Vote and discuss. Tiki Taka = Style based on posession, movement and passing in general. Examples: Barcelona(200 and Spain(200 Catenaccio = Style based on Defense. A highly organized and effective backline defense which is intended to prevent goals. Examples: Italy WC2006, Greece Euro2004, Inter(2010) Direct Foootball(Kick N Rush) = Style based on long balls, usually plays with a big Center Forward. Very effective on cornerkicks, freekicks, throw-ins etc. Examples: Stoke City, Norway under Drillo, teams under Sam Allerdyce. Counter-attacking Football = (From Wiki): The aim of this type of football is to catch the opponent on the "break". When they give away possession in midfield or attack, opposing players will tend to be further up the field than usual and may not be able to quickly adjust to a defensive mindset. Counter-attacking football may involve leaving one or two strikers near the half-way line in the hope that a through ball can be played to catch the opponent off guard. This parallels the long through ball tactic explained below. In the example, an attack by the black team has broken down and ended up in the hands of the white goalie. By kicking a long through ball for the furthermost white player (left up there in the hope of this situation - this is the "break" mentioned above), the player has a chance of scoring as he should have evaded the defence if he is fast enough. In other cases, defenders and midfielders may join in the counter-attack, trying to outnumber or otherwise overtake the opposition by quick and intelligent movement and fast passes. Speed is an important factor both in offence and defence, as the probability of scoring decreases sharply when the opponent has managed to organise their defence. Examples = Germany WC2010, Russia Euro2008 Others: Dirty & Agressive style (Uruguay in the 80s, Netherlands WC2010 etc.6 Total Voetbal (Netherlands WC1974, teams led by Marcelo Bielsa fx. Chile) Joga Bonito (Brazil WC1970, WC1982)
Italy 2006? What are you talking about? Lippi's 4-2-3-1 was probably the most offensive formation to come out of Europe since Holland's total soccer. Just because the team also had the best defenders in the world, it did not make the a catenaccio playing team. People need to watch the games and stop believing that the biased English speaking press print.
I'm sure that's why Fabio Cannavaro was generally considered the most important player on the Italian national team during that tournament. They were a very defensive formation. I would also not describe the tactics of the German national team counter-attack based. They are "trying to play" possession and passing based football like Spain is, with an emphasis on a quick switch to offense and defense on the pitch, which is why they have been successful on counter-attacks a lot. If that was generally the aim of their game, you would see the pulling back much more, whereas they are nowadays always looking to play an active offensive part.
I voted 'total football' but I have to admit that I also like the 'counter attacking' style very much. I remember Italy 2006 and Dutch 2008, when executed perfect it can be amazing to watch.
I love the way Chile plays. The constant pressing and aggressive attacking make it fun to watch. Counter attacking is also excellent.