How much difference does possession make in the Premier League?

We’ve always heard of the cliche that possession is ‘nine tenths of the game’, but just how much of a difference does it make in terms of getting positive results? The Premier League is a great example of looking at both ends of the scale, with some teams who are fighting to stay in the top-flight often sitting back and soaking up pressure, whilst teams challenging for the title often see more of the ball than not. Manchester City are a great example of this, as they have an average possession of 64.4% from their opening eight matches of this year’s Premier League campaign. We’re often seeing the likes of Ruben Dias and Rodri having a considerable amount of the ball in matches, and it’s likely that’ll remain the case moving forward. Pep Guardiola’s side have been making that dominance count, as they’re in the hunt to retain their Premier League title. Chelsea are the team ranked with the second-highest in terms of possession over the 2023/24, and they’re certainly the ‘odd one out’ in terms of making possession count, as the Blues have struggled for any sort of momentum this term. The London-based side averaged 63.1% possession so far, which is easy to understand when they’re behind early in a lot of their matches in the top-flight. They operate with a defensive three the majority of the time, which certainly helps to retain possession, although this isn’t the case with all the clubs in the Premier League. Luton Town are a good example of a team that operate with three central defenders which hasn’t seen them retain an awful lot of the ball in their matches this season, which is their first in the top-flight since winning promotion via the Championship play-offs in the 2022/23 campaign. The Hatters have the lowest average possession in the top-flight so far this term, as Rob Edwards’ side have an average of just 37.3%, although it’s worth remembering that they set up defensively to keep themselves in matches. West Ham have the second-lowest possession average in the Premier League, but they haven’t let that statistic impact them negatively, as the Hammers are seventh in the table after eight matches this term, having picked up points against the likes of Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Chelsea. West Ham are set to return to action on Sunday evening, when they take on Aston Villa at Villa Park, in what promises to be an entertaining clash between both teams in front of the Sky Sports cameras. Experts at BonusCodeBets have stated that David Moyes’ side are priced at 13/5 on Sky Bet to come out on top against Villa, who have caught the eye with some impressive showings themselves this season.Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Newcastle United are all inside the top-seven in terms of average possession, and it’s clear to see that they’re making their dominance with the ball count in the right areas, as they’re some of the toughest teams to come up against in the Premier League this season. As more of the so-called ‘big teams’ in the top-flight face off against each other heading towards the festive period, it’ll be interesting to see which teams dominate the possession, and it seems likely we’ll see plenty of changes in terms of the order of average possession as this year’s campaign progresses.