Barcelona and the Spanish national team have made this style of football the epitome of their extraordinary success for the past 5 years. The video below demonstrates the sheer brilliance of this zonal approach to football and why it is tremendously difficult to not only to master, but to defend against. All I can say is good luck to Guardiola trying to implement this at Bayern next year. I really think his reign will be short-lived. This passing and possession-based system is too complex in my opinion. You have to be bred into this style. What do you think?

Click "Watch on YouTube"

I don't believe Guardiola will attempt to employ tiki-taka at Bayern -- at least not as the overriding principle behind their play, as may be found at Barcelona. I agree with you that Barca's proficiency with it stems from having spent a lifetime learning it and playing it as the default style, and I also think that Guardiola will know that. I think he's too intelligent to think he can turn Bayern Munich into FC Barcelona.

Instead, I think he is going to attempt to study Bayern, figure out what has made them tick and how his predecessor instilled a 'Bayern way' into the squad (let's not forget that this is hardly the first year that Bayern have been a powerhouse in Europe under Heynckes), and figure out a way to enhance it.

I've read a great deal of journalism on how Guardiola turned Barcelona into the unprecedented success they were under his regime, and it wasn't down to just tiki-taka. It was also a rigid (ruthless, even) training structure, an obsessive attention to detail, and excellent man-management both on and off the training field, alongside the tiki-taka style that is drilled into the Barca youth from an early age.

I can hardly expect he won't take those qualities and that regimen to Bayern Munich, too, and I reckon he'll be smart enough to realize that the crop of players he's inherited are suited to a much more physical, pace-driven strategy -- his first 'pick' was Luis Suarez, wasn't it?

I can't see Suarez doing any good at Barcelona, but I certainly can see him being excellent for Bayern Munich.

Just hunches and opinions, of course, but I believe that Pep Guardiola won't make the mistake of trying to turn the best team in Germany into a replica of his Spanish success.

Time will tell, of course...

theres no need for Bayern to do the tiki taka, they're already the best team in europe so whats the point?

tiki taka sucks

It can be modeled after (example Swansea) but no till will ever replicate it. It would take years of teaching it to the youth players before it can be done right by the starting XI. Bayern Munich have no need, they already average over 60% possession while ruthlessly attacking and consistently bag in 3 or more goals.

Bayern are basically destroying everyone with their amazing counter attack but still dominate possesion.... game over.

It's harder than you think because Spain won their world cups and Euros using tiki-taka. Changing things very quicly might not be very good.

The biggest difference I see between Guardiola's Barcelona and Vilanova's Barcelona is that Vilanova's team has lost their hunger. Under Guardiola, when Barca lost possession, they would track down the opposition like BLOODHOUNDS. They would never rest until they have the ball again. That's why Barca have conceded so many goals this season (despite scoring the same average amount of goals). They've lost the hunger to win that Guardiola had implanted in their brains. The moment Barca regained their hunger back, they thrashed AC Milan 4-0. When they went out with a normal mindset, they lost 2-0. I hope Vilanova realizes this soon, otherwise his Barcelona squad isn't going anywhere in the CL, even with the likes of Messi and Iniesta.

That was a great comment, Lodatz. What do you think of Guardiola's first signing in Gotze? Do you think he was bought because he would fit into a tiki-taka system? This is what Klopp had to say on the transfer: "The reason Gotze is leaving? He is the favorite transfer of Guardiola. So if it's anyone's fault it's mine," he told reporters. "I cannot make myself 15cm smaller and learn Spanish. Gotze wants to work with this extraordinary coach that is Guardiola. I cannot preach football of quick transitions and now start playing tiki-taka." My point is, that I don't think Guardiola's style fits Bayern, and vice versa.

@TheGame: I think that was Klopp just being witty/jokey, more than anything else, to avoid starting a media row.

As for Gotze... I dunno. I think if he was only suited to tiki-taka, he wouldn't have been such a lynchpin of the quick transitional play of BVB in the first place. I think Gotze was picked just because he's an extremely talented player, than any team would love to have, and I think he wants to work with Guardiola because of Pep's phenomenal success record, and the intense loyalty he inspired in his team, at Barca.

And at Barca, sure, he was steeped in the system set up by Cruyff, as was most of the club, and think for that reason it was a match made in Heaven. I think part of the reason Pep has chosen a different league, is to learn new styles himself, and find new ideas that others have developed, rather than to try and change that league to fit what he already knows.

Of course, I'm not him, and so am just speculating, and I guess we'll just have to see what happens next season, but in my guesstimation, I don't think Guardiola will try and change Bayern too much, only improve upon what he finds.

God help the rest of us. :p

To explain what I'm basing this opinion on: there's a fantastic book called Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World, by Graham Hunter, which has a couple of chapters focusing on Pep's own playing career, and how he then managed the team.

I guess that the way his personality and ambitions are described in those chapters, as well as the quotes from him regarding what lessons he has learned, has left me with the impression that this move to Bayern is more about him wanting to grow, learn and prove himself, than about trying to shove his previous success/ideas down anyone's throat.

Does that make any sense?

@Lodatz, yea mate. Good point. I still have my doubts but, as you said, we'll have to wait and see.

Apparently Gotze was bought for Guardiola to use him as his "false nine/ten" player. It'll be quite interesting if that's the case.