official Premier League website<\/a> noted that during 2022\/23 \u201cOf the 39 managers who took charge of at least one Premier League match, an incredible 31 used that system at some stage of the campaign.\u201d In comparison to 2021\/22, there was an increase of more than 60% in the use of this formation, with 3-5-2 the formation that mostly \u201clost out\u201d.<\/p>\nInterestingly, the Premier League noted that the only two clubs who regularly used a back three were Spurs and Chelsea. They finished a disappointing eighth and 12th respectively so they were certainly no advert for the formation. However, the flexibility and blend of attack and defence made 4-2-3-1 the dominant formation, although Fulham were the only side to use it in every single game during 2022\/23.<\/p>\n
The four at the back operate in the same way as they do in a 4-4-2, more or less, but the two in front of those are primarily defensive midfielders, though one may serve more as a box-to-box player. This pair can provide cover, especially when one or more of the defenders join the attack. With three attacking midfielders and two defensive ones, it has some of the strengths of a 4-4-2 diamond, but with the added advantage of greater width.<\/p>\n
The potential to easily have four, and sometimes five players in forward areas makes it suitable for play on the counter. However, there is also fluidity and balance, with the formation also offering six defensive players just as readily. It is easy to see why this formation has become more popular and it seems likely to stick around for a good while yet.<\/p>\n
4-1-4-1 Variation<\/h3>\n
![\"4-1-4-1-Formation\"](\"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/4-1-4-1-formation-250px.jpg\")
The main variation to this formation is the 4-1-4-1, which is loved by former Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa and has been tried by Pep Guardiola when teams are defending in numbers.<\/p>\n
Guardiola mostly used this tweak at Bayern, when his side were largely dominant.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the 2013\/14 season it was rumoured that the German giants would switch from 4-2-3-1 to the more attacking formation with just one defensive midfielder.<\/p>\n
This proved to be the case, and whilst other teams have used the formation from time to time, Bayern provide a great example of how the system works.<\/p>\n
Sometimes known as a \u201csingle pivot\u201d, it allows teams to commit more players going forward, though still has the flexibility to switch into a 4-2-3-1 or even 4-3-3 very easily.<\/p>\n
4-3-3<\/h3>\n
![\"4-3-3](\"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/4-3-3-formation-250px.jpg\")
4-3-3 was out of fashion for many years but in some recent campaigns has been the most popular option within the Premier League. It has its roots in the Total Football of the Dutch, but great Ajax and Barcelona sides of the last 30 years have also used it, whilst Liverpool\u2019s best seasons under Jurgen Klopp have come playing 4-3-3 too.<\/p>\n
4-3-3 was deployed 222 times during the 2022\/23 campaign, a 20% increase on the previous season and only behind 4-2-3-1 in terms of popularity. Both Eddie Howe and Mikel Arteta, at Newcastle and Arsenal respectively, opted for 4-3-3 in every league game. In many ways it is very similar to both 4-2-3-1 and also the variation on that detailed above, 4-1-4-1. Once again we see the fairly standard back four, with one fully defensive midfielder sitting in front of them.<\/p>\n
Beyond that sole holding player, but part of the same midfield three, we have two players who tend to be all-round players. One may be more of the \u201ccontroller\u201d, setting the tempo and moving the ball quickly whilst controlling possession, with one slightly more advanced and creative.<\/p>\n
The front three consist of two wide attackers who will aim to get into the box when the ball is on the other side of the pitch, but also stay wide to cross the ball or cut inside to get a shot away. The system can often be used with inverted wingers, though not always, whilst the main striker can either be a true number nine or a more flexible player who can rotate with the other forwards.<\/p>\n
The 4-3-3 perhaps provides the most control in midfield of any formation and with midfield viewed as so important in the current era, it is easy to understand why the system is so popular. Different teams use the formation in slightly different ways, with Liverpool\u2019s title-winning side in 2019\/20 tending to operate with three workhorses in midfield and relying on the front three for their creativity.<\/p>\n
That side, like any playing 4-3-3, relies on the full backs to time their attacks well, helping create overloads in the wide areas and allowing as many as seven players to join the attack. Of course, this strength is also a potential weakness, with a side playing this way open in transition due to potentially being caught with both full backs up the pitch.<\/p>\n
The main variations of this system we have already mentioned, chiefly 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-4-1. However, sticking with Klopp\u2019s Liverpool, they sometimes moved to a 4-4-2 diamond, with central striker Roberto Firmino dropping to join the midfield three. The wide forwards could then move slightly more central, with one of the original three in midfield dropping back into the base of the diamond in front of the back four.<\/p>\n
3-5-2 and 3-4-2-1<\/h3>\n
![\"3-5-2](\"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/3-5-2-formation-250px.jpg\")
These two formations use three centre backs, making them fundamentally different from the others listed above. Here there are three centre backs, flanked by two wing backs, a position that in simple terms lies between a traditional full back and a winger. There are subtle differences between these two formations further forward but they can really be seen as a variation of each other.<\/p>\n
3-5-2 has probably been around as a concept for longer, with the more detailed 3-4-2-1 essentially a variation that uses the more modern idea of formations having four \u201clines\u201d rather than just three. 3-5-2 was perhaps most famously played by Argentina\u2019s Maradona-inspired World Cup winners in 1986, although Antonio Conte has been linked with this system more recently, especially during his spell at Juventus.<\/p>\n
Whilst these formations have their own strengths, chiefly their high midfield numbers, the surprise\/novelty factor, often managers will use them simply when their squad is shaped a certain way. The defenders are key in this regard, with three specialist centre backs needed, as well as very energetic players to play on the flanks, who possess sufficient ability at both ends of the pitch.<\/p>\n
Using three centre backs fell out of fashion in the Premier League in 2022\/23, with 3-5-2 used just 23 times, down a shade under 60% on the 12 months prior. 3-4-2-1 was deployed 64 times, down 5.9%. What\u2019s more, as noted above, the chief advocates of using three centre backs, Chelsea and Spurs, did poorly, so it may be some time before the system regains its popularity.<\/p>\n
That said, Sheffield United continue to play 3-5-2, as they did in their last Premier League stint. Whilst it is tempting to try and draw conclusions and suggest the league has changed, in reality it may simply depend on the ideas of the managers in jobs at any given time. And whilst these reflect wider trends and notions about tactics, with a sample of just 20 managers at any one time, we cannot be too certain about the generalisations we might make.<\/p>\n
There are suggestions that Nottingham Forest will use 3-4-3 in a lot of their games in 2023\/24, if not all of them, and this would increase the back-three stats. What\u2019s more, should one or two teams opt to play with three at the back, this can increase the overall usage of this system as opponents often choose to match up against them with a similar formation.<\/p>\n
Variations with Three Centre Backs<\/h3>\n
![\"5-3-2](\"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/5-3-2-250px.jpg\")
We have already mentioned two options but the other most obvious variation is 5-3-2, which simply sees the wing backs drop in alongside their central defensive colleagues.<\/p>\n
We discuss the difference between formations in and out of possession below, but teams may opt to play 3-5-2 when they have the ball, but 5-3-2 when they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
When they lose possession, the wing backs act more as traditional full backs, with the defensive power and flexibility of 3-5-2 being one of its strengths.<\/p>\n
3-4-3 is an alternative variation where the most attacking midfielder from a 3-5-2 just plays a little higher up the pitch, almost as a false nine.<\/p>\n
Likewise, 5-4-1 is an ultra-defensive formation that sees one of the strikers ditched to use a flat back five and a standard four-man midfield.<\/p>\n
Formations In Possession Versus Out of Possession<\/h2>\n
![\"Football](\"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/football-positions-strategy-400px.jpg\")
Teams have long played in slightly different shapes depending on whether they are in possession or not. This is not a new idea, though it is perhaps talked about more in the modern era. When a side has the ball, they are generally looking to attack, although Spain\u2019s great side of 2008 to 2012 showed that possession can also be a form of defence. Equally, when their opponent has the ball, a team is defending, even if a press or counter-press can lead to an attack.<\/p>\n
These different actions can be carried out with contrasting formations and the switch from 3-5-2 to 5-3-2 is perhaps the simplest example of this. When in possession, the wing backs will operate higher up the pitch but on losing the ball they will drop back into a flat back five. In a similar way, a 4-1-4-1 out of possession may morph into a 2-3-2-3, with full backs joining the defensive midfielder and wide midfielders playing higher up the pitch either side of the striker. These changes can be mapped and clearly shown by looking at the average positions of players, or by plotting their position over a defined number of moments both with and without the ball.<\/p>\n
Over the course of 2023 there was an increasing use of inverted full backs. The traditional movement of this defender when their side has the ball is forward, maintaining their width. However, Guardiola often asked one of his full backs to move into central midfield when first Bayern, and then City had the ball. This tactic is believed to have been developed by Pep\u2019s mentor, Johan Cruyff, but has certainly become more popular due to the younger man.<\/p>\n
Arteta did it at Arsenal, whilst Klopp used Trent Alexander-Arnold in this way at Liverpool, and this may mean a team switching from 4-3-3 without the ball to 3-4-3 with it. There are other ways for this tactic to alter a system and other formations that change with and without the ball. In many ways, all of this further illustrates a point we made initially \u2013 that formations are flexible. For this reason, some tacticians prefer to use the word \u201cshape\u201d, rather than formation, this hinting at a more dynamic system.<\/p>\n
Formations of the Past<\/h2>\n
![\"Football](\"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/football-formations-from-history-765px.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
As we have noted, formations come and go as tactics and ideas evolve. Very<\/em> strange as it may sound, in the earliest years of football, passing the ball was almost seen as cheating, with the game seen as a dribbling sport. So, whilst 4-4-2 might now be seen as a little outdated, there are many older formations which would make most modern fans go \u201cWTF?!\u201d.<\/p>\nOne of the earliest popular formations was a 1-1-8! Yes, eight attackers, with one defender and one in midfield. But this was during the mid-1800s, when the original offside rule massively restricted forward passing of the ball and, as said, the game was predominantly one of dribbling. 2-1-7 was a similar variant, though presumably adopted only when sides wanted to park the bus\u2026 or carriage.<\/p>\n
Related to these were very similar systems such as 2-2-6 and 1-2-7, though as the 20th century approached many sides began playing a pyramid formation, or 2-3-5. This formation created some of the numbering conventions that last to this day, with the following typical:<\/p>\n
\n- 2 defenders<\/strong> – left back 3, right back 2<\/li>\n
- 3 midfielders (halves)<\/strong> – left-half 6, centre half 5, right half 4<\/li>\n
- 5 attackers<\/strong> – left wing 11, inside left 10, centre forward 9, inside right 8, right wing 7<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
From here, Arenal\u2019s magisterial sides of the 1930s helped popularise the W-M formation under their brilliant boss Herbert Chapman. This was essentially a 3-2-2-3, the defence being the \u201cM\u201d and attack being the \u201cW\u201d. This system was widespread right into the 1950s.<\/p>\n
Since then teams have played a 3-2-5, 2-3-2-3 and, a formation at least vaguely familiar to modern football tacticians, the 4-2-4. Brazil\u2019s great Pele-inspired sides are most linked with this formation, though it became seen as too attacking over time, in part due to England\u2019s success of the same era in 1966 with their so-called \u201cwingless wonders\u201d.<\/p>\n
This saw England play a much narrower system, without wingers. Manager Sir Alf Ramsey sometimes deployed what was essentially a 4-3-3 and at other times more of a 4-1-3-2, both of which would not seem out of place 60 years on. The latter probably best describes the system used in the final, with Bobby Charlton supporting Roger Hunt and Geoff Hurst, and Nobby Stiles as the holding midfielder.<\/p>\n
Do Formations Affect or Relate to Tactics?<\/h2>\n
![\"Football](\"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/football-manager-giving-instructions-EUO-400px.jpg\")
We have sometimes used the words \u201cformation\u201d and \u201ctactics\u201d (as well as \u201csystem\u201d) almost as synonyms. However, here we are looking at how the formation, or shape, relates to what a team might be trying to achieve. For example, if a side is looking to defend a lead, might they alter their formation? Conversely, if they are losing a cup tie with time running out, might a switch in formation be used to try and chase the game? Or can one formation be used to counteract another, or to try and bridge a gulf in class between two clubs?<\/p>\n
The answer to all these questions is, unsurprisingly, yes. Whilst few modern managers would play a 4-2-4 formation, it is clearly more attacking than 5-3-2, or even 5-4-1. Similarly, anyone who has watched much football will have seen a game where a centre back is used as an emergency striker for the last few minutes of a game where a goal is desperately needed.<\/p>\n
In this way, a standard 4-4-2, for example, becomes 3-4-3. The only thing that has really changed is that there is one fewer defender and one more striker. Alternatively, it is not uncommon for a team to sacrifice a striker when they are in front, and either switch to three at the back or add an additional holding player into midfield.<\/p>\n
Formations, in other words, have a direct impact on the way a team is looking to play and tell us a lot about what the manager hopes to achieve. They are, though, highly flexible and some managers may change their side\u2019s shape and even full formation several times during a game. These changes often give us an insight into what the coach is thinking and where they think the clash is being won and lost.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you think 4-4-2 = minus 2 and you think a Christmas tree is something that has tinsel on, well, you\u2019re sort of correct. However, if you don\u2019t have the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":1411,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2024-04-30 14:24:45","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5648"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5648"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5662,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5648\/revisions\/5662"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Popular](\"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/popular-football-formations-265px.jpg\")
Football is played between teams of 11 and the only mandatory position is the goalkeeper. The keeper is the only player who can use their hands and they can only do this inside the penalty area. Whilst goalkeepers traditionally operate largely from within the area, or box, they are not restricted to this and increasingly in the modern game they play higher up the pitch, almost acting as a defender or sweeper.<\/p>\n![\"4-4-2](\"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/4-4-2-formation-250px.jpg\")
![\"4-4-2](\"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/4-4-2-diamond-formation-250px.jpg\")
With all formations there are small tweaks that can be made, either to make it more effective in general, or for use against a particular opponent, tactic or opposing formation.<\/p>\n![\"4-2-3-1](\"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/4-2-3-1-formation-250px.jpg\")
This formation is probably the most popular in top-level English football right now. Indeed, the