Implementing an effective football formation depends on variables like footballer quality, ranking on the table, and the competition itself.
While you can always check out a football tactics book to get great insights into playmaking, there is no better instructor than experience and history. Over the past 50 years, football has been beautified with some of the most pleasurable formations in the history of the sport, and some of which are still utilised to this day. However, the 2010s saw a visible shift in football tactics with the rise of a more attacking design of play and a more structured method to playmaking. Modern football has actually leveraged both skill and tech to formulate a few of the most effective tactics that have actually managed to win clubs many prizes. In this context, the modified 4-3-3 formation has actually ended up being among the more popular modern football tactics owing to its effective attack and balanced defense. The minority shareholder of Liverpool FC will agree that technical ability and speed make this strategy very difficult to ward off.
Nowadays, there are many football tactics and formations out there to select from however managers spend a great deal of time adapting and tweaking timeless formations to fit the particularities of their teams. The reality is, there are lots of parameters that influence this decision, and not all of which are strictly technical. For example, the quality of footballers available can make coaches reconsider what strategy to utilise. In the absence of quality players in attack, some managers prefer to utilise a more midfield-dense method in an attempt to dominate ownership of the ball. In the attacking stance, midfielders and wingers will attempt to send out through balls or shoot from outside area in order to destabilise the defenses of the opponent. The AC Milan former US owner would likely confirm that other elements like player injury and managing a hectic calendar likewise affect tactical and technical decisions.
Widely considered one of the most flexible football tactics, the 4-4-2 is a strategy that can be fine-tuned to be more offensive or leaning more to the defensive side. It is for these reasons that this formation is amongst the most common football tactics across different leagues and tournaments. If the coach wishes to use an offensive 4-4-2, they can introduce some key changes to enable increased fluidity in passing and play making. For example, they can form a lozenge in the midfield that consists of one defensive midfielder, 2 playmakers on the sides, and one attacking midfielder. This lozenge would provide balls to the wingers and a false nine that occasionally drops to a lower position. In a more defensive 4-4-2, the former owner of Aston Villa would tell you that the manager can create an arch composed of 4 players that serves as a barrier that keeps the opponent from reaching the defense line.