The formation of a football team determines how the teams play; and this short article analyses three instances.
The most popular formation is arguably the 4-4-2 formation that was extremely famous in English football in the 2000’s. The formation was made popular by just about the most effective teams in Italian history; the new AC Milan owner may well look for their coach to resort back to this formation as it has seen substantial success over the years. Most clubs today opt for just a single striker, as it provides the midfield more cover and mobility. The advantage of the formation the Italian club applied, is that it provides plenty of width and then two forwards who make excellent opportunities for crosses from those wide places. However, the formation calls for quality wingers, therefore if a team lacks options in this position, it works much better to play a formation that goes down the middle.
A formation that is sometimes used by clubs that are lacking the quality of their opponent is the 5-4-1 formation. By playing this way, a team can overload the midfield and have a firm back line that can sit in front of their own box. While so many view this formation as defeatist, or boring, it is an successful way of closing out a better club for extended stretches of the game. If you play this formation you can anticipate to have very little control, with no real out ball considering you just have one attacking person. Clubs may play this formation for the first 70 minutes and then adjust their football tactics in the last period to attempt and snatch victory. The Cardiff City owner has quite frequently favoured managers that can field this formation properly, as they do not have the same calibre players as some other clubs.
One the hardest decisions for a soccer manager, is selecting which formation to play against the opposition. An important factor in this choice is the style of play of the opposition. A football formation list is not given out by coaches, unlike in other sports, so coaches don’t know what the opposition side will be like until they get onto the pitch. This absence of openness means managers must do plenty of research on the competitors to figure out how they will play. One solution however, is to disregard the opposition and play a formation that complements you and stick to it. This solution is what the new Italian manager opts for, who was employed by the Chelsea owner at the start of this year. The Italian coach sticks to a 4-3-3 formation religiously; it has been among the most successful football formations, with many managers selecting it. It is a flexible formation that enables you to play 3 forwards, but the wide players in positions where they can fall back and help in defence when required.