Exploring the Styles of Play in European Soccer Teams

As the new soccer season begins, fans are gearing up to see how their favorite teams will perform on the pitch. One interesting aspect to look out for is the playing style adopted by different teams across Europe’s top leagues.

Last season, clubs like Luis Enrique‘s team showcased a strong possession game, holding onto the ball for an impressive 65.4% of the time. In comparison, Ange Postecoglou‘s squad wasn’t far behind with a possession rate of 61.7%. On the other hand, Sean Dyche‘s team seemed to show a contrasting approach, managing to control just 40.4% of the ball.

The current trends in soccer are heavily influenced by the tactical genius of managers like Pep Guardiola, who revolutionized positional play at Manchester City. However, not every team that prioritizes ball possession sticks to the same formula. Some focus on maintaining control of the game by pressing high and counterattacking, while others prefer to play a more defensive game, focusing on keeping the ball away from their own goal.

Conversely, lower-ranked teams tend to adopt various strategies as well. Some living on the edge might choose to counterattack as aggressively as possible, while others might settle for simply defending their goal and preventing any major threats, even if it means they don’t create much offense themselves.

This upcoming season presents a wonderful opportunity for fans and analysts to delve into these different styles of play. By examining last season’s statistics, they can categorize teams from leagues like the Premier League and LaLiga into groups according to their possession strategies. It’s a delightful way to better understand what each team brings to the table, and it could also help newcomers to the sport identify which playing style they might enjoy the most.