When it comes to ball possession, different fans may have different views. Some people believe you are more likely to win if your side gets the higher ball possession, while others consider there's no necessary connection between possession and winning. So, what're your thoughts?
Deedart
289
in my point of view possession doesn't really matter and it has no connection with winning a game i mean just take a look of yesterday's match man city vs Leicester city clearly man city had more possesion and contact with the ball but yet leceister won the game sometimes the team that tends to have more ends up loosing because if your constantly with the ball you will obviously make an error which can lead to negative side effects
Ecantona
200
Ball possession jus means u are keeping the ball from your opponents. What u for with the ball is what is important. if your opponent is leading 1:0 ,they will be very glad to seat and let u have the ball as long as u are not a threat .its part of the game plan and it works well for the small teams.They know the the big teams will control the ball ,so they jus have to defend and wait for their chances to come and they take it.They defend as a unit and frustrate the opponent and hit on the counter attack.
ArsenalEnglandFan15
186
Of course possession matters! However the elephant in the room, is where the ball is possessed. For instance if a team has a lot of possession around the opposition's 18 yard box, then they will naturally have a greater chance of delivering dangerous crosses and through passes. Furthermore, shooting opportunities are also made easier. On the other hand, if a team were to have a great possession percentage, but only keep the ball in their own half, it indicates a severe lack of confidence to play outside their territory. It also suggests that they are a lazy team who don't like to attack. Another weakness that we are able to derive from this style of play is a weak midfield. For example if a team has a faulty middle, they wouldn't be able to control the ball further up the pitch. Thus explaining why they play in their own half. This will subsequently lead to the opposition to press higher up the pitch casing more problems to a team that plays in their own half. Despite these critices, if a team is winning by a large margin, it would make sense to control the ball in their own half in order to save energy and slow the tempo of the game. It could also be acceptable to play using this style when trying to counter attack. For example Manchester United. To conclude, in order to measure the effectiveness of possession, there should be an analysis of where the ball is played. For example if a team has 52% possession but it was mostly on their own half, then their possession isn't as valuable as a team who have 48% possession which is mostly kept in and around the opposition's 18 yard box.
Davichi
176
Ball possession does not guarantee winning, neither is winning as a result of ball possession. However there is a relation between the two... when you posses the ball more than your opponent, they would have limited chances to score against you and this gives your team an edge since the only way you can loose is if your opponent scores or force an own goal. If your team is able to posses more of the ball, the attacking players will have more courage to play to the best of their abilities and your defensive players will be more confident enough to join in attack. Also they would spend less energy since the opponent is the one chasing the ball. This will help your players a lot to be able to sustain the tempo each match especially with regards to the tedious schedule each season. All of those advantages aids a team to win... on the other hand, if you can't get more of the ball as a result of the midfield strength of your opponent, you can allow them play while you wait patiently to utilize any opportunity you get on the counter attack. Final note... the most important thing is football is not possession, dribbling, just creating chances or just scoring, but WINNING!!!
whykallar
145
Ball possession give you total advantages of winning most matches, i would set examples on my team Barca, the more ball possessions we have, we can break through your defense anytime giving us a good advantage of scoring more goals to win, likewise it weakens our opponent to even start playing more fouls, causing free kicks, corners and penalties, In most cases you will notice fatigue and opponents will get more angry when they are not receiving the ball, my views.
LaCeleste
134
Many people think so, because in the modern game the team with the highest possession usually wins. But that’s not always the case. Take Diego Simeone or Jose Mourinho for example. They believe that as long as they don’t have the ball, they can’t mess up and hurt themselves. Atletico Madrid recently beat BVB with 20 something percent of possession, just hitting on the counter attack. On the other side, though, is Barcelona. They say as long as they have the ball the other team can’t hurt them. Both proven winning philosophies and both exactly opposite. So many times the team with the most possession wins, but it’s not necessary in the modern game, especially if your team is good on set pieces or fast on the counter.
suhaimnryz
106
Yes there is. It however needs to be complemented by able and clever hard-working players. If your opponents don't get the ball they wouldn't be able to hurt you, instead you get the opportunity to make them cry. Ask Mourinho, CR7 and Ramos., Barcelona and Spain are two teams that are benefiting from this type of play. Just think about games that these two teams lost, it can be attributed to their opponents replicating what they do best. Brazil of the 70s to the 90s also benefitted from that kind of system. Arsenal of 2004 to 2006 also adapted to this type of play.
Kim_Zlatan
57
There is a relationship. When you possess the ball, you put yourself (as a team) in a good position to score a goal. Of course in football, sometimes we get surprised results but they are so called "surprised" because there had been chances to score goals. Statistically, teams with high ball possessions have won many games. Take a look at Barcelona, Manchester City and PSG. In most cases, the teams winning the league have better pass success rate, more shots (on and off target) and as a result of this, more football games are won (higher average points per game).
pmfootball
43
posession really matters in football coz but on the other hand you have to ged the quality players to do it quite successfully but if you can't tear the defence or split thembit's useless..we have seen in barca under guardiola thet they use to have lot of posessions and score also bcoz they had the quality players to do it....but on the other hand if you haven't that aort of players you can sit back and wait for a break to score a goal which team atletico madrid does they score goals in seat pieces or any other way and sit back in the defencethats why they have more clean sheets than any other team in europe bit in case of mancity or barca or psg you can see they scire lotals of goals during one season
Kevin Chinonso
40
I think it all depends on the ability of the players in a team.. if a team have strong and creative midfielders they tend to hold the ball and pressure the ball once lost.. this gives the advantage of creating many chances during a match which might lead to goals.. on the other hand a team with swift and precise attackers, a very good defence and a player who can throw precise long balls can relax and wait for their opponents to make a mistake and make them suffer by capitalizing with the 2 or 3 chances they have... but in a team playing the possession game, the players are more relaxed and gives them the edge of being more decisive.. anyways I prefer to play a possessive game
troudibaha
38
i'd say yes, in games possession is very important because more time with the ball means more chances and that's how goals comes but sometimes it's not very effective, in a match some teams needs 6 to 7 chances to score while others teams needs 3 to 4 chances find the back of the net so it depends on the players and the quality of the opposition we can take the latest classico as an example Barcelona had more possession and created more chances than real Madrid and was very effective in the attack and the result was 5-1. by the way we can't really blame Man city for the loss yesterday because leicester city was very good defence. if any of you agrees with me make sure to drop a 👍 and thank you
Antogrizzy
30
Everyone will have a different view on the matter as a result of the teams you support. Many teams has to have a lot of ball possession to feel comfortable and in control like: Barca, Bayern, Man City, Arsenal etc. while some feel much more comfortable leaving the opponents to get comfortable in possession and wait for them to relax which is where they will slip up and make mistakes then the other team counter. Teams that enjoys this type of play and will give you the answer that possession doesn't really has any strong connection to winning are teams like: Atleti, Leicester City, Crystal palace and most Italian teams
babafemi
29
It must be emphasized that keeping the ball should be a strategy or tactics towards winning and not winning in its real sense. E.g during matches depending on situation a team finds itself. keeping the ball from the opponent when a team is leading so as to exhaust the opponent by chasing the ball and frustrate them into committing more fouls. The score line is what guarantees a win. Therefore having 70% of the ball with a score line at 1-0 against a team Signifies failure. The objective of a team in every competitive game is winning, only the score line can show you that, not ball possession. History doesn’t recognize ball possession either, but score line only. In training the art of ball possession could be mastered as directed by the coach.
Yondiame1
29
Forgive my directness but there has to be a relationship between the two....why is because of you playing a game and possessing your opponent mostly leads to chances being created and if u have lethal strikers who can finish off good passing work from midfielders that's all...a typical example is mancity or Barcelona....the posses some of the best midfielders and ball playing defenders in football and they hard work done by them is complimented by the good strikers they have...it's just when it's gonna be a bad day it's just going to be even if u posses the match from beginning till the end u won't win...and that's just d case of having a bad day...but if a good possession shld be and must be complimented with a sound winning even if it's 1-0.
actavis0524
26
Winning isn't based on ball possesion I tend to think that it is more inclined to the urgency a team shows on the ball.I've seen a lot of teams enjoying a majority of the ball but have gone on to earn results.Thats why I like watching Crystal Palace vs Arsenal when palace are at home.Obviously Arsenal have a lion's share possesion characterised by aimless passing in the midfield and backline but when Palace hace the ball,they always look foward,move a lot and make chances.That's why Man City under Pep are so successful their slump on form notwithstanding.They always keep the ball moving with urgency and no aimlessness.In my point of view,I think that urgency with the ball surpasses possesion if a team wants to win matches.Therefore,POSSESION IS NOT THE KEY!!!!!!