tiki-taka

My problem with the tiki-taka is exactly what you describe.

Spain with tiki-taka and Germany to some extent) versus time-intensive, opportunity-seeking/opportunity-creating (such as Brazil, Argentina, etc.) Why?

You'd think that tiki-taka relies on unattainable levels of coordination and high training between players, but it's not that simple.

Specifically, FC Barcelona's famous tiki-taka does not consist of uncountable random passes but rather has a precise, finely constructed structure.

And hence the tiki-taka philosophy of football which deprives the other team of possession.

It was their third final and they knew they were outmatched by Spain’s tiki-taka.

Both play the tiki-taka style and have mostly the same players.

Even if there was no regulation, the broadcasters would be absolutely livid if their audience wanted to see the best players & top clubs play tiki-taka but were served smash & grab.

In principle if all victories were explainable by a combination of those two variables the Elo residual/surprise would be a measure of this, but hey, teams get better/worse at opportunity-seeking too, even teams specialized in tiki-taka.

Frankly, for me the most boring is a 2-0 win where the team scores those 2 in the first 20 to 30 minutes, swaps to a 5-4-1, and plays tiki-taka passing possession control without trying hard to advance the ball for the remaining hour of the match.

Catenaccio is totally different to Barcelona's attacking possession based game also referred to as "tiki-taka" or "total football," popularised by Cruyff.

Spain's confident quick pass-and-move "tiki-taka" was ever-present and has in my eyes been impotent in the last few years (and more important as a neutral viewer - very frustrating to watch).