2nd R: Spain v Russia Sun @3pm

Exactly. Tiki taka, at its peak, had Pedro, Villa and Torres on the shoulder of the last defender, or at the very least movement and one-twos from technically gifted forwards. It wasn't just a heap of tricky midfielders and a striker who it appeared the rest of the team didn't trust.

It also had balls played to the feet of centre forwards, with the midfielders confident that the centre forwards had the required level of technical ability to hold the ball and pass it back. The midfielders, like Iniesta, were capable of actually moving forward, playing quick one twos, and looking for space, confident that Xavi and Busquets behind were capable of controlling the game with and without the ball.

What it didn't have was ten players in a line across the pitch, knocking it five yards to each other, with the furthest forward player on the sideline, fifteen yards from the goal line, and the deepest outfielder thirty five yards from the goal line outside the centre of the area, all knocking it sideways, sideways, sideways.

It was a brutal spectacle.