Spain at it again, bring back the tiki-taka trance

Doha, November 24

It was a World Cup win fit for a king. Literally. King Felipe VI was among those congratulating Spain in Qatar after their 7-0 rout of Costa Rica in the World Cup opener Wednesday, when ‘La Roja’ reintroduced the ‘tiki-taka’ and put on a masterclass of ball possession and efficient attacking to get off to a good start in their quest to win a second world title.

The historic victory raised expectations about Spain’s chances of succeeding in Qatar and football’s most coveted trophy for the first time since 2010, when Xavi and Andres Iniesta were the leaders of the ball-possession style that amazed the soccer world. “Keep singing,” King Felipe VI told the players as he entered Spain’s locker room at the Al Thumama Stadium after the match. “We’ve enjoyed it, as did everybody else. More than the result, it was delightful to watch you play.”

Spain are led by a couple of teenage sensations who have added some punch to the ‘tiki-taka’ style. Gavi and Pedri, along with a group of other talented youngsters making their World Cup debut, provide speed and energy to go along with the constant rapid passing and ball control inherent to the style. “The idea was for all the players in the midfield to have a lot of touches, and from there the quality of our players prevailed,” Spain coach Luis Enrique said.

Spain completed a record 1,003 passes for a 90-minute game on Wednesday, and finished with 75% of ball possession. It had 17 attempts against zero by Costa Rica.

“Our only goal is to control the game continuously, and to do that you need to have the ball,” Enrique said. “The rival gets frustrated and struggles to find space. We were exceptional with how we pressured.”

The 18-year-old Gavi and the 19-year-old Pedri controlled the pace of the match along with veteran Sergio Busquets, the only remaining member of the 2010 World Cup-winning squad. Up front, Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo and Marco Asensio, worked aggressively off the ball. — AP