A Passing of the Guard? Germany 11-3 Spain

            The recent domination of Spain in European football has arguably come to a shuddering halt over the last 2 weeks. The demolition of firstly Barcelona, and then Real Madrid, in the Champions League Semi Final first legs could individually have been considered flukes, but collectively imply a distinct pattern. Whilst Real Madrid fought valiantly last night, providing Borussia Dortmund with an incredibly panicky and tense final few moments, tonight’s Barcelona performance is perhaps indicative of a seismic shift in European football. Barcelona, considered one of the greatest teams ever, exited the competition with a whimper, and the Nou Camp, once an impregnable fortress, was left stunned into silence. This brings into question Spain’s status as the dominant force in European football, and with Barcelona’s abject performances, raises questions over whether ‘tiki taka’ football is dead.

 

                Whilst I will reserve judgement on whether Spain as a national side have lost their world and European number 1 status until after at least the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, if not the 2016 European Championship. However, if subsequent national competitions follow the recent shift in power from Spain to German in club contests, I foresee a rather different outcome to that in 2008, 2010 and 2012. This is not a shift that has occurred overnight. Whilst the events of the last two weeks have forced the issue into the spotlight, arguments can be made that this has been on the cards over the last couple of years. Germany have had at least semi finalists in each of the last 4 seasons, with Bayern Munich being involved in 3 of the last 4 finals. Whilst the ‘El Clasico’ pair have both been regularly involved in Champions League semi finals over the last decade, the fact that Bayern have beaten firstly Madrid, and then Barcelona in the last two semi finals shows that German football, and especially Bayern Munich, have been on the rise in the last few years.

 

                The first all-German Champions League final is seemingly the end of a gradual evolution towards German domination in European club football over the last five or so years. Despite this, it would be foolish to suggest that the two great Spanish giants are now irrelevant. There will always be there or there about, and with two of the best footballers in the world amongst their ranks, they have the potential to turn any match on its head. The argument against these two weeks being indicative of a seismic shift in European football is that Bayern Munich have had a record-breaking season this year, sweeping aside all in their path, both domestically and continentally. This season could therefore be seen as a ‘flash in the pan’, as their title winning campaign this year has broken two years of Dortmund domination. This is certainly supported when we look at how Bayern have performed in their previous two campaigns, finishing 2^nd (2012) and 3^rd (2011), 8 and 10 points behind the eventual champions. Considering these statistics, this record-breaking season cannot have been predicted, and therefore does not suggest that German football, and Bayern in particular, were becoming more prominent in European football. The argument against Dortmund’s presence in this year’s final being indicative of a shift is that they are simply this year’s Chelsea. Whilst they qualified top of arguably the most difficult group, they were within moments of elimination against Malaga in the quarter finals. Relying on a Manchester City-esque double salvo in added time, they were highly fortunate to progress to this point. Personally, I disagree with these arguments. Having experienced Borussia Dortmund first hand in the group stages, they are fully deserving of their place in the final. This is further illustrated by their performance at home to Madrid last week. Bayern, whilst this season may have come out of the blue, have been riding a wave of momentum, and have deservedly demolished Barcelona both home and away this year, having beaten Madrid last. This appears too significant to ignore, suggesting that German football is beginning to usurp their Spanish counterparts.

 

                All of this, along with the emphatic defeat of Barcelona, leads me to question whether the iconic Catalan ‘tiki taka’ style is effective. It may well be the case that they no longer have the element of surprise, and therefore teams may now be able to counter it more effectively. Perhaps the loss of Pep Guardiola at the end of last season has had some significant loss to the philosophy. Whatever the reason, it certainly appears that ‘tiki taka’ football is no longer a match for Bayern’s disciplined, fluid, attacking football. This suggests that certain revisions to the tactic are required.  Whether that is simply the removal of the over-reliance on one man (Lionel Messi), or something slightly more detailed, it is clear that Barcelona can no longer rely on their trademark style to steamroller the top teams, as was the case a few years ago. I wouldn’t go as far to say that ‘tiki taka’ is dead, but it now requires greater sophistication to be effective against disciplined opposition.

                  As for whether German football has overtaken the Spanish game, I remain sceptical. It is hard to argue with that combined scoreline, but Barcelona and Real Madrid both remain consistent on reaching Champions League semi finals, with Barca reaching the last 6 consecutively. Until multiple teams from the German league can say the same, I refuse to accept that they have de-throned the Spanish giants. German football has had a phenomenal season this year, and Bayern Munich can certainly make a case to have deposed the two Spanish clubs as Europe’s best club if they win on the 25^th May, but for German football to have overtaken the Spanish on the course of two weeks is short-sighted. Give them a few years, a World Cup, and a couple of Champions Leagues, and then we can reassess.