Analytics

How well a player keeps the ball under pressure. Good ball retention means they don't lose it often, even in tight spaces. Different from just passing accuracy because it accounts for pressure, body position, and shielding. Players with good retention can receive in difficult situations and give teammates time to move. Possession teams value it highly.

A way of adjusting stats to account for how much the ball a team has. A team with 70% possession will naturally have more passes, so comparing their passing numbers directly to a team with 40% possession is misleading. Possession-adjusted stats divide by possession share to give a fairer comparison. Useful for evaluating defensive actions especially - making fewer tackles might just mean you have the ball more often.