“Fin De Ciclo” read Spanish sports daily AS’ front cover in the wake of Barcelona’s 4 – 0 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich last Tuesday.

Coupled with Borussia Dortmund’s elimination of Real Madrid and Barcelona’s humiliation in the second leg, the mood in Spanish football changed in one fell swoop and one would be forgiven for believing this “end of an era” talk or the idea that the baton has been moved from Spain to Germany.

However, on closer inspection, the argument that Spanish football is on the decline is overstated.

The idea that tiki taka has been conquered is not entirely accurate. Firstly tiki taka in the truest sense of the philosophy is only practiced by Barcelona and the Spanish national team – and in truth both use distinct versions of the model. Secondly, Real Madrid have nada to do with tiki taka as they use a one-dimensional counter-attacking model that is distinctly un-Spanish. 

Vicente Del Bosque’s all-conquering Spain side use a much more cautious version of tiki taka than Barcelona with a second holding midfielder (usually Xabi Alonso) sitting alongside Sergio Busquets, while the back four is more balanced with a single attacking full back and two traditional centre-halves.

Based on their performance at the Allianz Arena in the first leg, Bayern Munich could well have beaten the Spain side that triumphed at the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, but it would have been a much harder task as La Furia Roja is less susceptible to the counter-attack than Barca.

Turning to Barcelona, their frailties are not a result of their devotion to their blend of short passing and total football principles. That basic philosophy underpins the periods of success that they have enjoyed since the early 90s, with each manager - from Johan Cruyff and Louis Van Gaal to Franck Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola - adding a different dimension to the idea.

Work-rate

The Catalans problems are purely a question of tactics and personnel. Defensively, they have become unbalanced since left back Eric Abidal was diagnosed with liver cancer. As a result, Barca now play with two ultra-attacking wing-backs which leaves the defence hopelessly exposed on the counter.

But most significantly, the work-rate which allowed tiki taka to work, seemed to evaporate into the atmosphere.

Manager Tito Vilanova abandoned the intense pressing that was a hallmark of Pep Guardiola’s time at the Camp Nou, which has resulted in limp performances in the Champions League, particularly away from home. The one match in which they pressed collectively as a team saw them overturn a 2 – 0 deficit against AC Milan and win 4 – 0 at home in early March.

It is suggested that Vilanova and his coaching staff relaxed the need for pressing in order to make the team more “expansive”. Yet in many ways the team is narrower tactically and it comes down to the role of Lionel Messi.

The false nine’s brilliance can also be a problem with the team increasingly built around his inimitable talents. That leaves Barcelona impotent if the little Argentine magician is nullified with no one to take up the slack in the way that Samuel Eto’o or David Villa (prior to his leg break) used to do.

But with an improvement in their transfer market record after failures like Alexis Sanchez and Alex Song, this can be rectified by bringing in top level support for their talisman, while the club’s celebrated academy continues to pump out talented prospects. The noises emanating from the Camp Nou suggest that the playing staff will be freshened up, which is the direction to go in, rather than questioning the philosophy that has underpinned their recent success. The philosophy is not the problem. The way it is applied is the issue.

That’s more than can be said for English football. Despite the Premier League’s limitations and lack of philosophy, the English media were gloating somewhat in the wake of La Liga’s wake up call.

Since 2010, there have been accusations from some English pundits that Spain and more recently, Barcelona are “boring” because they monopolize possession and do not attack with abandon.

However, what they fail to highlight is the fact that this is a reflection of the opposition’s tactics and not Spain or Barcelona’s intentions. Barca, in particular are built to attack and entertain.

But would “parking the bus” Chelsea style have worked against a Barcelona side that was not funnelling all its play through Lionel Messi like the more varied side under Guardiola? Probably not is the tentative answer.

Inter Milan managed to pull it off once in 2010, but it is easy to forget that Zlatan Ibrahimovic started that year’s semi-final first leg and covered less ground than his own goalkeeper.

Barcelona – and Spain by extension – do not need to rip up the script. They just need to rewrite one or two lines.