Tiki Taka - What is it?

     Tiki Taka is a style of play in association football, characterised by short passing and movement, working the ball through various channels, and maintaining possession. The style is primarily associated with La Liga club FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team under managers Luis Aragonés and Vicente del Bosque. Barcelona's tiki-taka tradition has been credited with producing a generation of technically talented, often physically small players such as Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Cesc Fàbregas and Lionel Messi; players with excellent touch, vision and passing, who excel at maintaining possession. Raphael Honigstein describes the tiki-taka played by the Spanish national team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup as "a radical style that only evolved over the course of four years", arising from Spain's decision in 2006 that "they weren't physical and tough enough to outmuscle opponents, so instead wanted to concentrate on monopolising the ball."