--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great clubs have had one thing in common…" description: "\"Great clubs have had one thing in common throughout history, regardless of era and tactics. They owned the pitch and they owned the ball. That means wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/arrigo-sacchi-62695_balls_great-clubs-have-had-one-thing-in-common_2531368.png" --- # Great clubs have had one thing in common throughout… ![“Great clubs have had one thing in common throughout history, regardless of era and tactics. They owned the pitch and they owned the ball. That means when you have the ball, you dictate play and when you are defending, you control the space” quote by Arrigo Sacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/arrigo-sacchi-62695_balls_great-clubs-have-had-one-thing-in-common_2531368.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/arrigo-sacchi-62695_balls_great-clubs-have-had-one-thing-in-common_2531368.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/arrigo-sacchi-62695_balls_great-clubs-have-had-one-thing-in-common_2531368.png) > “Great clubs have had one thing in common throughout history, regardless of era and tactics. They owned the pitch and they owned the ball. That means when you have the ball, you dictate play and when you are defending, you control the space” [Arrigo Sacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arrigo-sacchi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Control of the ball equates to control of the game; possession dictates tactics. **In simple terms:** Own the ball, control the game. Key Takeaway Prioritize possession in team strategy. Themes sports strategy teamwork Mood strategic analytical Type sports motivational When to use this quote - football matches - training sessions - game planning - defensive drills Key Concepts tactics possession control Questions to Reflect On - How can a team maintain possession under pressure? - What alternatives exist when possession fails? A Different Perspective Opponents may adapt, making possession insufficient alone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balls/) [Clubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clubs/) [Clubs Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clubs-thing-1347075/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Eras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eras/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Great Clubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-clubs-1347072/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Means Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means-ball-1347074/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Pitch Owned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pitch-owned-1347073/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Tactics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tactics/) [Tactics Owned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tactics-owned-1347071/) ## Related quotes > [Celtic are one of the great clubs of the world. There's a pressure here that's different. You have to win every game. There's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/celtic-are-one-of-the-great-clubs-of-the-world-there-s-a-pressure/) [Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/) > [I have been lucky enough to be at great clubs, from my hometown club to Liverpool to Real Madrid to Bayern Munich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xabi-alonso/i-have-been-lucky-enough-to-be-at-great-clubs-from-my-hometown-club/) [Xabi Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xabi-alonso/) > [I've been to some great clubs, great people, watched them training, getting a different view on football, and really enjoyed it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lambert/i-ve-been-to-some-great-clubs-great-people-watched-them-training/) [Paul Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lambert/) > [When I watch the Champions League, we see great clubs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinji-kagawa/when-i-watch-the-champions-league-we-see-great-clubs/) [Shinji Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinji-kagawa/) > [I have always said that great players must always play for the great clubs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gonzalo-higuain/i-have-always-said-that-great-players-must-always-play-for-the-great/) [Gonzalo Higuain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gonzalo-higuain/) > [In my entire life I have never seen a player of such quality and personality at such a young age, particularly wearing the 'heavy'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabio-capello/in-my-entire-life-i-have-never-seen-a-player-of-such-quality-and/) [Fabio Capello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabio-capello/) > [“All men can see these tactics Whereby I master; But out of which evolve profits None can see the character. 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There's so much crap talked about tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-clough/players-lose-you-games-not-tactics-there-s-so-much-crap-talked-about/) [Brian Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-clough/) > [Nonviolent tactics can move into action on our behalf men not naturally inclined to act for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-deming/nonviolent-tactics-can-move-into-action-on-our-behalf-men-not/) [Barbara Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-deming/) > [Ally MacLeod thinks that tactics are a new kind of mint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/ally-macleod-thinks-that-tactics-are-a-new-kind-of-mint/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) ## More by Arrigo Sacchi > [You don't have to have been a horse to be a jockey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arrigo-sacchi/you-don-t-have-to-have-been-a-horse-to-be-a-jockey/) [Arrigo Sacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arrigo-sacchi/) > [The accent today is on results, not on how well you work. You can't build a skyscraper in a day, but you can build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arrigo-sacchi/the-accent-today-is-on-results-not-on-how-well-you-work-you-can-t/) [Arrigo Sacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arrigo-sacchi/) > [I never realised that to become a jockey you needed to be a horse first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arrigo-sacchi/i-never-realised-that-to-become-a-jockey-you-needed-to-be-a-horse/) [Arrigo Sacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arrigo-sacchi/) > [There are too many black players. Italy has no dignity, no pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arrigo-sacchi/there-are-too-many-black-players-italy-has-no-dignity-no-pride/) [Arrigo Sacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arrigo-sacchi/) [Explore all 5 Arrigo Sacchi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arrigo-sacchi/) ## More Balls quotes > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. 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But you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-glanville/you-run-the-football-for-toughness-you-run-the-ball-to-tell-your/) [Jerry Glanville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-glanville/) [Browse all 3,005 Balls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balls/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Great clubs have had one thing in common throughout history, regardless of era and tactics. They owned the pitch and they owned the ball. 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