Modern football is a tactical game. For the spectators, it might be just another game of football, but for the manager and his players, it is nothing short of a game of chess. The players are the pawns, with some being as powerful as the queen, and the manager is the one controlling every movement and decision. The goalkeeper protecting the king, that is the goal. This battle for supremacy has spiraled down the ages through the brilliant minds of genius coaches who revolutionized the game with their uniqueness. Today I'll be discussing about some of the most popular formations throughout the world in this day and age. If you are already familiar with these formations, you still might want to read on. I will only be talking about the formations here, and not the different styles of play which is unique to each manager. So sit back and enjoy;
The 4-3-3
The 4-3-3 is by far the most popular formation and is used by a number of coaches throughout the world, both for its simplicity and effectiveness. Two of the most renowned managers in world football who use this formation are Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, although their approach to this is totally different. Both like their full backs to make overlapping runs as well as underlapping or inverted runs into the midfield, both coaches like to play a high pressing game and both like their players to rotate their positions constantly. The difference comes off the ball. Liverpool off the ball have Fabinho, their central defensive midfielder to drop down into the back two forming a back 3 to stop counter attacks, while Guardiola likes to push his defensive midfielder Rodri upfront, playing with a back two or at time a back three with the other full back like Kyle Walker slotting in at the back.
The 4-3-3 can be implemented with the three midfielder being on the same horizontal line as under Zidane at Real Madrid. This formation is extremely useful for the large number of triangles formed because of it. A triangle on the pitch is formed by three players being at the vertices of the triangle, it helps in quick one two before a devastating defense splitting through ball, or over the top long ball. With the full backs bumming forward, the formation changes into a 3-2-5 when the attacking team is in possession. With men forward and a lot of targets arriving in the box, the fullbacks have a lot of people to aim for creating scoring chances.
Although its a great formation, its not without its flaws, one obvious one being the lack of midfielders. Not every team has world class players, and playing a double pivot with one attacking midfielder exposes the midfield at times, and becomes highly susceptible to counter attacks. The defenders, especially the sweeper or the ball playing defender has to be quick enough to recover to his position if the ball is lost.
The 4-4-2
The 4-4-2 is another popular formation around the world for manager looking to control the game from the midfield. Though this formation like the others can have many variations, its usually the wide midfielders who provide the width, with the wing backs pushing forward. The two players upfront can be pure number 9s, that is, poachers whose sole duty is to score, or they can be one number 9 and the other a second striker in a number 10 role, someone who has abundant creativity and links up the play.
The 4-4-2 can have many variations. One such is the 4-4-2 diamond where there is a defensive midfielder, an attacking midfielder and 2 wide midfielders forming a diamond in the middle of the pitch. This can be crucial while counter pressing [ putting pressure on the opposition just after losing the ball] or simply to gain an extra man in the midfield to dominate play.
The wide midfielders can also play quite close to each other in successive vertical lines, thus blocking any progression through the midfield for the opposition, as well as providing space for the full backs to exploit the width, thus opening up spaces and helping to create goal scoring chances.
The 3-4-3
This is undoubtedly my favorite formation at the moment, as it serves the team in both attacks and while defending. Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel must be credited with showing the world how useful this formation is, not only at scoring goals, but also keeping clean sheets as well. The three center backs play wide stretching the field of play, and make the occasional runs into the opposition territory with the ball before passing it on. The midfield is made of 4 players, 2 playing on the flanks as wing backs, constantly moving up and down the pitch, while the core of the midfield is made of a player who can break the opposition plays and is good at making good diagonal and vertical crosses [ like Jorginho at Chelsea] while the other player is a ball carrier, a box to box midfielder who has the liberty to go anywhere and everywhere on the pitch [ Kante, again at Chelsea].
In possession, the wide midfielders push forward into crossing positions while the formation transforms into a 3-2-5. The front 3 can be pure strikers, or as Tuchel does at Chelsea, they can be one pure striker and two roaming attacking midfielders or number 10s moving almost everywhere in the opposition half. The positional interchange between the players prevent the team from being predictable, and the two central midfielders are entrusted with taking care of the rebound.
While defending, the formation transforms into a back five, seemingly a 5-2-3 or a 5-3-2 and sometimes even a 5-4-1 with one strong and fast striker upfront. With five men at the back, the center backs squeeze out the spaces while the wide midfielders transform into regular full backs. The attacking midfielder might drop in at the back to form those triangles for a quick one two, before switching the flank or building up from the back.
The 4-2-3-1
This is a formation and at the same time it isn't. Allow me to explain. The 4-2-3-1 formation is not applied from the beginning by most top level managers, rather it becomes the shape of the team while defending without the ball, or say suppose defending deep with a single striker upfront. This formation uses a double pivot in the midfield, who have the freedom to roam on the pitch linking the defense and the attack. The attacking midfielder, a number 10 has to be industrious enough to create enough chances for the team.
The wide midfielders can be used to widen the field of play, as well as used as inverted wingers who along with the striker provide the attacking threat inside the penalty box. The full backs can cross from overlapping positions into the box. Here as you can see, during attack the formation becomes 2-2-5 which helps to prevent swift counter attacks from the opposition.
Off the ball while defending, this formation can change into a 4-4-2 with the attacking midfielder acting as the link between the the midfield and the striker. The use of a 4-5-1 during defending a lead is also a valid option. The wide fielders have the extra job of covering for the space left by the full back when the player is advancing with the ball.
This formation, though devastating if applied properly can be nullified by carefully man marking the striker and not allowing much passes from the attacking midfielder.
The 4-2-2-2
This is current Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick's go to formation. Two holding midfielders start at the middle of the field, one of them is a box to box midfielder with good ball carrying capacity. The other is a strong defensive midfielder who drops in at the back to form a back three whenever the full backs overlap. There are two wide midfielders/wing backs who widen the pitch and push forward in advance positions, so much so that the formation literally seems like 4-2-4 at times. The role of the box to box midfielder is crucial, for he is the one carrying the ball for longer distances, starting the counters and helping the team break attacks of the opposition. He is also entrusted with taking long shots. The two forwards, one being mobile and fit enough to roam anywhere on the pitch and being able to drop down and help the team defend. The other striker is generally a poacher, although him helping in the press is an added bonus.
Like other formations here also the full backs are crucial as they make overlapping as well as inside runs. The full backs have to be extremely fit to keep running up and down the pitch. In possession, the team transitions into a 3-1-6 at times with the box to box midfielder on the edge of the box for the rebound.
Off the ball, the team has to press as a unit to get the ball back. The formation transforms into a 4-4-1-1 or a 4-2-3-1 while defending. The team has to squeeze the spaces and create overloads on either side of the pitch which results in ball recovery.
The problem of this formation has to be if the quality of the midfielders isn't good enough, they will be easily bullied by other teams who are superior, both numerically and in quality as well.
Some Parting Words
This was all about the most famous formations currently in use in world football. Note that all I've said is pretty basic stuff, not taking into account the different playstyles. For example, a 4-4-2 of a Diego Simeone team likes to sit back and defend deep, then hit the opposition on the counter, whereas a 4-4-2 of, say Carlo Ancelotti will press the opposition with the 2 forwards initiating the press. Such play styles are aplenty, and can't be discussed in one article only. Apart from that, the role of the modern fullback, the defenders and even the role of the goalkeeper in the buildup to a goal is a vivid thing to be studied. The formations, though helpful while studying a team, are not everything. The transitions, the positional interchange between the players and how a team dictates the tempo during the four phases of play is vital as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of blog. Did you enjoy? If you enjoyed and got to learn something new, then do let me know. This is the first part of the Football 101 series where I would like to share bits of my limited football knowledge with you guys. I am no expert, but sharing my thoughts with you guys and hearing your opinion is really too exciting for me. Do share the article if you enjoyed, and until next time, goodbye and take care!
Comments
Post a Comment