I have continued my reading. The chapter I am reading is about possession. The question is whether possession is as important as people make it to be. Most top teams like to keep the ball the themselves, thinking if they don't give the ball away, it is impossible for the other team to score against them. This might be the more exciting brand of soccer, the game played by teams like Barcelona and Man City. The truth is, possession is not a game for everybody. The book gives an example of Tony Pulis' Stoke City. Stoke were a team not afraid to give the ball to the opposition because they knew they didn't have the technical ability to play the game that teams above them. Instead, their game was based off of strangling defending and well rehearsed set pieces. Rory Delap would throw the ball into the box in throw ins and having strong players who weren't the most skillful try and score headers. This was incredibly successful despite the criticisms they faced for playing a rather 'philistine' type of football. The conclusion is that there is no right way to play the game. Everyone does what they are good at.
cap-hkim
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