Neil Warnock Quotes

The important thing for me is we want to keep the ball, we want to have the ball because we are Arsenal football club.

In five years I have never had a match where my team has had less possession than the opponents.

When I see a game on the television, and you see afterwards 'possession percentage 60-40,' that doesn't say anything for me because it could be that one team is playing the ball between the back four 120 times.

My teams have always been dominant about having the ball but having the ball to create opportunities. That's always been the clear way of my work.

The only thing I would like is to have more control of the game in terms of possession.

I've never seen a Barca without control of the game. I've never seen a Barca that doesn't have the ball and lets the opposition attack all the time.

Sometimes in midfield, it's nice because you do get a little bit more of the ball, and maybe out wide you rely on people to get you the ball.

All coaches say, 'We want to control the game. We want the ball. Blah, blah, blah, blah,' but it's impossible to have the ball all the time.

I like teams to control and dominate the ball so the players are hungry for the ball.

Losing the ball is not going to help your team, so I am trying to change that.

I like to be in contact with the ball, have possession, to play.

I experienced that the ball is the most important thing. When you have the ball, the other team really can't do anything.

We know it's impossible sometimes to have good defending against Cristiano Ronaldo but we want to keep the ball, with good possession, as then he can do nothing in attack.

I think time of possession is overrated, unless you are scoring.

If you have a good midfield, you have a good team.

I have to open the game from my position. It's really important to play with the ball.

Our style of play is increasingly based on possession of the ball. It suits me as a forward. We've got an attacking approach, and that means that I get a lot of chances; otherwise, I would have not been able to score so many goals.

Since I was in the youth team I would love to dribble past opponents with a dummy. That tendency got even stronger under Giampiero Ventura at Bari, as we never threw the ball away.

We have four parts of our game: working against the ball; in possession; losing the ball; winning the ball. If you are good in all four parts, you have a good chance of winning.

When I get the ball with my back to goal, I like to be in touching contact. I need to feel the guy. He will try to take the ball, and I will go past him.

This is one of the challenges we have: knowing that playing without the ball is just as important as when you have the ball.

In the end, it's like that: The more I possess the ball, the more dominant we play, and the more often we win.

You watch Silva, and he almost never gives the ball away. He is always looking, thinking, making the right calls.

When teams train now, it is about what they do with the ball and, if they lose it, how quickly they press to win it back.

When you play against a top side, you know they will have more possession, and they will be in more control, and you have to find one or two counterattacks.