5 Lessons From Man City And Arsenal's Champions League Losses

4. Possession Pays

Much is made of the England national team's lack of ability to retain possession. There is an all too familiar media campaign for change after every major tournament. We are told the problem needs to be addressed at grass roots level before we progress. Seemingly the FA have taken notice with the advent of St George's Park and the supposed focus on coaching technical ability rather than physical. In spite of this, the vast majority of the Premier League teams do not play the typical possession game, which we will no doubt be calling for after Brazil 2014. Swansea and Liverpool give it their best shots but often revert to type. The Premier League is fast paced, committed and at times frantic, which makes for mesmeric viewing. But is it holding the Champions League teams back? At the Etihad stadium Barcelona enjoyed 68% of the possession with Bayern having 79% in Arsenal's back yard. Of course, we can't forget both home teams were reduced to ten men, but there is a case to say that the possession patterns were established before the red cards. Toni Kroos made 152 passes with a 97% rate of accuracy. Xavi made 133 passes with a 96% rate of accuracy. Thiago Alcantara made 103 passes with a 94% rate of accuracy and Sergio Busquets made 101 passes with a 97% rate of accuracy. City and Arsenal's top passer was Yaya Toure with 59 passes and an 86% rate of accuracy. Kroos alone made 71% as many passes as the entire of the Arsenal team. The second half at the Emirates was nothing more than a relentless procession of possession. Kroos swept ball after ball out to Gotze and Robben on both flanks who vigilantly returned it to a teammate if a gap could not be exploited. Barcelona did the same, keeping their patience and avoiding tossing the ball into the box aimlessly and giving up possession. An inevitable consequence of having so little possession is that players will tire in the latter stages. Just ask Mesut Ozil, who looked tired and woefully unequipped to deal with Rafinha and Robben on Arsenal's left. With the teams tiring Barcelona and Bayern took advantage in the latter stages of the games with Dani Alves scoring on 90 minutes and Thomas Muller on 88 minutes. It just goes to show that patient possession does pay off.