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In a game of football, every second is action-packed. The teams and the individual players do their best to outperform the opposition and grab the victory. There are many ways attempted by players and their teams in order to boss the game. While some techniques include using one's own prowess, some are meant to play with the opposition's state of mind.
Part of the latter is what we call possession football. Holding the ball for as long as possible without letting the rival side get a touch is a very effective measure to dominate the pitch and the mindset. However, the same is easier said than done. Keeping possession involves multiple factors.
Error-free passes, running into pockets, positioning, etc are to be flawlessly followed. The start of the 2021-22 season has provided football fans with a lot of excitement and in this article, we are about to cover an interesting topic.
Let's take a look at
Top 5 clubs with the highest average possession in Europe’s major leagues this season
#5 Paris Saint-Germain — 62.7%
The Parisians entered the 2021-22 season with a bang! Signing high-profile players who include the likes of Leo Messi, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Gini Wijnaldum and Gianluigi Donnarumma made PSG the talk of the town.
However, along with bringing in some big names to the Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain also got upon themselves, a huge responsibility. A single loss or draw would raise many fingers against them. Pochettino and co, however, continue to move ahead quite well.
PSG have displayed stellar performances in Ligue 1 and the Champions League so far. The French top-tier league has seen the Parisians win eight out of nine games. They are on top of their Champions League group as well.
They have maintained a ball possession of 62.7% in total.
#4 Bayern Munich — 63.4%
Now that we are all used to seeing Bayern Munich at the top, this year's Bundesliga came as a surprise and a much more exciting one. With seven matches played, the top four teams are separated by just one point and goal differences.
Nevertheless, Bayern Munich somehow clinged onto the top position, thanks to their goal difference that reads 17. The Bavarians spared no team and have smashed 24 goals, averaging 3.43 goals per game.
The same can be accredited to their ball-possession skills. Julian Nagelsmann's tactics seem to be working in the German giants' favor. They can often be seen passing the ball around quite a lot more than usual.
#3 Sevilla — 63.6%
Displaying a consistent level of performance in a league that houses Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid is no easy feat. However, Sevilla seem to be doing the same this year with utmost ease.
The Andalusians sit fourth in the La Liga table after having played a game lesser than the top three. A win in the next fixture would put Sevilla in second position, behind Real Madrid, the only team with a higher GD than theirs.
Even though the Sevillistas have had a poor disciplinary record, they have dominated most of their games in terms of possession. Sevilla brags about an average of 63.6% possession per match. Sevilla have dominated possession in every La Liga game they have played so far.
#2 Manchester City — 63.8%
Manchester City's team depth is second to none. They house the best of players from across Europe. Under such circumstances, Pep Guardiola is often left with far too many options to choose from. The same has resulted in a supreme level performance by the Sky Blues in the EPL so far.
With Bernardo Silva at the heart of midfield, Pep Guardiola has implemented what he established while at Barcelona, at the Etihad. Quick passing between players often leaves the opposition frustrated and thus more error-prone.
The Cityzens have held the ball longer than their opponents in every Premier League game so far. However, their best numbers came in their 5-0 rampage against Arsenal. Manchester City had 80% possession against the Gunners.
#1 Barcelona — 68.8%
The Catalans are enduring their worst tenure of all time, but perhaps not in every department. Barcelona tops our list with an average possession of 68.8%. Even though they sit 9th in the league table with just three wins from this season so far, it is expected of Blaugrana to ascend the table sooner or later.
Nevertheless, Barcelona fans around the globe seem puzzled as of now. If they are dominant in holding possession then what is lacking? The answer is simple — Lionel Messi's departure. The Barcelona legend was a key cog in their goal-scoring unit and without him, the club is struggling to find the back of the net.
Recent statistics suggest that Blaugrana is very effective in terms of possession, chance creation and getting into the final third. However, they are lagging massively with their finishing.
The Barca faithful are hoping for Memphis Depay to step up. Ansu Fati's return provides them with a ray of hope as well. They will also hope that Sergio Aguero recovers soon from an injury to convert more of the chances created.
