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https://footviser.com/analytical/4-2-3-1-formation-analysis/ https://footviser.com/analytical/4-2-3-1-formation-analysis/#respond Ratnadeep Mukherjee Sun, 11 Oct 2020 15:17:16 +0000 Analytical Formations Featured https://footviser.com/?p=5596 4-2-3-1 formation is most commonly used in modern-day football. It is considered as one of the best formations ever deployed in a football pitch. Because of its flexibility and compactness, it is the go-to system for 70% of football managers of the current generation. It suits most of the playing styles and can be transferred […]
4-2-3-1 formation is most commonly used in modern-day football. It is considered as one of the best formations ever deployed in a football pitch. Because of its flexibility and compactness, it is the go-to system for 70% of football managers of the current generation. It suits most of the playing styles and can be transferred into a 4-5-1 flat or 4-4-2 easily. Here is our detailed analysis of 4-2-3-1 formation and its implications.
It is a very simple formation and its player demand is also limited.
During the buildup, the box to box or regista is assigned with the role of carrying the ball. He receives the ball from the defenders or central defensive midfielder and supplies it to the wingers or attacking midfielder. The central defensive midfielders allow the backs to overlap. He covers the space left behind by the backs. Generally, the more attacking back overlaps. Other stays down to form a 4 man backline with the central defensive midfielders and 2 center backs supported by the central midfielders.
This helps to maintain defensive stability and prevents getting outnumbered during the counter. The central attacking midfielder mainly plays as a free player. He roams around the opponent third and provides line-breaking passes for the striker. He also supports the forward by creating passing combinations and receiving second balls. He also draws opponent defenders, opening up the space for the wingers or wide midfielders to make through runs. During the use of false 9, the wide players become inverted wingers and the shape becomes 4-4-2 diamond .
In most cases, teams playing 4-2-3-1 formation , defend in a narrow 4-4-2 diamond . Either one of the wingers or the attacking mid stays upfront along with the forward. They initiate the press by pressing opponent Center backs. The main motive becomes to stretch out opponents and outnumber them in wings. Immediately after winning possession, the ball is played towards the player upfront, and counterattacking starts. Two speedy wingers and fullbacks support the forwards during the counter. 4-2-3-1 formation covers the whole width of the pitch and opponents find it difficult to extract space while countering this system.
Now let’s discuss the pros and cons of this formation.
This formation covers the whole area of the pitch. It leaves no space uncovered.
If wide midfielders are used instead of wingers then wing play becomes slow and central mid becomes congested.
France under Didier Deschamps used this formation and got massive success in the 2018 World Cup . They used 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 formation in most of the matches and came victorious. Deschamps used the same lineup in both semifinals and finals. He used Oliver Giroud as a target man while Griezmann played as a second striker. The two wings are comprised of Blaise Matuidi and Kylian Mbappe. Paul Pogba and And N Golo Kante played as two central midfielders. The four-man backline contained Rafael Varane, Samuel Umtiti while Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez as two fullbacks.
2013 UCL was a tournament of fairy tales. With Malaga and Shakhtar Donetsk reaching the knockout stages of UCL this tournament proved that none of the teams in current world football is weak enough to dominate. But Dortmund reaching the finals is the best of the lot. Jurgen Klopp used the 4-2-3-1 formation and blended with his gegenpressing system. He used Lewandoski as a striker with Gotze as the Second striker. Reus and Blaszczykowski/ Grobkreutz on the two things. Bender and Gundogan played as two central midfielders. The defense of Hummels, Subotic, Schmelzer , and Piszczek was pretty solid.
Another legendary team that played in this formation is Real Madrid in the 2011-12 La Liga season under Jose Mourinho . Mourinho is mainly known as a defensive manager but he played fantastic counter-attacking football in that season. Real Madrid under him scored 100+ goals which is still the highest goal scored by any club in a single season. He used Benzema or Higuain as the center-forward. Ronaldo and Di Maria operated in two wings while Mesut Ozil played as the Attacking Midfielder. Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira are the two central midfielders. The four-man backline consists of Sergio Ramos and Pepe as two center backs while Marcelo and Arbeloa are the two fullbacks.
Bayern dominated both UCL and Bundesliga in the previous season. Under Hansi Flick , they won the treble last time. Flick mainly used 4-2-3-1 formation for his team. He used Lewandoski as a target man with Muller playing behind him. Perisic, Coutinho , and Gnabry were used on two wings with rotation. The central midfield consists of Thiago Alacantara and Leon Goretzka . They used a solid defensive set up of David Alaba, Jerome Boateng, Alfanso Davis, and Joshua Kimmich.
4-2-3-1 formation is considered as the perfect formation in modern world football. It covers every aspect of football. Due to its 3 midfielders, it provides a lot of passing options while the wings are mobilized by the wingers/wide midfielders and fullbacks. It is the most popular formation in the world at present and managers will continue using it for a very long time.
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https://footviser.com/analytical/4-2-3-1-formation-analysis/feed/ 0https://footviser.com/analytical/4-5-1-formation-analysis/ https://footviser.com/analytical/4-5-1-formation-analysis/#respond Soubhanik Saha Wed, 26 Aug 2020 12:18:04 +0000 Analytical Formations Featured https://footviser.com/?p=3913 The greatest challenge for a manager is to find tactics suitable to the players for his team, the types of players, their technical abilities and if those tactics can wield results or not. Today we will discuss one of the most defensively stable and popular formations, the 4-5-1 formation. We will discuss the different aspect […]
The greatest challenge for a manager is to find tactics suitable to the players for his team, the types of players, their technical abilities and if those tactics can wield results or not. Today we will discuss one of the most defensively stable and popular formations, the 4-5-1 formation. We will discuss the different aspect of the 4-5-1 formation and how to execute it. So let us dive into the facts.
The 4-5-1 formation requires a particular set of footballers specialized in certain qualities. The two centre backs are defensively solid with great game reading and anticipation quality. The Left and Right full-backs need to be defensively very much apt in much of the cases they have to sit back along with the centre backs and participate in the defensive work. They may possess overlapping skills which may be used as an attacking variation. The midfield consists of a variety of midfielders, There is a central defensive midfielder whose main job will be to break the opponent’s play and pass the ball to the passing options to initiate the attacking transition. Then there are two technically brilliant and balanced central midfielders who can actively participate in both attacking and defensive duty. The two wide midfielders or the wingers need to be pacy this is one of the most essential components for the execution of this formation’s attacking transition. The lone forward must be hardworking and needs to be hardworking and has to be able to put double shift of holding up the play to give the time for his teammates to come and join the attacking play and also needs to show the skill of making most of the chances he gets during the game.
The 4-5-1 is mostly a defensive pressure oriented formation. This formation is pretty much suitable for the teams who want to play a defence-oriented counter-attacking game. The main principle of this formation is to outnumber the opposition in midfield with 5 midfielders at the centre of the park resulting in the controlling the midfield and with a good central defensive midfielder try to win back the ball in the middle with help of numerical superiority and begin the swift counter-attacking process.
But due to 5 midfielders present in the centre in case of a 4-5-1 flat formation, there is no opportunity for the team to press the defensive players of the opponent. Due to the tightly-packed wide and central areas and with virtually 9 men protecting the ball there is very little or no chance for the opponent to build up any play in the team’s half with no space in between the lines to act upon. Another important aspect of this formation is to determine where to start the press, with the help of two wingers and the forward follows the principle where the line of confrontation begins at the top of the centre circle and in some cases some team follows the centre line as the line of confrontation or pressing. Due to such a compact and tight-knit formation, the opponents don’t have many options other than playing the long balls and try to cross the defensive line with the forwards and wingers making the line breaking run, so most of the times the centre backs clear the dangers but the goalkeeper must also remain alert and try to sweep the areas behind the goalkeeper and fullbacks.
The centre backs and the fullbacks have to be positionally aware and also needs to anticipate the angles in which the balls can be played by the opponent. In the attacking phase of the 4-5-1 formation, the team can easily make passing triangles in the midfield areas which is the best way of playing the passing game and try to play the way out against the opponent’s midfield press. The central 3 of the midfield including the two central midfielders and the defensive midfielder is very important for the sustainability of this system.
The no.6 that is the central defensive midfielder playing in between the lines is much like the key of the midfield. The no.6 may have to shift to the fullback’s position if he participates in the attacking play with his overlapping run, he will also have to win the ball in the midfield region and be the initiator of the passing sequence leading to the attacking play, he is the player to whom there is a large number of passing options in the midfield is available he has to pick the most advantageously placed player. He also has the important duty of controlling the pace of the game according to his team’s need, As the no.9 is alone up top the wide midfielders or wingers joins him in the attacking play to give support, also in some cases the wide midfielders do not leave their position but the two central midfielders join the attacking play with the no.9. Sometimes a single full-back also moves up to give another extra option in the attacking play. Role of Controller and Mezzala in 4-5-1 formation Mezzala’s will have a very important role to play in this formation if the team possesses on in case of this formation.
The case is the mezzala will according to the need of the team in the attacking phase will either drift to the sides to give the attacking support while in the transition phase. In an alternative way in case of the teams which does not allow their wide players to progress further will make the mezzala playing in the central midfield position to use the half-spaces in the opponent’s half to provide the slight amount of creativity in the attack. In that case, the deeper central midfielder will cover the position left by the mezzala who is moving forward to the half-spaces.In case of the controllers which are rarely seen in a 4-5-1 flat formation.
He can act as an asset for the team, with the ability to control the game he can turn the result of the match upside down to initiate the passing sequence in the midfield. In case if there is no passing option in the midfield he will protect the ball until he doesn’t get the opportunity to pass it, he will remain close to the ball in the small packets of spaces, as a result, there is a constant passing option in the midfield with a spare man who has the creative ability to launch the quick counter-attack. He will also possess the basic defending skills to participate in the defensive blockade if needed. Variations of the 4-5-1 Formation. Apart from the flat 4-5-1 formation, there are different variations that arose with time, according to the needs of the team the tweaking of the formation took place.
In this shape there are two midfielders in the deep central region, one is a central defensive midfielder another is a deep-lying playmaker. There is pretty much no place in the zone.14 for the opponents to play with, there is a midfield 3 consisting of the central attacking midfielder and two wingers on both sides, this is the most stable formation. One of the most popular formations of our times, teams try to follow this formation to maintain the perfect balance between the attack and defence. For more details please visit the previous article on this topic from our page.
This shape is more of a defensive-oriented shape, Tony Pulis used this formation to perfection, in this formation, there are two blocks of 4 midfielders and defenders like the 4-4-2 formation, in between them lies the defensive midfielder. The two central midfielders, in this case, are balanced of sort and the no.6 provides the man advantage in the midfield. In this formation, the attacking triangle formation can be easily formed in these formations. The team can easily pass their way into the wider regions. This is mostly used by the lower mid-table clubs to give them the edge in midfield against the technically superior upper league tables team.
This is another defensive formation, Sean Dyche uses this formation quite regularly at Burnley making them a team difficult to score against. With the flat 4 in the midfield and the strong defence, one can easily shut down all the passing lanes for the opposition. The long ball method targeting the physically strong forward is widely used in this case, there is an attacking midfielder to assist the no.9 in the attacking play. The wide mids also joins the play to give more attacking options.
4-5-1 formations are generally preferred by teams with pacy wide players and in transition takes the shape of 4-3-3 Formation . This formation gives strong defensive security to play counter-attacking football with the motive of controlling the play in the centre of the pitch.4-5-1 is a good formation to play against the widely used 4-3-3 formation which is widely used in today’s football. With the man advantage in midfield, one tries to win the ball against the 4-3-3 formations and try to hit them on the counters with aggressive and pacy counter-attacks.
This is the best formation to counter the 4-3-3 formation.2. In case of the matches which needs high defensive stability or deals with holding onto a lead, it is the best formation to go with. With 9 men behind the ball breaking this formation might prove to be a tough nut to crack for a lot of teams.3. Against a technically superior opponent, this formation is perfect, as there is very little space to create play and on the other hand the formation deals with mostly spirited defending which might cover for the technicality deficiency of the lower table clubs against strong opponents.
The passing options become very predictable in the midfield and opponents can build upon that as they can put a heavy pressing mechanism in the midfield. Though this formation provides defensive stability the attacking threat of the team gets neutralized for a large extent. The midfielders and the forward have to be on the top of his game throughout the 90 minutes which is almost impossible to maintain such a high level of intensity throughout the game. This is not particularly a good formation when the team is trailing as the attacking threat is low for this formation.
Thus we can say that the 4-5-1 formation is a very good formation for a team who wants to build their game on the strength of their defence. But it’s on the manager to choose what formation he will want to play in. But nevertheless, the 4-5-1 formation has been a time tested jewel among the formations.
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https://footviser.com/analytical/4-5-1-formation-analysis/feed/ 0https://footviser.com/analytical/4-3-3-formation-analysis/ https://footviser.com/analytical/4-3-3-formation-analysis/#respond Ratnadeep Mukherjee Sun, 02 Aug 2020 14:31:15 +0000 Analytical Formations Featured https://footviser.com/?p=2747 Football tactics and formations have evolved a lot with time. From eleven players running with the ball towards the goal of pressing, counter-pressing, and playing positions football has taken a huge leap. These evolutions resulted in the implementation of various tactics and formations. The on and off paper formations also evolved gradually. From an orthodox […]
Football tactics and formations have evolved a lot with time. From eleven players running with the ball towards the goal of pressing, counter-pressing, and playing positions football has taken a huge leap. These evolutions resulted in the implementation of various tactics and formations. The on and off paper formations also evolved gradually. From an orthodox 2-3-5, 4-4-2 to 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 and now 3-4-3, 3-2-4-1 football formations have gone through a revolutionary change. But still, now 4-3-3 remains one of the most stable formations on paper. Today we will discuss the various aspects of 4-3-3 formation.
Every variation of 4-3-3 requires more or less same players.
Variation of 4-3-3 formation occurs with the position of midfielders. Some team deploys two box to box midfielders or two creative midfielders . Some deploy 3 attacking-minded players instead of a Central Defensive Midfielders .
In modern football, some team uses false 9 or dropping forward instead of a proper striker. He drops down connecting with the midfield and the two wingers move centrally to form two forwards leaving the wings for fullbacks. The system then looks like a 4-4-2 diamond . This system is mainly seen in Klopp’s Liverpool.
Now Let’s first venture into the three basic types of the 4-3-3 Formation:
This is the most basic 4-3-3 formation . The midfield in this shape comprises of three central midfielders. They can be creative of Box to Box according to the team’s requirements. In 4-3-3 system players can attack both through the center or through the flanks. The central mids sometimes move to the flank depending on the opponent’s attacking preferences providing extra cover.
Like the other 4-3-3’s this also triggers high pressing and breaking an opponent’s defense on transition. But this variation is not matched in use in modern football due to less defensive covers. During overlapping of fullbacks, this system leaves a lot of space on the wing and if the midfielders drop to cover it then the opponent could break them outnumbering players in mid. This system is not much in use in current world football.
This system is widely used in top tier football. It mainly comprises of a Central Defensive Midfielder, a Box to Box, and a creative midfielder . Some teams like to use 2 box to box midfielders instead of a creative midfielder. The Central Defensive Midfielder shields the defense, marks opponent Central Attacking Midfielder and releases the pressure of the Center Back.
The midfield shapes like a triangle where the Central Defensive Midfielders stays at the bottom. The no.10 player mainly plays in a free role. He carries the ball forward exploit half spaces connect with wingers and forward and provide between the line balls. He orchestrates the whole attack. The Box to Box midfielder moves up and down with possession. He provides an extra man in attack. The fullbacks in this system can also overlap freely and during their overlap, the Central Defensive Midfielder covers the space left behind. This system lets teams play through the opponent press by creating passing triangles. This system favors both possession and counterattacking teams.
With the presence of a no 10 player, the forward also gets support in releasing second balls and creating space in between the defense. While defending this system becomes narrow with the Central Defensive Midfielder dropping in between two Centre Backs . This helps to nullify opponent attacks and start transitions with the help of speedy wingers and fullbacks. This formation is used widely. Klopp uses two number 8 variation while Guardiola and Zidane use the one no. 8 and one no. 10 variations .
This is the most attacking variation of the 4-3-3 system. The players are similar to the defensive variation. But the creative in this system becomes a full-fledged attacking midfielder . He operates in the zone 14 and joins the forwards with the mid. He generally stays near half line when the possession is lost to initiate counters.
He acts as the tip of the triangle. The base is formed by a defensive midfielder and a box to box midfielder. Sometimes Deep Lying Playmaker is also used instead of a box to box midfielder if the passing abilities of the defensive mid are not great. The wingers move inside providing space for the fullbacks to move forward. The ball movement mainly depends on the combination and creation passing triangles.
The midfielders often move in the half-space and exploit space in between Fullbacks and Central Backs. These teams mainly defend in a 5-3-2 shape blocking the mid. This formation is also much in use. Managers like Flick and Inzaghi uses this formation
Pep Guardiola and his Barcelona side played fluid tiki-taka following the 4-3-3 formation. It was one of the greatest teams of modern football which redefined the formation and mesmerized the whole world with their beautiful football.
Carlo Ancelotti delivered Real Madrid their La Decima , the Champions League after a 12 long year wait. They played ruthless counter-attacking football adapting the 4-3-3 formation
Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool side brought home the Premier League to Anfield after a 30 long year wait. Their Gegenpressing style of football using the 4-3-3 formation helped them achieve this extraordinary feat.
Like every system, there are certain disadvantages of 4-3-3 Formation. But this is one of the most common football formations used. It is simple, less demanding and can be utilized in different ways. It gives stability to each and every department. That’s why it is still used by managers of the 21st century. So hope you liked the 4-3-3 Formation Analysis.
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https://footviser.com/analytical/4-3-3-formation-analysis/feed/ 0https://footviser.com/analytical/4-4-2-formation-analysis/ https://footviser.com/analytical/4-4-2-formation-analysis/#respond Soubhanik Saha Wed, 29 Jul 2020 13:57:36 +0000 Analytical Formations Featured https://footviser.com/?p=2461 Welcome to our Formation Analysis series, today we are going to talk about the 4-4-2 formation, how it works, different variants of the 4-4-2, and iconic teams which mastered this formation. Once Football was a game where one would kick the ball from one side to the another in a mannerless way aiming to put […]
Welcome to our Formation Analysis series, today we are going to talk about the 4-4-2 formation , how it works, different variants of the 4-4-2, and iconic teams which mastered this formation. Once Football was a game where one would kick the ball from one side to the another in a mannerless way aiming to put the ball inside the goal. But like nature, the beautiful game has also gone through an evolution with time flowing by. So, as a result, the tactics and formations were gradually formed. The aim was to find an easier and systematic way to score a goal. Thus formations came into being. 4-4-2 Formation Analysis is the first step to explain football in a simpler and better way.
To implement the strategy the ground must be divided into 4 parts. With characteristic style of play in each part. Without the implementation of it, there is a chance of collapse of the total system. In the image given below the zones are properly shown. So the zones and its characteristic play are:
Now Let’s first venture into the two basic types of the 4-4-2 Formation:
4 defenders including 2 Centre backs(CB) and full backs(FB), 4 midfielders including wide midfielders and 2 man striking line.
The 4-4-2 linear formation corresponds to the basic formation in the linear scaling. The goalkeeper is the 1st line of chain, 4 defenders being the 2nd line and the midfielders and strikers forming the four lines of this chain. When the team is in possession the goalkeeper moves from the goal to the middle of his area to maintain a distance of 20m with the line of defence. The keeper plays the role of the sweeper here. The distance in between the two chains are mostly 8-12 m. The fullbacks mostly move forward to create chances with the CB’s and the two defensive midfielders in the centre protects the defence, the wide midfielders generally narrows a bit to provide space for the fullbacks to overlap. This is the basic implementation of the 4-4-2 linear formation.
4 defenders including two centre backs and wingbacks. Midfield consists of one defensive midfielders, two Halfbacks and a no.10 or Attacking midfielder.
The attack begins with the flair of the central mids and the attacking midfielders. The basic aim while attacking is to create a situation where the attacking players outnumber the opposition defenders. Triangles are formed with the players to increase passing probabilities. In possession phase the 2 wingbacks advance forward and the 2 strikers move to a staggered deep-lying position creating 7 passing options with the two halfbacks and the Enganche moving forward. But this formation is susceptible to quick counters through the centre and wings as spaces are created due to advancing fullbacks. The wingbacks are attack-minded in this formation. The defensive organisation remains the same as before with the keeper playing as the sweeper. The CB’s will stay in their place. CDM will act as the protection against counters, rarely a 3 man backline also coming to the action.
Now let’s move onto a more hybrid and complex divisions of the 4-4-2 formation. Now let’s see how this will pan out
This formation we need two chains of 4 players in defence and midfield and two forwards upfront. The 4 midfielders will consist of two wingers in the wide position. The two-man striking line will comprise of one proper finisher and a supporting striker.
This is another important application of 4-4-2 formation mainly used by the teams who want to dominate and control the play with possessional flair that is passing football. There are 4 lines, starting with the goalkeeper at the back who will maintain his position in between the goal line and the two-man centre back pairing.
The goalkeeper has to possess the playmaking skill because he has to play the role of sweeper and initiate the attacking play from the back. Then comes the chain of 4 men defence line. The two centre back should consists of a stopper and a covering defender both must have the ability to move the ball with correct passing. The defenders will maintain a distance of 15 metres between each other. The two fullbacks must possess keen attacking ability they will have to overlap constantly so their positioning sense will come into play a lot.
The fullbacks will have a starting position just slightly upwards than the two-man centre back pairing. Then comes the chain of 4 midfielders. The two wide positions will be covered by two wingers and the centre will be covered by two halfbacks. During the course of the play, two halfbacks will slightly move towards the wingers in the side with the sole motive of feeding the balls to the wingers. This is very integral behind whether the team will succeed in carrying out the work need to make this formation work to their advantage.
So two premium quality wingers is a basic need who will be good with passing and dribbling skills. The two-man backline is the last and the most important part of the whole system. The finisher needs to be clinical with the chances and he must possess the skill of drawing out defenders with his movements creating space for the wingers to cut in and accommodate space for the fullbacks. The supporting striker will have to be the bridge of connection between the midfield and the finisher and create chances up front. He should also possess the skill of finishing to an extent.
Advantage of this formation : With the help of this formation the team can exploit the whole width of the pitch to get access to the large spaces which are created by stretching out the opponents during the phase of possessional play. This formation will benefit the team who plays high-intensity possession-based football.
Disadvantage of this formation : In case of a quick counter-attack the team will be very vulnerable from the centre and the sides with the fullbacks upfront managing the play. The team with quick forwards and counter-attacking tactics can cause much discomfort against this formation. The half-backs need to be in stellar form each and every day to defend this which is impossible as of form comes into play in some part of the season.
The team will consists of 3 chains, two chains of 4 midfielders and defenders and two forwards upfront. The midfield will consist of one defensive midfielder, one enganche and two central midfielders or half-backs. The two wingbacks are also needed in the back to complete the formation.
The 4 lines are there. Goalkeeper will be the first chain, he will need keen distributing skill to exploit the gaps of the opponents from the back. The goalkeeper will play the role of sweeper and will clear the lines efficiently. The 4 defenders are consisting of two centre backs and two wingbacks. The role of the two CB’s will be more or less similar to the previous case mentioned in the 2-4-4 offensive variant formation above. But the key factor here will be instead of the two full-backs there will be two wingbacks there in the pitch. They will start in a position just above the centre back pairing with the game in progression they will take up the role of the wide midfielders by positioning themselves in the wide positions in the midfield. They will one of the main source of creativity in the team’s attacking play. The Midfield will consist of 4 players each of different importance. The defensive midfielder will be the point of pressure release for the centre backs.
The defensive midfielder will have to drop to form a 3 man backline when the two wingbacks will push forward in the attacking play of the team. The defensive midfielder will be the first pillar against the quick counter-attack. The two halfbacks will be Box to Box in nature they will have to balance their game perfectly with the attacking and defensive aspect of the game. The main purpose for them in the attack will be to move in between the lines of the opponent to create numerical overloads in the attacking third on the contrary while they will face the counter they will backtrack quickly and will try to cover the spaces in the wide regions left open by the overlapping wingbacks.
The Attacking midfielder will push forward and take the creative onus, he will have to be great in making through passes and also will have to find the attacking players in the space. The supporting striker will create a good understanding with the Attacking midfielder to utilize the Zone 14 properly, they will often shift their positions to confuse the opponents. They will supply the ball to the wingbacks to cross or cut in. The Finisher here will be more of a target man who will be good with his ariel ability to covert the large no. of crosses into goals. He will have to also take out defenders with his movements to create space for the Attacking midfielder and the supporting striker.
Advantage of the formation : The basic advantage of this formation is the whole pitch can be utilized. It will be the best formation when the team is trailing in the game or in need of some quick goals. It is a very stable formation which gives importance to the defensive part also against the counter-attack.
Disadvantage of this formation : The main glaring point against this formation is the ability of the defensive midfielders and the two central midfielders must have to be top-notch and world-class pretty much every day. For the teams that do not have attacking wingbacks will face a problem to create this formation. Each player have to be positionally very much aware a lapse in concentration can result in large space to be attacked by the opponents. With this part we complete the 4 basic varieties of 4-4-2 Formation. In the next part, we will try to decode the roles of players in each position in a 4-4-2 Formation.
Arsene Wenger and his Invincible Arsenal followed the 4-4-2 Formation. It was one of the most iconic teams in world football which enticed the whole world with their mesmerizing football.
The Champions League-winning Porto under Mourinho showed how defensive football can flourish under the 4-4-2 formation, burying the myth that 4-4-2 is an attacking formation.
Ancelloti’s 4-4-2 at Milan was the best example of a balanced setup under 4-4-2 with an equal amount of importance being given on both the defence and the attack making it lethal.
The 4-4-2 indeed is one of the most basic and yet one of the most effective football formation. Implementing it properly requires a lot of subtle knowledge about the player’s ability whether they will cope or sustain within the system, The 4-4-2 can be very demanding but with proper implementation, it is one of the best out there.
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