Possession

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Re: Possession

by Franchise FC » 22 Apr 2012 06:33

Ideal Some people are incredibly obsessed with possession football.

Reviewing Madrid v Barca, statistics are barca 72% possession, Real 28%. Yet Real won the match.

Can we all now agree that having the ball more and passing it about for ten thousand times in neat little triangles is less important than scoring the most goals?


Roberto Di Matteo and Jose Mourinho have both been learning at the Brian McDermott WNG training sessions 8) 8)

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Re: Possession

by TheMaraudingDog » 22 Apr 2012 07:14

Of course scoring goals is more important but you can't score if you don't have the ball.
I bet that stats would suggest that normally the team with the most possession wins so therefore id say possession it still pretty important.

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Re: Possession

by Franchise FC » 22 Apr 2012 07:19

TheMaraudingDog Of course scoring goals is more important but you can't score if you don't have the ball.
I bet that stats would suggest that normally the team with the most possession wins so therefore id say possession it still pretty important.


Brighton vs Reading
Southampton vs Reading
Chelsea vs Barcelona
Barcelona vs Real Madrid

It's not exactly rare is it.
The four most important games in Europe in the last ten days and the team with least possession has won the lot.

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Re: Possession

by superreadingfan » 22 Apr 2012 08:24

:|

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Re: Possession

by gazzer, loyal royal » 22 Apr 2012 08:29

depends where the possession is. A lot of teams will let barca have the ball in their own half, where they know they can't score from. It's all well and good saying Xavi made 130 odd passes in the game against Chelsea but 90% of them were probably backwards or in his own half


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Re: Possession

by Royal With Cheese » 22 Apr 2012 08:41

gazzer, loyal royal depends where the possession is. A lot of teams will let barca have the ball in their own half, where they know they can't score from. It's all well and good saying Xavi made 130 odd passes in the game against Chelsea but 90% of them were probably backwards or in his own half

^^
This

It's the most infuriating part of this wonder football. Why would I pay to watch 60 minutes of one-touch warm up's?

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Re: Possession

by PieEater » 22 Apr 2012 08:52

The tippy tappy football that Barca play bores me to death. That's why the prem is so popular elsewhere as it is generally exciting

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Re: Possession

by winchester_royal » 22 Apr 2012 09:50

PieEater The tippy tappy football that Barca play bores me to death. That's why the prem is so popular elsewhere as it is generally exciting


Indeed, which is why I genuinely believe the Prem is the 'Best LOLeague in the WorLOLd'

It's not the most technically gifted, but when it comes to excitement, goals per game, passion, tempo etc..it pisses all over the Spanish league (IMHO)

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Re: Possession

by Victor Meldrew » 22 Apr 2012 11:18

PieEater The tippy tappy football that Barca play bores me to death. That's why the prem is so popular elsewhere as it is generally exciting

Yeah absolutely those so watchable Bolton,Blackburn,Wolves,Stoke,Everton etc and especially those exciting 0-0s between Spurs and Chelsea and Chelsea at Arsenal yesterday.
For me La Liga>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>most Premier games.


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Re: Possession

by Rev Algenon Stickleback H » 22 Apr 2012 11:44

I watch a fair bit of aussie rules football, and for years they had the same attitude as most here do about stats, i.e. that they are pretty useless. That was because their stats were like ours are currently, and didn't really tell you much.


what they started doing instead was measuring things that actually made a difference, rather than being pure counts.

Rather than just possession, they measures the ability of team to win contested possessions, the number of passes that were effective (i.e. actually made a contribution rather than sideways/backwards), the times teams got the ball into dangerous areas etc. It allowed them to differeniate between teams having a lot of possession, and being able to use the possession effectively.

It's a particular pet peeve of mine that so many now use shots on target as a measure of how many good chances a team created, dismissing off-target shots as ones of poorer quality. That's just nonsense. Of the four best chances in the Brighton v Reading game, for example, two hit the woodwork, yet neither counts as a shot on target.

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Re: Possession

by winchester_royal » 22 Apr 2012 13:21

Victor Meldrew
PieEater The tippy tappy football that Barca play bores me to death. That's why the prem is so popular elsewhere as it is generally exciting

Yeah absolutely those so watchable Bolton,Blackburn,Wolves,Stoke,Everton etc and especially those exciting 0-0s between Spurs and Chelsea and Chelsea at Arsenal yesterday.
For me La Liga>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>most Premier games.


VictoROFL MeLOLdROFLew

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Re: Possession

by sandman » 22 Apr 2012 13:48

AROFLogant and DeLOLuded EngLOLishmen.

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Re: Possession

by cmonurz » 22 Apr 2012 14:37

Hilarious that the minute they suffer a slight dip in form, Barca's style suddenly comes under the microscope. You can't score goals without the ball. First home defeat in 55 games.


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Re: Possession

by Barry the bird boggler » 22 Apr 2012 14:48

Ideal Can we all now agree that having the ball more and passing it about for ten thousand times in neat little triangles is less important than scoring the most goals?


Absolutely. All stats are utterly meaningless, save for the one headed GOALS.

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Re: Possession

by Franchise FC » 22 Apr 2012 14:53

cmonurz Hilarious that the minute they suffer a slight dip in form, Barca's style suddenly comes under the microscope. You can't score goals without the ball. First home defeat in 55 games.


I'm not going through all this thread but there are any number of posts that quote that possession isn't everything. It didn't start and hasn't been a Barca bashing.

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Re: Possession

by winchester_royal » 22 Apr 2012 15:04

sandman AROFLogant and DeLOLuded EngLOLishmen.


Pompous AngLOLophobe

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Re: Possession

by cmonurz » 22 Apr 2012 15:06

3 posts out of 14 that made a direct relationship between the hypothesis that you don't need the ball to win a football match and Barca's recent results. Given no other team has come under the microscope on this thread, I thought it a relevant point to make. Rare occasion where I am in full agreement with TMD.

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Re: Possession

by RobRoyal » 22 Apr 2012 16:30

cmonurz 3 posts out of 14 that made a direct relationship between the hypothesis that you don't need the ball to win a football match and Barca's recent results. Given no other team has come under the microscope on this thread, I thought it a relevant point to make. Rare occasion where I am in full agreement with TMD.


Agreed completely. Barca win countless trophies, dominate the champions league... then lose the league, for the first time in 4 years,to the most expensively assembled team in history... and suddenly the success of their method was a blip?

Lolable thread.

Agreed with Rev that the possession stat is very blunt - but Ideal may as well have used the same game to claim any relation between shots on target and points won. Clearly there are a lot of caveats to offer, obviously.

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Re: Possession

by Franchise FC » 22 Apr 2012 19:54

Ideal No, your post is what is "LOLable", it makes me go zomg, rofl, 111!!!oneoneone.

You are trying to reduce the argument of "possession football" vs "effective football" to a one-game discussion, which clearly it is not.
Another example of stupidity is when people try to reduce "effective football" to hoofball.
No, Reading FC play "effective football", while West Ham play HOOFBALL.
The difference is, we, RFC, try to play the ball in the most direct and effective manner while maintaining tactical control, in order to get up and score.
West Ham on the other hand do not appear to have a bonafide tactical pland, and resort to hoofing it up towards the big man, and do not have any plan B, this is where the difference is.

If you play effective football, you make your chances count, because you create dangerous chances -chances that appear when the opponent is disorganized at the back.
If you pass it around between your defenders for 33 moves, before trying to have a go at goal, generally what happens most of the time is you get a long range shot from in the middle of the pitch straight in front of the keeper, which the keeper easily gathers. This is not a dangerous chance.
Compare that to our recent one where Kebe storms down the right, picks out Roberts and he scores from 5 yards out, clearly this is the more dangerous and penetrative opportunity which is more likely to catch them off guard, hence more likely to create a goal.

I honestly do not buy into the argument that somehow it is more entertaining and of more value to watch some team pass it about in their own half for 33 moves, than it is to watch us storm up the pitch and score in three quick moves, I just don't buy that.

Can someone from the "piss-it-about-possession-brigade" please explain to me why it is somehow more entertaining to watch a team pass it for 33 moves and then not score, than it is to watch us pass it three times AND SCORE THE WINNER????

I would also like to point out that effective football is proven to be a success recipe over and over again.
Greece won the championship playing effective football, and defeated several teams that played braindead possession football in the course of winning it.
Norway continually punch above their weight in international football, despite having a team consisting largely of players who most would agree are of less than average ability, Norway still manage to beat the bigger teams, and have recently defeated both Germany and Spain.

Today West Brom defeated LOLiverpooLOL. Despite LOLiverpooLOL having taken some 28 shots, and West Brom managing only 9, a third of what LOLiverpooLOL had.


EXACTLY - and as I posted earlier, there's a real trend over the last few weeks.

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Re: Possession

by cmonurz » 22 Apr 2012 20:01

And Barcelona. Has their football been effective? Have they won anything in the last few seasons?

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