Possession is overrated.
You can certainly reach that conclusion by watching two Chelsea wins in Champions League knockout ties at Stamford Bridge.
One was the last 16 first-leg win over Lille on Tuesday, and the other was the second-leg battering of Real Madrid in May 2021.
In both games, Thomas Tuchel's men had equal or less possession than their opponents but produced two of their most productive performances in the competition.
The full-time stat of only 32% possession to Real's 68% did not align with the experience of the game for a majority of onlookers. Chelsea had consistently caught Madrid on the break, creating several high-quality chances at goal.
With the same number of shots on target (5) and eight more shots in total (18-7), Chelsea walked away from the game, feeling the scoreline of 2-0 let their Spanish opponents off the hook.
The xG score of 3.56 - 0.49 on the evening reflected who created the highest quality looks at goal, and part of this was down to Chelsea's swift and productive use of the ball.
Against Lille, it was similar. Gone was the monotonous controlled passing seen at Selhurst Park on Saturday, and in its place was a sense of risk.
An xG of 1.80 via The xG Philosophy certainly cannot rival the Madrid performance identically, but it certainly had similar trademarks.
N'Golo Kante's lung-bursting runs with the ball through an opponent's centre to prompt attacks. Kai Havertz showcased a dominant centre-forward performance, consistently causing havoc with his movement.
Also, Christian Pulisic's involvement in a goal eight months ago to set up Mason Mount's second to see off Madrid. On Tuesday, he put the finishing touch on a controlled performance.
But this type of 'control' was not reflected in long spells passing the ball without much threat. Chelsea's intensity overwhelmed Lille and offered the encouragement to gain a convincing lead heading into next month's second leg.
Tuchel might not have enjoyed the end-to-end nature in the second half's opening exchanges. But that space opened the room for an electric Kante to run into to create Pulisic's astute finish.
It feels fitting that Chelsea's next opponent is Liverpool, one that brought out a similarly engaging performance in January where the midfield duo of Kante and Mateo Kovacic overwhelmed Liverpool for spells.
Tuesday night offered more encouragement for where Chelsea could be going under their German coach. This style of play is not only entertaining but effective.
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