Tiki-taka

How it is used

A common football label, sometimes admiring and sometimes critical of excessive passing.

Example sentences

1. Their tiki-taka drew our midfield forward before the decisive pass.

   Repeated short exchanges change the opponents' positions.

2. The pundit called it tiki-taka but complained that it produced few chances.

   The style label does not guarantee productive attacking play.

Common collocations

• tiki-taka football
• tiki-taka style
• play tiki-taka

Related terms

• possessionControl of the ball by a team; also the percentage of time each team has the ball during a match.
• passA kick, header or throw that sends the ball to a teammate. As a verb, to pass means to send the ball to a teammate in this way.

More terms: Formations & Tactics

• formation
• line-up
• counter-attack
• pressing
• high line
• marking
• offside trap
• park the bus
• mid-block
• double pivot
• half-space
• rest defence