Football Formation

Dec 23, 2010
Phil Benson

Throughout the world tactics, successes and setbacks of football are discussed in bars, pubs and cafes as the globe is gripped by football fever.

But if you thought ‘sweepers’ were simply employed by the council, a ‘wing-back’ was a type of bird and a 4-4-2 could only be ordered from a Chinese menu; here we will attempt to explain the formations that will be employed by the teams competing for the 19th FIFA World Cup.

4-4-2

This is the most commonly used formation and is employed by teams across the world. It offers a solid structure to handle both defensive and attacking duties. The midfield players are expected to help the defence whilst also having the stamina to support the forward players when attacking.

4-3-3

This formation is a more attacking structure as there is one extra player in the forward positions. This means however, there is one less player in midfield to support the defence. The idea of this formation is to attack and make the opposition midfielder players support their defence.

5-3-2

This is a protecting formation, which sees five defenders occupy the back positions. One of the three centre backs will often drop behind his defensive partners to act as a ‘sweeper’ when necessary, allowing the other centre backs to mark the opposition forward players. With so many defensive players, it allows the midfielders to support the forward players when attacking.

3-5-2

A far more attacking version of a formation using three centre backs. The 3-5-2 shape relies heavily on the right wing-back and left wing-back to support the defence when defending, but importantly, to get forward and help the attackers. This allows the midfield to be more compact in the centre of the pitch and snuff out any opposition moves.

Diamond formation

The diamond formation takes it name from the diamond shape of how the midfield players line up. This structure allows the midfield to stay compact in the middle of the pitch, but relies on the right midfielder and left midfielder to drift out to the flanks to play the conventional role when needed.

4-2-4

This formation employs four defenders to keep the team defensively solid, but the main aim of this structure is to attack. The midfielders will be asked to support the defence, but their chief job is to get the ball to the four attacking players and support when necessary. By having so many forward players, they will be a constant threat to the opposition defence.

4-5-1/5-4-1

This is perhaps the most defensive formation employed by teams as it packs the defence and midfield to make it harder for the opposition to create chances. This though, will have a negative effect on attacking play as just one forward player is used.

The type of player that is available to the manager or coach when picking the team will always influence the formation chosen and in-turn, the formation choice will often determine which player is picked.

These formations provide a great source of debate amongst football fans, pundits and commentators the world over. Which is the best? How can it be changed? How will the opponents line up?

The wrong formation selection is often behind the reason for managers having to look for another job; it is that important.