The prominence of statistics in football continues to provide great debate between supporters.

Expected Goals — or often better known as xG — has certainly split opinion but that particular metric only represents one new statistic among plenty.

Possession, on the other hand, was one of the first sets of data to make its way into football. For several years, it was used largely to determine which team had more of the ball compared to the other team.

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But in recent seasons – and in the World Cup – the possession statistic has changed.

As well as a percentage measurement for both teams, there has been an ‘in-contest possession’ section added in the matches so far.

So, what does that actually mean? The Athletic is on hand to explain it for you.

What is in-contest possession?

With Qatar’s opener against Ecuador little more than 10 minutes old, supporters were shown the possession graphic on television feeds around the world.

It didn’t take an eagle eye to notice that it was different to usual with three sections across the colour-coordinated bar, rather than the usual two.

There was one portion of the bar that signified Ecuador’s dominance, another that highlighted Qatar’s inferiority and a third that showed the amount of time that possession had been ‘in-contest’.

Read more: World Cup 2022 prize money: What payout will France or Argentina receive for winning in Qatar?

While seemingly pretty self-explanatory, as an edit to the traditional statistic, it was always going to raise eyebrows and questions were going to be asked.

Who better to describe it to you than FIFA’s chief of global football development and Arsenal legend, Arsene Wenger. He explained FIFA’s Enhanced Football Intelligence (EFI) metrics ahead of the World Cup.

“The possession control metric is a natural development of the traditional possession statistic,” he said. “The metric highlights the breakdown of possession over the course of the game.

“Besides considering the traditional, conventional state of play, it also includes a new in-contest state for when neither team is in controlled possession of the ball.

“It offers fresh insight into how competitive a match has been as well as showing how dominant in possession one team has been over the other.”

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In what scenario might possession be considered ‘in-contest’?

After explaining the basics of the statistic, it is worth pointing out what constitutes ‘in-contest possession’.

Firstly and pretty obviously, when two players are competing for the ball, whether in the air or on the ground, that is considered in-contest.

Secondly, when a defender clears a ball from its intended target. It will not be considered in possession of either team until it has been retrieved by the opposing defence or by an attacker.

Similarly, if a defender makes a block or interception but is not in total control of the ball, it will be considered in-contest.

A goalkeeper parrying the ball away from goal when making a save will also be considered in-contest until it is recovered by either of the teams, at which point a player will have to make a second touch, a pass or any other ‘in-control’ action for the ball to be considered in the possession of their team.

There are other scenarios when the ball cannot be judged to be in control of either team — therefore in-contest — but many of them are entirely game-specific.

Has the new possession statistic been well received?

It’s very hard to say definitively. However, like most statistical updates in football, it has divided opinion.

Of 30 random tweets researched from people talking about in-contest possession on Twitter, it was discovered that 18 football fans were not happy with the addition of the statistic, with many of them feeling that it was unnecessary.

Meanwhile, the other 12 football fans were impressed and interested by its introduction, with a couple noticeably adding that they would like to see it implemented across a wider range of leagues and competitions.

Read more: What are World Cup extra time and penalties rules? How do they work?

(Top photo: Matthias Hangst via Getty Images)