September 30: Bayern Munich and Barcelona are setting the pace when it comes to dictating football matches, according to the latest analysis by the CIES Football Observatory.
The new CIES ‘dictation of games’ index measures teams in three areas – pressure, control and territorial occupation – to get an idea of how much they impose on domestic opponents rather than simply looking at results.
Bayern top both the top five league rankings and the wider study of 68 leagues with a perfect index of 100. Vincent Kompany’s side also top 100 for pressing, 90 for control and 89 for possession.
Barcelona is not far behind with 97.1, and leads Bayern for control and territorial dominance. Their scores of 98 for control and 91 for occupation are the strongest combination among Europe’s top teams, with a pressure rating of 82 the only thing keeping them out of top spot.
The broader ranking features some less obvious names.
Portugal’s Braga are third overall with 93.7, helped by scores of 98 for pressure and a perfect 100 for control, while Norway’s Bodø/Glimt are fourth with 92.5.
The defender of Europe, Paris Saint-Germain, is still fifth with 91.7.
Within the Premier League, Manchester City (who may not be around for long) lead the way with a rating of 80.1, ahead of Tottenham on 79.7 and Arsenal on 78.7. Manchester United are at 77.8, with Liverpool further behind at 73.5.
Brentford provide an even better reminder that dominance does not necessarily equal results. Currently fourth in the Premier League, they rank second among English clubs on the CIES Game Dictation Index, reflecting a far more opportunistic approach that has clearly worked so far.
The data doesn’t tell you who is the best. However, it shows who spends the most time making opponents play on their terms.
At the moment, no one does it more consistently than Bayern and Barcelona.
World ranking (above) and Big 5 ranking (below)
Source: CIES Football Observatory
Click here to see the full report.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)