Bayern Munich & Dortmund, Barcelona & Spain. The two powerhouse clubs from both nations. In this year's champions league semi finals we saw the German teams dominate the Spanish ones. But the question needs to be asked, is the possession game (or tiki-taka) style of the Spanish teams outdated? Is the sheer efficiency of Bayern Munich far too much for Barcelona to overcome?
We saw the way Bayern dominated Barcelona in the 4-0 drubbing of the first leg in the semi finals. Barcelona had 65% of the possession yet did absolutely nothing on the scoreboard. Bayern allowed Barcelona to play within their own half and get "meaningless" touches on the ball. As soon as Barca turned the ball over, Bayern (with their overlapping full backs, frantic off-the-ball running and extremely efficient ball movement) was far too much for Barcelona to handle.
The exact same can be said in the 4-1 drubbing Dortmund gave to Real Madrid. It was all too similar in this game also. The frantic defence, the efficiency of ball movement and profligacy in front of goal was, once again, too much to handle for the high possession team.
This begs the question, is the possession game outdated and obsolete? Has our game moved on from this style?
My opinion is that teams from all around the world can take a leaf out of the German style of accountable football, yet also learn from the possession style as well. For the possession football style to work, turnovers cannot occur. Because as soon as the ball is turned over, any team worth something are going to make you pay, and your possession counts for nothing as soon as you've conceded.
