KEOWN TALKS TACTICS
POSSESSION DOES NOT EQUAL EASY WINS — JUST LOOK AT UNITED!
BOSSING possession does not automatically mean you win matches, as Manchester United are discovering this season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have had the majority of the ball in 10 Premier League games this season and won only once — against struggling Norwich City. Yet in the five games in which they did not dominate possession, they are unbeaten — and they were against some very good teams. They managed 46.25 per cent against Chelsea and won 4-0 on the opening day of the season. They beat Leicester 1-0 with 41.74 per cent, and Brighton 3-1 with 42.66 per cent. In October they made a fabulous Liverpool side look decidedly ordinary while having only 32 per cent. On Wednesday, Tottenham went to Old Trafford, had the majority of the ball, and lost. So possession isn’t everything, and this is not exclusive to United. Look at the midweek fixtures. Newcastle had 26.6 per cent at Sheffield United and won 2-0. Southampton had 40.1 per cent against Norwich and won 2-1. Ten-man Crystal Palace had 30.8 per cent against Bournemouth and won 1-0. Leicester won the Premier League in 2016 without seeing much of the ball, averaging only 42.4 per cent. In 2012
Chelsea beat Barcelona over two legs to reach the Champions League final. In the first leg, they had 28 per cent, and won 1-0. In the second leg, needing a result at the Nou Camp, they managed 27 per cent and drew 2-2. It is more about winning your battles, being effective, getting your positioning right. Some teams are better without the ball, when they can pinch it off the opponent high up the pitch. Southampton do that very well, for example. They have won possession in the final third 93 times this season — and only Manchester
City have won more. I’m sure Solskjaer would love his players to boss the ball like Pep Guardiola’s do but the reality is they aren’t at that level right now. We recently saw Guardiola record his lowest-ever possession in any of his 381 matches as a manager — when his City side had 46.7 per cent against Chelsea. That is how rare it is for a team under him to go without the ball. So United head to the Etihad Stadium today knowing they will not have the ball at their feet very often but judging by their previous results in
big games, all is not lost. When United drew 1-1 with Liverpool, Solskjaer sprung a surprise. He played three at the back and his full backs pushed up high, which upset Klopp and the league leaders. I doubt Guardiola will adjust his 4-3-3 system to counteract anything like that. He will stick to his guns and believe in the way his team play. United’s players had fire in their bellies for the return of Jose Mourinho on Wednesday. You’re always fired up when facing a former boss. I had that against George Graham — we respected him, but we wanted to beat him! United need to conjure a similar anger against City today, too.