There are many formations in football, but this article will look at three of the most effective.
The most well-known formation is perhaps the 4-4-2 formation that was extremely renowned in English soccer in the 2000’s. The formation was made popular by about the most skilled teams in Italian history; the new AC Milan owner may well look for their manager to resort back to this formation as it has seen huge success over the years. Many clubs presently choose for just one striker, as it offers the midfield much more cover and versatility. The benefit of the formation the Italian side applied, is that it provides a lot of width and then two forwards who make excellent options for crosses from those wide places. However, the formation needs top quality wingers, so if a team does not have options in this position, it works much better to play a formation that goes down the middle.
One the toughest decisions for a football coach, is choosing which formation to play against the opposition. A major element in this choice is the style of play of the opposition. A football formation list is not offered out by coaches, unlike in other sports, so managers don’t know what the opposition team will look like until they get onto the pitch. This shortage of openness means coaches must do lots of researching on the opponents to find out how they will play. One alternative however, is to disregard the opponent and play a formation that benefits you and stick to it. This option is what the new Italian coach opts for, who was hired by the Chelsea owner at the start of this year. The Italian coach stays to a 4-3-3 formation religiously; it has been among the most successful football formations, with many managers choosing it. It is an adaptable formation that allows you to play three forwards, but the wide players in roles where they can fall back and assist in defence when needed.
A formation that is sometimes used by teams that are lacking the quality of their opponent is the 5-4-1 formation. By playing this way, a group can overload the midfield and have a secure back line that can sit in front of their own box. While so many view this formation as defeatist, or bland, it is an successful way of closing out a better club for extended periods of the match. If you play this formation you can expect to have very slight possession, 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 try and snatch success. The Cardiff City owner has quite often favoured coaches that can field this formation efficiently, as they do not have the same calibre players as various other clubs.