Ball Retention Quotes

The archetypal No. 10 is a skillful player who is more interested in being in possession than tracking to get the ball back.

Personally, I always try to focus on the little things in my game. As a defender and attacking outside back, I continuously work on completing passes, not being too predictable going forward into the attack, good services into the box, good positioning and footwork.

There are a lot of teams that don't want to play, that only want to defend against Barcelona, and that makes it difficult. We're always looking for the open space. A lot of times we'll face six defenders and four midfielders.

Guardiola has helped me so when I receive the ball, I have space.

You watch Silva, and he almost never gives the ball away. He is always looking, thinking, making the right calls.

Manchester United are always a team that try to play football, try to play football from the back.

With Bayern, we want a lot of ball possession and to control the play, so I operate sometimes like the 11th outfield player. Thus I am included a lot into the build-up play and have a lot of touches of the ball.

I like to play attacking football, but I think the big difference is that we expect a lot more from our strikers, to do more pressing and to keep compact. We like to play a high line defensively and press the ball.

On a tactical level the defensive midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation is just about the most demanding position there is.

When teams train now, it is about what they do with the ball and, if they lose it, how quickly they press to win it back.

I always tried to defend high up the pitch, to be in the opposition's half and play the game there.

If you look at Barcelona and the way they press high, or Bayern Munich, the way they press high... that's what makes them the best teams, because when they lose the ball, in the first three seconds, that's when they get the ball back, really, really high.

Arsenal's style of play is so smooth and easy and I hope I can adapt to their style quickly.

We know it's impossible sometimes to have good defending against Cristiano Ronaldo but we want to keep the ball, with good possession, as then he can do nothing in attack.

Tackling, and that ability to stay on your feet and pressurise a player, is a dying art.

Maybe Klopp is the best manager in the world at creating teams who attack the back four with so many players, from almost anywhere on the pitch. They have an intensity with the ball and without the ball, and it is not easy to do that.

In a way, I feel there's a Carrick style of playing.

I don't want Kylian to play like Neymar and keep the ball. Kylian is incredibly dangerous in the final move, and I want him to stay that way.

I've played under different managers, different styles, and most of my career, I was asked to play long.

My teams have always been dominant about having the ball but having the ball to create opportunities. That's always been the clear way of my work.

At Tottenham, I'm asked to take a lot of risks to keep maximum possession of the ball and build from the back.

My priority is possession. Attack, get a lot of players in the opposition half, take risks.

Sometimes in midfield, it's nice because you do get a little bit more of the ball, and maybe out wide you rely on people to get you the ball.

I like to be in contact with the ball, have possession, to play.

I think I have that ability to win the ball back quickly when we lose it.