied. They could have been satisfied with the Game 3 blowout, or the Game 4 blowout, or even the past 4 championships. Instead, the Spurs are on the verge of winning another championship.

MIA-48 SA-65 4:10: Well that was fast. A huge block from Tiago Splitter started the Spurs run that included two three pointers from Patty Mills and a three from Manu Ginobli. The Heat look like deer in headlights at this point.

MIA-40 SA-50 8:17: Not too much action to start this 3rd quarter, LeBron has not been as effective as he was in the first quarter, as Miami is yet to score a point this half. The defense for both teams has been better, but the reason for the low score total this quarter is mostly due to the inability of both teams to make shots.

HALFTIME:
MIA-40 SA-47: LeBron was limited to just 3 points in the 2nd quarter and Heat offense suffered greatly. The story of this game, and even of this series, is how LeBron has received NO help from his teammates; LeBron has scored 20 on 6/12 shooting, the rest of the team has scored 20 on 6/22 shooting. It's pretty simple for the Heat, if they want to win this game another player needs to help carry the load with LeBron. No player -- even one of the greatest of all time -- can beat a team the caliber of the Spurs by themselves offensively. Wade is old and Bosh is nowhere to be found.

In the 2nd quarter, the Spurs were carried at one stretch by Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobli at another point. However, throughout the entire game, Kawhi Leonard has been the catalyst for the Spurs, shooting 3s and playing somewhat effective defense on LeBron. Although LeBron has scored 20 points at halftime, Kawhi is still making him work for every point and LeBron seems to not have the same amount of energy in the 2nd quarter as he had in the 1st.

MIA-37 SA-45 1:54: OH MY GOODNESS Chris Bosh just got POSTERED by Manu Ginobli. Ginobli has taken over for the Spurs drawing fouls, driving the lane, and hitting threes.

MIA-35 SA-34 5:40: Tim Duncan has taking over offensively for the Spurs, scoring in the post on the last several possessions for San Antonio. The Heat has a decision to make; double Duncan in the post and open up San Antonio shooters for 3 or make Duncan continue to play well in the post.

MIA-35 SA-28 7:10: Somehow the Spurs are only down 7 despite shooting around the 30% mark. Spoelstra has made some interesting rotation changes using Haslem, Battier, and Cole. Battier has not worked out as of yet, as explained in my previous post, and Haslem is getting worked in the post by the greatest Power Forward of all-time, Tim Duncan.

END 1Q
MIA-29 SA-22: This game has been the LeBron James show from the start. Unfortunately for the Heat, Bosh and Wade still have not really shown up to play. Ray Allen has been the beneficiary of a couple great looks from LeBron, but he has not been perfect shooting the ball. The worst player for Miami has been Shane Battier, inserted off the bench shoot 3s and play D. However, Battier has only fouled jump shooters and set poor screens. If he is not going to play effective defense, there is no place for him on the court.

San Antonio has settled for many jump shots early in the game and needs to penetrate and score in the paint if they hope to close out the series tonight.

MIA-27 SA-18 1:52: The three point shooting of San Antonio has kept them in this ballgame for now. However, their inability to penetrate the inside of the Miami defense has made the majority of their shots very difficult ones. It is unlikely that they will be able to sustain this kind of shooting for much longer, but given how they shot the last few games, anything is possible.

MIA-22 SA-8 4:48: LeBron is definitely on a mission tonight, carrying the team on his back both offensively and defensively. Although his offensive output has been significant, I believe his defensive intensity has been more critical to the Heat's early lead.

MIA-8 SA-0 8:41: Wow, for the first time in a long time the Heat are shutting down the offense of the Spurs. The main reason for this comes from the ability of LeBron James to stay in front of Tony Parker and prevent him from breaking down the Heat defense. Mario Chalmers was unable to do this through the first 4 games of the series, and it showed. Offensively, the Heat still are not reaching their full potential, but the aggressiveness of Wade and Bosh is good to see for Miami fans.

TIP: Let's see how the Heat change the defensive strategy to try to shut down the Spurs for the first time this series.

England v. Italy -- Gli Azzurri Without an Injured Buffon

Right along with the Spain v. Netherlands match, the England - Italy game is one of the most anticipated matches in the first round of this World Cup. Perennial powers, both teams are looking for some very crucial points with Uruguay fully expected to get 3 points against Costa Rica, neither Italy nor England want to be a whole match in without any points. Unfortunately for us viewers, this could mean that both teams will be playing for a draw and will not be too eager to push men forward. However, given how this World Cup has played out with 20 goals through 5.25 matches, a goalless draw seems unlikely.

England

The Three Lions have many formidable names like Rooney, Stevie G, Sturridge, Hart, etc., but with recent international disappointments, not too much is expected from England. Tactics should not be too surprising from the English side, especially considering how Gary Neville accidentally leaked them in a picture. The English plan to control the possession game through the middle and complete many short passes. In the picture, a gameplan also appears to center around shutting down Italian legend Andrea Pirlo, the danger man who will be servicing many crosses into Joe Hart's box. While many have seemed to make a big deal over the leaking of tactics, some of these tactics are not too surprising. Of course England plan to shut down Pirlo and try to reduce the amount of crosses he sends in. Tactics will be tactics, but the most important aspect of this match will prove to be the execution. 

Italy

Gli Azzurri are reloaded again for a run all the way to the final in Brazil. Aforementioned legend Andrea Pirlo is still going strong and has proved to be the lynch pin for the Italians. Playing alongside Pirlo is youngster Marco Verratti, a upcoming star with a great ability to control the ball through the midfield. Verratti is not the type of player to wow you with his ability, but his importance is similar to a Luka Modric for Croatia and Real Madrid. Upfront for the Italians, and the man who will try to carry the majority of the scoring load this World Cup is the Yasiel Puig of the football world, Mario Balotelli. Balotelli proved his worth in the 2012 Euro Cup, and is out to seek revenge for Italy's loss in the final. Balotelli's finishing ability is what separates him from any other ordinary striker. 

The replacement for Buffon, Salvatore Sirigu
is a very capable backup for the Italian squad

The most recent news and most talked about aspect of today's game came from Gianluigi Buffon's Twitter this morning. In a post, Buffon wrote how he will not be participating in today's match due to an ankle injury he suffered. In between the posts for Italy will be Salvatore Sirigu, a very capable keeper in his own right.

Prediction

Neither team wants to lose and most likely be down 3 points from the second place team. Therefore, I expect a fairly defensive game between both sides. Just based on how the other games this World Cup have been playing out, I expect both teams to get a goal. 

Italy: 1

England: 1

Uruguay v. Costa Rica Preview World Cup 2014 --- Suarez to Start on Bench

Second game of the four World Cup matches today is between a highly skilled, highly touted Uruguay squad and a Costa Rica team that is haunted by ghosts.

Uruguay

The main story of this game revolves around the fitness --- or should I say, lack of fitness --- of all-world striker Luis Suarez. With the Liverpool danger man coming off of a knee surgery, many doubts surrounded his ability to start for Los Chaurruas. These doubts were confirmed when the official line-up card was released and Suarez's name was seen listed under bench. 

Without Suarez, Cavani will step up to prove his worth for
the Uruguayans

Fortunately for Uruguayan fans everywhere, their squad is not solely built around the top goal scorer in the Premier League. Edinson Cavani is a top striker in his own right, and Diego Forlan was the best player in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Uruguay are one of the favorites to advance out of their group stage and make it deep through the knockout stages in this year's World Cup. Their talent level at every position on the pitch makes this dream very believable.

Costa Rica

This Costa Rican side finished 2nd in the CONCACAF and proved to be one of the more difficult sides to score on. Unfortunately for Costa Rica, top qualifying goal scorer Alvaro Saborio suffered a foot fracture and is out for the entire World Cup. This major injury will make it so that another Costa Rican will have to step up to be an attacking presence. The task will most likely fall onto the shoulders of Arsenal player Joel Campbell. Campbell, in turn, will most likely fall to the ground for no reason. 

Prediction

The Uruguayans are a top team in this World Cup and will not disappoint. Star players Forlan and Cavani will wreak havoc on the Costa Rican defense, and I full expect both players to score a goal today. 

Uruguay: 2

Costa Rica: 0

Greece v. Colombia World Cup Preview: Will the Greeks Finally Come Out to Play?

The first of four World Cup matches this Saturday is between a boring Greek team and a Falcao-less Colombia.

Greece

The Greeks hope to repeat their 2004 Championship run

The Greeks, who shocked everyone when they won the 2004 Euro Cup, will use the same boring, defensive tactics that they always use. If you watched yesterday's Cameroon game, you got a good sample of how the Greeks are going to play; locking in on their defensive half and chasing down runs into the box. The thing is, though, the Greeks are big enough and strong enough and good enough defensively that even the strongest offensive teams will have trouble scoring against them. Strong outside back Holebas and center back Papastathopoulos will anchor the defensive side who are very strong at slowing down and shutting down runs into the box.

Offensively the Greeks will not do much. However, if they were going to score a goal it would most likely come from a set piece like a corner or free kick that connects with the head of a teammate. The Greeks will not beat themselves; you must beat the Greeks

Colombia

An injured Falcao is a major
loss for the Colombians

When the news that superstar Radamel Falcao was going to miss the entirety of the World Cup, many people lost all hope in the Colombians. The Colombian offense was basically built around the AS Monaco star, and it seemed far-fetched to expect them to be able to re-model their entire offense within a couple of weeks. However, many people do not give enough credit to the other players on the Colombian side who, in their own right, are exceptional footballers. Jackson Martinez is an elite goal scorer for FC Porto and will try to use his strong heading ability to bring home a goal for Colombia. Look for the 5'7" Colombian right back Zuniga to whip in a cross to Martinez for a Colombian golazo.

Prediction

Ultimately, the Greeks are playing to not give up a goal; they do not care if they score a goal. Without the offensive threat from Falcao, the Greeks will be able to hunt down Martinez and I do not expect a goal to be scored this game.

Greece: 0
Colombia: 0

Chile v. Australia Match Preview

Australia

NY Red Bulls Tim Cahill

The Socceroos have virtually no chance to win this game or to get out of this group. With the likes of Spain, Netherlands, and Chile in their group, the main goal for the Socceroos is to score a goal. The main danger man (and honestly, the only danger man) for Australia is 34 year old Tim Cahill. Any goal that will come for Australia will most likely come from a set piece that connects with the head of Cahill.

One of the best midfielders in the world,
Arturo Vidal will look to make a huge
impact for his country

Chile

Chile is a very interesting team to watch, especially with one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world in Arturo Vidal. Another key player to watch is the pacey, quick dribbling forward from Barcelona -- Alexis Sanchez. Sanchez will be the main attacking focus for his opponents, which will most likely open up more room for a player like Eduardo Vargas to score goals and send in good balls to the box.

Prediction

Australia has no chance to compete with the teams in its group and should just enjoy the sights and sounds of being at a World Cup. The firepower of Chile will create chance after chance and with the finishing ability of Alexis Sanchez, I expect many goals for the Chilean side.

Chile: 3
Australia: 0