Steven Wright

Does anybody know the key to keeping possession? I like to play possession football, but with the tactic i have built, and continously tweaked, getting the beter of the possession in a match is seemingly impossible for my team.

I am Liverpool (not too difficult i know, but they are MY team before anyone criticises) and so far have had a good season.

Played 25, Won 16, Drawn 7, Lost 2 making me 2nd in the league, 4 points behind but with a game in hand. Now usually in the first season i would be delighted with this, and i am, however the lack of possession is slowly eating away at my brain.

I play a narrow 4-2-1-2-1 formation with a slightly attacking menatality. The passing is short at a quicker tempo, with time wasting normal.

Reina
Finnan - Carragher - Agger - Riise
Mascherano - Alonso
Gerrard
Diego - Aguero
Torres

^^^ No wingers. The AM's have farrows. In the majority of matches i end up with 80% pass completing and around 20 shots, the opposition has roughly 5 (but 60% possession). I know i should be happy due to the results and performace, but i'm a man of perfection and perfection to me requires possession.

Basically, help.

rashidi1

there's a thread somehere here on how to keep possession.. think ackter had someone to say on the matter as well..

bruffell06

Maybe have your centre backs holding up the ball, therefore they are keeping possession for you rather than hoofing it down field

bobirinis66

short pass,low tempo (basics)I have no time now.Read the threads

displaced_seagull

Short and Slow, generally. Far more info in other threads.

Snoweel

I don't know that the game stats record possession properly anyway.

Many's the time I felt like I dominated possession, as well as the entire match, including shots on goal and of course the score, and then post match stats show I dominated in shots yet tell me I got owned possession-wise.

But then the post game news item says that we "turned our superior possession into goals".

saberhagen83

Yeah I think the possesion in stats are completely wrong. Played Plymouth in FA Cup with Arsenal and had only 39% possession! Yet I dominated the game in all other areas. But usually to keep possession, you should play slow tempo and use short passes. Seeing as you are Liverpool, they should have the skills required to hold the ball with short passing movements.

Not sure however with smaller clubs, I've never managed to use that tactic with them, as they are less skilled than the top players, so they can't keep the ball for long.