Possession is absolutely important, every modern top club tries to play possession football. Even if i agree possession is not everything, us struggling with mid table and bottom table clubs to keep possession is a serious problem, you just can't deny that. Having 10% possession against Fiorentina it the last 20 minutes is an insane stat to me.
When you play football that focuses on possession you generally create more chances, that's just a fact, and that's why modern football is played that way.
That's simplistic at best. Something else at worst. This comes off like you've never played a game of football in your life.
Real Madrid were playing at home yesterday. They certainly weren't trying to hold onto possession. Possession is a risk and reward. Real Madrid clearly didn't feel comfortable holding onto the ball yesterday and opted for sitting deep and counter. Meanwhile, City held onto the ball and conceded three goals on the counter.
In our case, we don't have players with enough technical ability to hold onto the ball. And if we try, we lose the ball in dangerous positions and concede right away.
Even if we had Guardiola as our coach, he wouldn't be able to make this team of ours keep possession. Football is about more than just setting up a tactic as if its Fifa. This is what most on this sub don't understand.
Fact of the matter is, our team isn't keeping possession because we have only one player capable and comfortable with the ball at his feet. We set up pretty well against Fiorentina and started the game in an aggressive way. Players have come forward and told us that going this deep wasn't what Allegri had set up. Fiorentina are just better equipped to hold onto the ball than we are, personnel wise. As soon as Fiorentina started pressing, and as soon as any team starts to press us, our lack of quality becomes evident.
I agree that we defended too deep. But I disagree on what, or who's fault it is.
The fact that people here can't see the forest for the trees is what one should expect from a forum full of amateur coach coaches.
This forum reminds me of the Arsenal fan base that wanted Wenger out because he couldn't find the same success with Iwobi and Walcott as he did with Henry and Bergkamp.