Possession-Based Soccer Quotes

I think Barcelona and the Spanish national team have been good for soccer because there are a lot of teams that come up playing from the back: with the goalie, the defense, moving up a defender to midfield, playing attacking soccer. I think fans want to see that. They want to see beautiful soccer, a spectacle, and Barcelona does that.

With Bayern, we want a lot of ball possession and to control the play, so I operate sometimes like the 11th outfield player. Thus I am included a lot into the build-up play and have a lot of touches of the ball.

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

Regarding my coaching philosophy, I think it is important to adapt to the team/players and the culture in the country where you are coaching, but to keep possession is a key issue wherever you are.

Pellegrini as a coach likes the team to be in control of the ball, and go forward.

Little things that I've emphasized are turning in pockets and looking to penetrate and finding these spaces and playing at a good tempo when we're in the middle third.

I want the ball for 90 minutes. When I don't have the ball, I go high pressing because I want the ball.

We play attacking football. We're PSG; that's what we're used to - to create opportunities. It's in our DNA.

The game in Spain is more about technique and about getting more touches on the ball. That's why I like it so much.

The style is the same at all levels, which facilitates things: bring the ball out from the back, keep possession, work gaps to create chances. It's like that from the Under-15s all the way through. That's the Spanish way, and it has triumphed.

From what I saw in Spain and Germany most of the teams drop back and then they have all of the time to build up and have the movements. In the Premier League it is more physical and about set plays. It is more difficult.

The secret for someone in my position is to keep it simple. Keep possession and keep the ball moving quickly so that you tire out your opponents; that's my method.

I prefer getting a lot of the ball.

We always want to play and be dominant with the ball, but we respect the opposition.

The Swedish team plays very differently from Arsenal. There is more freedom with Arsenal and they play a passing game.

If you play every time, long balls, you lose possession and you lose momentum. I don't want to be like that.

The fundamentals, what I want, which is to take the ball, try to play as offensive as possible and dominate the game through the ball, is the same. I grew up with that; I was a player with that idea, and I am a coach with that idea.

We need the ball even to defend; that's our objective: having the ball and having it as far as possible from our goal as possible.

Being through the England set-up since I was a young lad, passing was the style of football I grew up with.

Always, even with the U17s in Spain, U19s, we play from the back, and we try to improve on that a lot. So I always enjoy having the ball at my feet.

When you have a lot of ball possession, you have a lot of ball possession to create chances, not to play the ball around and not score.

I would like to think that during my time at Stoke - and other clubs I was at - I was always a manager that wanted to play in the right way, with purpose, with drive, and to try to dictate to the opposition if you could.

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

The little bit of my Brazilian side in Azzurri is perhaps to play more with the ball on the ground and have the tranquility to hold the ball. The idea is to have more control of the game.

Everyone wants to play like Spurs. We want to play attractive football, get the ball forward, and create chances with good possession.