The phenomenon that is tiki-taka style football has come from nowhere to seemingly take over the beautiful game in recent years.
Barcelona and the Spanish national team are famed advocates of the system and many have attempted to follow suit, with Wigan Athletic, Swansea City and Liverpool to name but a few who have implemented this so-called ‘philosophy’ at their respected clubs.
It can be a joy to watch, but is it a joy to play on FIFA 13?
If implemented properly, tiki-taka styles can prove almost unplayable. Short, sharp, passes in triangles are plenty of fun to attempt and can be made all the easier by a couple of simple tips.
First and foremost is to set your custom tactics to ‘Possession’ mode at the beginning of the game. This allows the players to move into more positions for shorter passes.
The second thing to bare in mind is to keep patient. It can get incredibly tempting to launch a 30 yard Hollywood-style ball with the likes of Xabi Alonso, but keep moving and play with simple passes.
It helps with movement if you hit the R1 button after each pass. This means the player who made the pass will automatically make a run in which to receive a return ball. If you can develop this into your play your teams will be constantly moving and making space in which to receive the ball and make further passes to unlock defences.
The next tip is to empower your key players. The likes of Andrea Pirlo, Xavi and Xabi Alonso are programmed to dictate games like this in FIFA 13 and those with the best passing stats always control the game.
And finally, always be thinking two or three passes ahead. Use the map at the bottom of the screen to work out which runs have been made and where space has opened up, and when you have worked an opening, play that killer pass.
Patience, movement, using your best players for the job and thinking ahead are five sure ways to implement the perfect tiki-taka philosophy on FIFA 13.
It may take time to hone these skills, but if you enjoy playing the beautiful way it is ultimately rewarding.
Take a look at the tiki-taka tutorial video below to get an idea of how to practise this style.
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