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Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Formations & Tactics

Possession

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

/pəˈzeʃən/nounCore term

In football (soccer), possession means: Control of the ball by a team; also the percentage of time each team has the ball during a match.

In Turkish: topa sahip olma, top hakimiyeti

How it is used

Teams keep, win back, lose or give away possession, and a team can dominate possession but still lose. Analysts talk about possession-based football, in-possession and out-of-possession phases, and sterile possession that creates no chances.

Example sentences

  1. We had 68 percent possession but only two shots on target.

  2. Don't give away possession so cheaply in midfield!

Common collocations

  • keep possession
  • lose possession
  • win back possession
  • possession statistics
  • possession-based football
  • passA kick, header or throw that sends the ball to a teammate. As a verb, to pass means to send the ball to a teammate in this way.
  • pressingA tactic in which players close down opponents quickly to win the ball back, often high up the pitch near the opponents' goal.
  • counter-attackA fast attack launched straight after winning the ball back, aiming to score before the opponents can reorganise their defence.
  • formationThe way a team arranges its outfield players on the pitch, written as numbers from defence to attack, such as 4-4-2 or 4-3-3.

More terms: Formations & Tactics

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