low possession!

hi there, i just started the game as manager for Real Madrid.
I have played a few pre-season matches and on most of them my team cant really get a hold of the ball.... iv played Alonso,Özil and Sahin on the midfield, Alonso a defensive midfielder and Özil,Sahin center ... i often play a controlled style and short passing...
The teams iv played againts werent that bad i mean there was Everton, Sporting CP,Parma..but still i should expect to have more of the possession... even againts Bejing we had like only 54%... the team is creating chanses and they score but i would like to dominate the possession more...and with the players i got that should be possible...
So anyone that can give me some tips how i can get my team to pass the ball around a bit more?

Im useing the 4-5-1 formation btw, iv been told by the personal that its a good formation for Real Madrid. Any of you guys that would recommend a different one? And should i use 2 forwards or just stick with 1 that is Benzema or Higuain.

try downloading the tiki taka tactic employed by barcelona . i was using it with my borussia dortmund game . and averaged about 65% ppossession every game . had tons of shots .. but u might need to tighten ur defence though cause its quite vulnerable defensively

where and how can i get that?
And i noticed my players doing allot of mistakes, for example Pepe made some really stupid things..got a red card in one of the friendlys and on 2 goals he completly lost his man..he just stod still and let the opponent score a header from corner.. Could that be cuz its pre-season and they not really ready yet?...im thinking about getting Thiago Silva from Milan to replace Pepe cuz he makeing me mad at the moment..

go to the download tab. and select tactics and then select barcelona . and follow the prompts of download. u will have to fix ur defence up a bit cause it leaves ur defence pretty open to counter attacks ..

I find this quite often. and there doenst seem to be much that can be done.

Even with short passing as a team instruction i have tried adding it in match along with retain possesion and pass to feet litterly just too see if it does anything and it didnt make any difference whatsoever

It must be pretty much down to the tactics of the team

also try hold up ball for most players in midfield and forwards . it really works wonders for me

There may be a problem with your defensive settings. Try setting your team instructions to 'Press More' and 'Man Marking', meaning that if you loose the ball your gonna get it back quicker and reduce their possession.

You may also want to consider using a Playmaker or Target man, so when you players get the ball the first thing on their mind is to find that player rather than dwell on the ball.

I think that in a 4-5-1 formation the strikers duty is very important, with Real Madrid it is gonna be very tempting to have either Benzema or Higuain as Advanced forwards because of their pace however this may not be the best duty for the formation. They would both be good enough to play as a Supporting Target Man or Supporting Deep Lying Forward meaning that there gonna drop back and help with the build up play, so when your defending you now have 6 midfielders to help win the ball back hope this helps

as johnny toon army stated . having ur team instructions set to press more and set ur players individual instruction to press all ova the pitch puts constant pressure on the opposition .. but be caredul the better sides will find ways around this