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> This is how Barcelona played some of the most beautiful football of all time. I'm going to go out on a limb and say having way more money than almost all of

> This is how Barcelona played some of the most beautiful football of all time. I'm going to go out on a limb and say having way more money than almost all of your opponents had something to do with it too. Oh, and having Messi might have been of some importance as well. I'd like to see some data that shows I'm wrong, but I haven't seen anything to suggest it's helpful to possess the ball at midfield. If anything, you open yourself to easy counterattacks. Possessing the ball in front of the other team's goalie is a different story, but of course that is many times harder to do.

jonwinstanley 5y ago
Agreed, Barcelona between 2008-2012 had several of the greatest players on the planet at the time, and almost all had come through their own academy. Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol and Busquets. Plus in Guardiola, one of the greatest managers of all time.
barrkel 5y ago
Possessing the ball in midfield isn't useful if the opposing team is entirely between you and the goal. If, however, you pass through the other team's forwards to your midfield, then it's different; you've taken some of the opposition out of the game for a time. On the other hand, your midfield will be immediately under pressure and they have to do something with the ball. All too often, you see midfield players simply pass it back to the back four, resulting in a gradual press rather than risking an attack.
notahacker 5y ago
Possessing the ball in midfield means you have an opportunity to move the ball closer to the opponents' goalkeeper, or the option of keeping it safe so that the opposition don't possess it near your goalkeeper. Having the ball in midfield over a period might only give you a very marginal chance of scoring at the end of it, but not being able to get the ball back is an absolutely massive disadvantage for an opponent that needs to score.
- bachmeier 5y ago
  > not being able to get the ball back is an absolutely massive disadvantage for an opponent that needs to score That depends heavily on who you're playing. There's no such thing as possessing the ball for the entire game. A team with a strong counterattack only needs one pass to be off the mark to score.

jonwinstanley 5y ago

Agreed, Barcelona between 2008-2012 had several of the greatest players on the planet at the time, and almost all had come through their own academy. Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol and Busquets. Plus in Guardiola, one of the greatest managers of all time.

barrkel 5y ago

Possessing the ball in midfield isn't useful if the opposing team is entirely between you and the goal. If, however, you pass through the other team's forwards to your midfield, then it's different; you've taken some of the opposition out of the game for a time. On the other hand, your midfield will be immediately under pressure and they have to do something with the ball. All too often, you see midfield players simply pass it back to the back four, resulting in a gradual press rather than risking an attack.

notahacker 5y ago

Possessing the ball in midfield means you have an opportunity to move the ball closer to the opponents' goalkeeper, or the option of keeping it safe so that the opposition don't possess it near your goalkeeper. Having the ball in midfield over a period might only give you a very marginal chance of scoring at the end of it, but not being able to get the ball back is an absolutely massive disadvantage for an opponent that needs to score.

bachmeier 5y ago
> not being able to get the ball back is an absolutely massive disadvantage for an opponent that needs to score That depends heavily on who you're playing. There's no such thing as possessing the ball for the entire game. A team with a strong counterattack only needs one pass to be off the mark to score.