Any coach who uses ball possession can win more games? The answer is not black or white. Ball possession does not guarantee to win. Ball possession comes with certain benefits and tools that if they are used correctly, can increase the possibility of a team winning. The critical word is “possibility“.

Football is a simple game. The team that scores the most goals wins. Ball possession is a key component for success in football. The ability to keep the ball and disorganize the opponent’s defensive structure with it is valuable and teams that can do it well are usually the ones that come out on top. Possession can be the difference between winning and losing a match. It allows a team to control the tempo of the game, create chances to score, and deny opponents space and time on the ball to enter dangerous spaces where they can score.

But over the years, the game has become increasingly complex. Top clubs now employ strategies and play styles that revolve around intricate movements and complex passing patterns, rather than simply kicking the ball as far up the pitch as possible and chasing it.

One of the key components of this new style of play is ball possession. Coaches who emphasize ball possession often win more games, and there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that this style of play is more effective than the alternatives.

Why it is important to have ball possession?

Football has simple rules and the margin for error in our days with top professional teams is small. We are referring to teams who study and analyze every single detail of their own game and their opponents. However, the margin for error is often what decides matches. In close games, one mistake can be the difference between winning and losing.

There are several reasons why possession is so important in football. For one, it allows teams to control the tempo of the game. If a team can keep the ball, they can dictate the pace and terms of the match. This can be crucial in frustrating opponents and preventing them from getting into a rhythm.

Another big reason why possession is key is that it gives teams a chance to rest. When a team has the ball, their opponents are the ones doing the running. This can be a big advantage, especially as the game goes on and players start to tire.

But perhaps the most important reason why possession is so important in football is that it creates opportunities. Keeping the ball allows teams to work their way into dangerous positions and create chances to score. The more possession a team has, the more chances they usually have of finding the back of the net.

Elements for training a ball possession style of game

To train a ball possession style of a game, certain elements are required.

• Players with specific profiles
• A training methodology that prioritizes possession and positional play. Possession and positional games should be used almost in every training session
• Torelance in mistakes: The process of training a team to have confidence and use ball possession to attack requires time and mistakes will happen. Some of them may cost the loss of some games. It is necessary in order for the players to get better through their mistakes, develop their awareness of time and space, and not have the courage to play under heavy pressure.
• A coach who understands the fundamentals of ball possession and positional play and who is constantly learning new ways to further develop his style of play

Examples of ball possession training drills

• Possession Game – Moving the opposition to penetrate
• How to build up with deep full backs – Positional Game

For more coaching material, you can read my post “The 4 best Positional Play books – my personal opinion“

Who are the most well-known coaches who use ball possession as their attacking style?

It’s no secret that some of the best coaches in the world favor a style of play that emphasizes possession of the ball. Taking control of the game and dictating the tempo can be a huge advantage, and these coaches have perfected the art.

Since the days of Total Football, ball possession has been an integral part of the game.

The Dutch national team of the 1970s with the father of Total Football, Rinus Michels, is often cited as the originator of the style, though the historical roots of the game can be traced back even further. His student Johan Cruyff followed his steps and further develop the idea of Total Football. Cruyff was a great strategist, and his ideas about how the game should be played were far ahead of his time.

Many people credit the success of Spanish teams in recent years to their use of the ball possession style of play. This method of play is based on the team keeping the ball as much as possible, rather than trying to score quickly. The theory is that if the team has the ball, the opponents can’t score.

These are just a few of the best coaches who favor a possession-based style of play. There are many other great coaches who favor this style, but these are some of the most famous and successful coaches using ball possession.

So who are the best coaches using ball possession? Here are a few of the top names:

• Pep Guardiola: The legendary Barcelona and Manchester City manager is perhaps the most famous advocate of possession-based football. Guardiola’s teams are known for their elegant, patient build-ups, and their ability to keep the ball for long stretches of time. Pep Guardiola is widely considered to be one of the best coaches in the world. He started his coaching career with Barcelona B, before taking over the first team. During his time at Barcelona, the team won 14 trophies, including 3 Champions League titles. He then moved to Bayern Munich, where he won the Bundesliga title in all 3 of his seasons in charge. He is currently the manager of Manchester City, where he has won 2 Premier League titles.
• Mikael Arteta: The current manager of Arsenal FC, is known for his coaching philosophy that prioritizes ball possession. Arteta has adopted a possession-based playing style that focuses on controlling the game through ball possession, fluid passing, and movement off the ball. He is heavily influenced by Pep Guardiola as he was his assistant for 3 years at Manchester City. His tactics aim to create numerical superiority in different areas of the pitch, allowing his team to dominate possession and create scoring opportunities.
• Mauricio Pochettino: The Tottenham Hotspur manager is another fan of possession football. Pochettino’s teams are known for their high-pressing and intense pressing style of play. At Southampton, Pochettino led the team to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League.
• Roberto De Zerbi: De Zerbi’s approach to coaching ball possession involves training his players to be comfortable on the ball, with a focus on developing their technical skills, movement off the ball, and ability to create space. He places a strong emphasis on playing out from the back and building play from the goalkeeper, using his defenders as ball-playing center-backs who can distribute the ball effectively.
• Jürgen Klopp: The Liverpool manager is another coach who favors a possession-based style of play. Klopp’s teams are known for their aggressive pressing and their high-octane attacking play. Of course, Klopp’s possession style has a more direct intention than Guardiola but still, his team tries to use the ball to manipulate the opponent’s behavior. For that exact reason, Jurgen was brought to Liverpool Tiago Alcantara.
• Jorge Sampaoli: He was the Chile national team coach and currently is the head coach of Sevilla. He has also used the ball possession style of play to great success, leading Argentina to the final of the Copa America in 2015, and the semifinals of the World Cup in 2014.

Conclusion

Ball possession is a way of controlling a game. It is not the only way and for that reason, not all the coaches are using it. It requires specific player profiles, a coach who is familiar with the tactical requirements and how to coach it, and a club that has an attacking-minded, ball possession culture. For example, Diego Simeone had great success with Athletico Madrid by adopting a more defensive style of play and controlling the game without the ball.