Is obsession about possession making football boring?
In English football, the influence of international coaches is there for all to see.
Arsène Wenger’s Invincibles had a specific approach to nutrition at Arsenal. José Mourinho’s Chelsea used defence-first tactics, resulting in a record-low 15 goals conceded in a title-winning season.
In recent history, Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are foreign coaches who have elevated the English game to the next level.
Klopp’s Liverpool went unbeaten in the league at Anfield for three and a half years between 2017 and 2021. His self-invented ‘mentality monsters’ pushed Guardiola’s Manchester City to the limit. These matchups resulted in some great Premier League duels.
However, there are worries amongst football fans that one English team is starting to pull clear of the rest. For a record fourth consecutive season, Manchester City won the Premier League.
The Citizens have their way of playing football, which is great if you’re a supporter of the team, but angering opposition fans. These are the statistics and opinions regarding the situation.
The statistical stance
In football, statistics and data are now the driving force behind analysis and performance levels.
Everyone knows that Manchester City like to dominate possession, and the statistics support this.
According to FBref.com, Manchester City had more average possession per game than any other Premier League team.
It’s also interesting to look at the bottom of this graph.
The managers of West Ham, Everton and Sheffield United are David Moyes, Sean Dyche and Chris Wilder.
These three managers are often classified as ‘old school’ by football fans and have been managers for numerous decades.
As for the teams higher up in this graphic, the more shocking names are Brighton and Burnley.
Despite finishing in the bottom half of the table, Brighton are fourth in the highest possession average.
And Burnley, who are 12th in this chart, ended every game week in the bottom three this season.
Roberto De Zerbi and Vincent Kompany, bosses of these clubs, have garnered interest from Europe’s top clubs. And Kompany has just become the new Bayern Munich head coach.
This is despite the previously mentioned fact about their Premier League form, and with teams who average much less possession finishing above them.
Sam Allardyce’s comments back in 2010 about his managerial style being ‘more suited to Inter Milan or Real Madrid’ and that he ‘would win the double or the league every time’ seem outlandish, but with Kompany and Bayern Munich, a coach is being employed because of their style of football, not the club they manage, or even form. So bigger clubs are taking a coaching philosophy-first approach, with one factor seemingly the biggest selling point-possession.
Pep’s proteges
Kompany can be deemed a Pep protégé having played under him for three years. And there are a few coaches in the game making waves with the knowledge they have gained from working under the Spaniard. Take Enzo Maresca as an example.
Maresca is looking like he is going to be the next Chelsea head coach. The current Leicester boss was second for average possession in the Championship last season with 61.6%, according to FBref. This number was only bettered by Southampton with 65.5%, who were also promoted.
Typically in English football, the Championship is looked down upon. England’s top clubs would rather employ someone from Spain, Germany or Italy to manage their club. But now, the narrative has changed.
Marseca, who worked under Guardiola at Manchester City for several years, is being employed by Chelsea, not because of who he has managed in the past, but his style of play.
It will be no surprise to see Chelsea’s average possession rise next season- but will the possession translate to success? Time will tell.
Another one of Pep’s proteges who has succeeded in management is Mikel Arteta.
When Arteta was appointed Arsenal head coach in 2019, eyebrows were raised. This was because he hadn’t taken a solo job in management, yet he was becoming head coach of one of the biggest teams in the world.
And Arteta endured a wobbly start, but remained in charge of Arsenal and has guided the Gunners to back-to-back second place finishes in the Premier League.
You can put a lot of his success and ideas down to what he learned from Guardiola. Whether it be a tactical configuration or the idea to play centre-back as full-backs. And does this make the game boring as teams are taking fewer risks? Well, let me try and answer that question.
A final verdict
Taking the statistics, background information and details into consideration, I’m not sure if the domination of possession makes football more boring, but it makes it more predictable.
Elite players are being told to take fewer risks on the ball, and instead of relying on moments, things are more carefully thought out.
Take Jack Grealish for example, someone who has changed his playstyle based on the coaching he has received.
He doesn’t take on players as much anymore to beat his man, and this is something we see every week now, with the art of a winger changing.
That’s why it was so refreshing to see the resurgence of Crystal Palace under Oliver Glasner. The front three of Jean-Philippe Mateta, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise provided a breath of fresh air, taking risks on the ball and scoring plenty of goals against good opposition.
The tweets about Mateta being a ‘Prime Barclays’ striker were funny to see, but great too, because this was the style of football I grew up loving.
The goalless draw between Manchester City and Arsenal in March with a total of three shots on target was, for me, extremely boring.
It’s also a game that if Arsenal won by taking more risks, they would’ve won the Premier League.
Fortune favours the brave, and I think a bit of bravery in the Premier League wouldn’t go amiss.
Why footballers should take more risks on the pitch
Take Phil Foden’s long-range screamer against West Ham on the final day, or his goal against Manchester United in March.
Foden can score from these positions, but we don’t see these types of goals anymore because the top coaches are so obsessed with possession statistics and keeping the ball.
It’s a metric to assess how good a manager is, and I don’t think that’s right.
Managers should be judged by results. And passing football doesn’t guarantee it.
Take Real Madrid, who knocked Manchester City out of the Champions League with 32% possession, or Manchester United, who beat City in the FA Cup final with 26% possession.
Possession isn’t the be-all and end-all. It’s about making your chances count and being brave on the ball. That’s what, for me, makes a world-class player.
Premier League football is watched globally to see players do things out of the ordinary. Something we wouldn’t be able to see Sunday League players do over the park.
So it should be celebrated when players take more risks. But I think football is heading in the other direction. A direction that’s not forward, but sideways, and sideways, and sideways.
