“People say that ball possession might not be the most important thing but for me, it is the most important thing,” Pep Guardiola told the Guardian after Bayern Munich’s 5-1 win over Arsenal in Champions League group action. “It’s the first step and then the second, third and fourth steps can come after. With the ball, you have more possibilities to create something and to concede fewer chances.
“I have a lot of respect for my players and when they decided to become footballers, they wanted to play with the ball. It’s not only about running. It’s all about having the ball, playing and dealing with the ball. Because we have had the ball, we have scored a lot of goals and haven’t conceded a lot,” said the Spaniard.