Nine-tenths of the flaw: the new dangers of possession.

The most successful Premier League teams traditionally kept the ball, writes Lawrence Ostlere. But Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth are showing there is a different way to win

- Lawrence Ostlere

Possession is defined as “having, owning or controlling” and perhaps that last word best sums up the philosophy in football: if you have possession, you have control. “Maybe one day they will change the rules,” Pep Guardiola once said with a smile. “But I think to score a goal you need the ball.”

Yet in the Premier League this season there is growing evidence that the teams who really have control are the ones without the ball. They are the ones lulling their opponents into a false sense of security, who can pickpocket at any moment, who can turn a tackle on the halfway line into a shot on target in seconds.

We have seen the signs over recent months: Nottingham Forest’s rapid breaks; Bournemouth’s high press; Manchester City’s crumbling passing game. Counterattacking is an age-old ploy but its newfound success is striking.

Forest are third in the league and yet rank bottom for possession with 40 per cent; somehow, Bournemouth seem to dominate most games with only 47 per cent. Then there is Southampton, who have only nine points but average more than 50 per cent of the ball, albeit largely because Russell Martin asked Championship players to play like 1970s Brazil. Tottenham average 57 per cent of possession and have the same points as Everton, who average only 41 per cent.