Formation (football)

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Formation in association football describes how the players in a team are positioned on the pitch. Different formations can be used depending on whether a team wishes to play more attacking or defensive football.

Formations are described as the number of players in each area from the defensive line (not including the goalkeeper). For example 4-4-2 describes the formation as having: 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 forwards. Conventionally the formation can be described with 3 numbers, although 4-numbered (e.g. 4-4-1-1) and 5-numbered formations (e.g. 4-1-2-1-2) can be used. The numbering system was not present until the 4-2-4 system was developed in the 1950s.

The choice of formation is often related to other tactical choices, such as the choice of playing style. Formations can be deceptive in analysing a particular team's style of play, i.e. one team could play 4-4-2 and work defensively, whereas their opposition using the same formation could play much more attacking football.

Formations can be altered during a game, but requires adaptations of the players to fit in to the new system. This can be due to a team wishing to defend or attack more, or even due to the loss of a player. Some formations also lend themselves to dynamically changing as players move up and down the field, e.g., the Brazilian 4-2-4 could effectively become a 2-4-4 during a match.

Formations are used in both professional and amateur football matches. However in amateur matches these tactics are sometimes adhered to less strictly such is the lesser severity of the occasion. Skill and discipline on behalf of the players is also needed to effectively carry out a given formation in professional football. Formations need to be chosen with the players available in mind, and some of the formations below were created to address deficits or strengths in different types of players.

Contents 1 Early days 2 Classic formations 2.1 2-3-5 (The Pyramid) 2.1.1 The Danubian school 2.1.2 Metodo 2.2 The WM 2.3 The WW 2.4 3-3-4 2.5 4-2-4 3 Common modern formations 3.1 4-3-3 3.2 4-4-2 3.3 4-4-2 diamond or 4-3-1-2 3.4 4-4-1-1 3.5 4-3-2-1 (the 'Christmas Tree' formation) 3.6 5-3-2 3.7 5-3-2 with Sweeper 3.8 3-4-3 3.9 3-5-2 3.10 4-5-1 3.11 4-2-3-1 3.12 5-4-1 4 Incomplete formations 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Early days

In the football matches of the 19th century defensive football was not played, the line-ups reflected the all-attacking nature of these games.

In the first international game, Scotland - England on 30 November 1872, England played with seven or eight forwards in (1-1-8 or 1-2-7) and Scotland with six (2-2-6). For England, one player would remain in defence picking up loose balls and one or two players would hang around midfield and kick the ball upfield for the other players to chase. The English style of play at the time was all about individual excellence and English players were renowned for their dribbling skills. Players would attempt to take the ball forward as far as possible and when they could proceed no further they would kick it ahead for someone else to chase. Scotland surprised England by actually passing the ball among its players. The Scottish outfield players were organised into pairs and each player would always attempt to pass the ball to his assigned partner. Paradoxically, with so much attention given to attacking play, the game ended with a 0-0 draw.

[edit] Classic formations

[edit] 2-3-5 (The Pyramid)

In 1884, Blackburn Rovers (England) introduced what would become the first long-term successful formation - the 2-3-5; this was originally known as the Pyramid with the numerical formation being referenced retrospectively. By the 1890s it was the standard formation in Britain and had spread all over the world. With some variations it was used by most top level teams up to the 1940s. For the first time a balance between attacking and defending was reached. When defending, the two defenders (fullbacks) would watch out for the opponent's insides (the second and fourth players in the attacking line); while the midfielders (halfbacks) would watch for the other three forwards.

The centre halfback had a key role in both helping to organize the team's attack and marking the opponent's center forward, supposedly one of their most dangerous players.

It was this formation which gave rise to the convention of shirt numbers which is still used today ^{[citation needed]} but can appear confused when applied to the classic 4-4-2 line up, i.e.:

• 1 - Goalkeeper
• 2 - Right back
• 3 - Left back
• 4 - Defensive midfielder
• 5 and 6 - centre backs
• 7 - Right wing
• 8 - Centre midfield
• 9 and 10 - Forwards (10 being considered a deep-lying forward)
• 11 - Left wing

Teams that used this formation

• Uruguay, 1930 World Cup winner:
  • Team: Ballestero; Mascheroni and Nasazzi; Andrade, Fernández and Gestido; Dorado, Scarone, Castro, Cea and Iriarte. Coach: Alberto Suppici.
• Argentina, 1930 World Cup runner up:
  • Team: Botasso; Della Torre and Paternoster; J.Evaristo, Monti and Arico Suárez; Peucelle, Varallo, Stábile, Ferreira and M.Evaristo. Coach: Juan José Tramutola.

[edit] The Danubian school

The Danubian School of football is a modification of the 2-3-5 formation as played by the Austrians, Czechs and Hungarians in the 1920s, and taken to its peak by the Austrians in the 1930s. It relied on short-passing and individual skills, and was a derivation of Carpet Football which emphasised keeping the ball on the ground.

Teams that used this formation

• Austria, 4th at the 1934 World Cup:
  • Team: Platzer; Cisar and Sesta; Wagner, Smistik and Urbanek; Zischek, Bican, Sindelar, Schall and Viertl. Coaches: Hugo Meisl and Franz Hansl.

[edit] Metodo

The Metodo was devised by Vittorio Pozzo, coach of the Italian national team in the 1930s ^[1]. It was a derivation of the Danubian School. The system was based on the 2-3-5 formation, Pozzo realized that his halfbacks would need some more support in order to be superior to the opponents' midfield, so he pulled 2 of the forwards to just in-front of midfield, creating a 2-3-2-3 formation. This created a stronger defense than previous systems, as well as allowing effective counterattacks. The Italian national team won back-to-back World Cups in 1934 and 1938 using this system.

Teams that used this formation

• Italy, 1934 FIFA World Cup winner:
  • Team: Combi; Monzeglio and Allemandi; Ferraris IV, Monti and Bertolini; Schiavio and Ferrari; Guaita, Meazza and Orsi. Coach: Vittorio Pozzo.

[edit] The WM

The WM system was created in the mid-1920s by Herbert Chapman of Arsenal to counter a change in the offside rule in 1925. The change had reduced the number of opposition players that attackers needed between themselves and the goal-line from three to two. This led to the introduction of a centre-back to stop the opposing centre-forward, and tried to balance defensive and offensive playing. The formation became so successful that by the late-1930s most English clubs had adopted the WM. Retrospectively the WM has either been described as a 3-2-5 or as a 3-4-3.

WM Formation

[edit] The WW

The WW was a development of the WM created by the Hungarian coach Marton Bukovi who turned the 3-2-5 WM "upside down" ^[2]. The lack of an effective centre-forward in his team necessitated moving this player back to midfield to create a playmaker, with a midfielder instructed to focus on defence. This created a 3-5-2 (also described as a 3-3-4), and was described by some as an early version of the 4-2-4. This formation was successfully used by fellow countryman Gusztáv Sebes in the Hungarian national team of the early 1950s.

[edit] 3-3-4

The 3-3-4 formation was similar to the WW with the notable exception of having an inside-forward (as opposed to centre-forward) deployed as a midfield schemer alongside the two wing-halves. This formation would be commonplace during the 50s and early 60s. One of the best exponents of the system was the Tottenham Hotspur double-winning side of 1961, which deployed a midfield of Danny Blanchflower, John White and David Mackay. FC Porto won the 2005/2006 Portuguese national championship using this unusual formation (coach: Co Adriaanse).

[edit] 4-2-4

The 4-2-4 formation attempts to combine strong offense with strong defense, and was conceived as a reaction to WM's stiffness. It could also be considered a further development of the WW. The 4-2-4 was the first formation to be described using numbers.

While the initial developments leading to the 4-2-4 were devised by Márton Bukovi, the credit for creating the 4-2-4 lies with two different people: Flávio Costa, the Brazilian national coach in the early 1950s, as well as another Hungarian Béla Guttman. These tactics seemed to be developed independently, with the Brazilians discussing these ideas while the Hungarians seemed to be putting them into motion ^{[3] [2] [4]}. However the fully developed 4-2-4 was only 'perfected' in Brazil in the late 1950s.

Costa published his ideas, the "diagonal system", in the Brazilian newspaper O Cruzeiro, using schematics as the ones used here and, for the first time ever, the formation description by numbers as used in this article ^[3]. The "diagonal system" was another precursor of the 4-2-4 and was created to spur improvisation in players.

Guttman himself moved to Brazil later in the 1950s to help develop these tactical ideas using the experience of Hungarian coaches.

The 4-2-4 formation made use of the increasing players skills and fitness, aiming to effectively use 6 defenders and 6 forwards, with the midfielders performing both tasks. The 4th defender increased the number of defensive players but mostly allowed them to be closer together, thus enabling effective cooperation among them, the point being that a stronger defense would allow an even stronger attack.

The relatively empty midfield relied on defenders that should now be able not only to steal the ball, but also hold it, pass it or even run with it and start an attack. So this formation required that all players, including defenders, are somehow skillful and with initiative, making it a perfect fit for the Brazilian players mind. The 4-2-4 needed a high level of tactical awareness as having only 2 midfielders could lead to defensive problems. The system was also fluid enough to allow the formation to change throughout play.

4-2-4 was first used with success at club level in Brazil by São Paulo and Santos, and was used by Brazil in their wins at 1958 World Cup and 1970 World Cup, both featuring Pelé, and Zagallo who played in the first and coached the second. The formation was quickly adopted throughout the world after the Brazilian success.

Teams that used this formation

• Brazil, 1958 FIFA World Cup winner:
  • Team: Gilmar; Bellini, Djalma Santos, Nílton Santos, Orlando; Zito, Didi; Garrincha, Vává, Pelé, Zagallo. Coach: Vicente Feola.
• Brazil, 1970 FIFA World Cup winner:
  • Team: Félix; Carlos Alberto, Brito, Piazza, Everaldo; Clodoaldo, Gérson; Jairzinho, Pelé, Tostão, Rivelino. Coach: Mário Zagallo.

[edit] Common modern formations

The following formations are used in modern football. The formations are flexible allowing tailoring to the needs of a team, as well as to the players available. Variations of any given formation include changes in positioning of players, as well as replacement of a traditional defender by a sweeper.

[edit] 4-3-3

The 4-3-3 was a development of the 4-2-4, and was played by the Brazilian national team in the 1962 World Cup. The extra player in midfield allowed a stronger defence, and the midfield could be staggered for different effects. The three midfielders normally play closely together to protect the defence, and move laterally across the field as a coordinated unit. The three forwards split across the field to spread the attack, and are expected to "tackle back". When used from the start of a game, this formation is widely regarded as encouraging defensive play, and should not be confused with the practice of modifying a 4-4-2 by bringing on an extra forward to replace a midfield player when behind in the latter stages of a game. A staggered 4-3-3 involving a defensive midfielder (usually numbered 4, 5 or 6) and two attacking midfielders (numbered 8 and 10) was commonplace in Italy, Argentina and Uruguay during the 1960s and 1970s. The Italian variety of 4-3-3 was simply a modification of WM, by converting one of the two wing-halves to a libero (sweeper), whereas the Argentine and Uruguayan formations were derived from 2-3-5 and retained the notional attacking centre-half. In club football, Chelsea have used this formation to great effect under José Mourinho in the time he has been at the club. While getting his team to constantly press the opposition when defending, he also likes the two wingers to come back to create a 4-5-1 formation. Many critics have argued that with the financial wealth Chelsea have, they should be putting more emphasis on attack. In the 2006 FIFA World Cup Spain played a variation of 4-3-3 without wingers. The three strikers would interchange positions and run the channels like a regular striker would. Teams that used this formation Brazil national team, winners 1962 FIFA World Cup Feyenoord in winning the 1970 European Cup Rosenborg B.K. of Norway, during most of their 13-in-a-row league wins, and 10 seasons in the UEFA Champions League FC Barcelona of Spain All the teams coached by Zdeněk Zeman

4-3-3 Formation

[edit] 4-4-2

This adaptable formation is the most common in football today, so well known that it has even inspired a magazine title, FourFourTwo. The midfielders are required to work hard to support both the defense and the attack: one of the central midfielders is expected to go upfield as often as possible to support the forward pair, while the other will play a "holding role", shielding the defence; the two wide midfield players must move up the flanks to the goal line in attacks and yet also protect the fullback wide defenders. Brazilian National Team during 1994, winners of the 1994 World Cup (Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira) Manchester United specifically with Sir Alex Ferguson in charge of the team. This formation was used for all the league triumphs and during the Treble winning season of 1998/99 Team: Peter Schmeichel, Gary Neville, Henning Berg, Jaap Stam, Denis Irwin, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole. (Coach: Ferguson Many other elite managers and former English manager Sven-Göran Eriksson

4-4-2 Formation

[edit] 4-4-2 diamond or 4-3-1-2

The 4-4-2 diamond (also described as 4-1-2-1-2 or 4-3-1-2) staggers the midfield. The width in the team has to come from the full-backs pushing forwards. Teams that used this formation Argentina national football team; probably the team that uses it more often, although in the 2006 world cup coach José Pekerman alternated between 4-3-1-2 and 4-2-2-2. Carlos Bilardo's team is a clear example with Diego Maradona being the offensive midfielder. This position is known as enganche and is a key position for Argentine football. This player often has more freedom than the rest and is considered the creative player which can 'break' the formation and move freely along the offensive field. Other examples are Ronaldinho, Juan Román Riquelme, Rivaldo, Zidane, Aimar, and Luís Figo. The defensive midfielder is key for getting the ball back and covering the spaces left by the fullbacks or other players. This position is key for the 4-3-1-2 formation because of the recuperation of possession and several times this player distributes the ball tot he teammates. Some examples include Dunga, Mascherano, and Redondo. England National Team; the so-called "Wingless Wonders"; winners of the 1966 World Cup FC Porto winner of the Champions League 2004 (managed by José Mourinho) current German National Team, with Michael Ballack as the offensive and Torsten Frings as the defensive midfielder 2006 FC Bayern Munich, with forward Roy Makaay dropped back to the attacking midfield position

4-4-2 Diamond Formation

[edit] 4-4-1-1

A variation of 4-4-2 with one of the strikers playing 'in the hole', or as a 'second striker', slightly behind their partner. The second striker is generally a more creative player. Teams that used this formation 2006 World Cup Italian national football team, winners of the 2006 World Cup Juventus during 2001/2002 and 2002/2003 (Alessandro Del Piero as a 'trequartista' or attacking playmaker behind David Trezeguet) - this was a hugely successful strategy for Juve, as they won the Scudetto in 2002 and 2003 and finished runners-up to AC Milan in the 2003 European Champions League.

4-4-1-1 Formation

[edit] 4-3-2-1 (the 'Christmas Tree' formation)

This is another variation of the 4-4-2, commonly described as the 'Christmas Tree' formation. Another forward is brought on for a midfielder to play 'in the hole'. so leaving two forwards slightly behind the most forward striker.

Teams that used this formation

• FC Barcelona during the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 seasons when not playing 4-3-3 with Ronaldinho and Ludovic Giuly (or sometimes Lionel Messi during 2005/06) playing behind Samuel Eto'o (coach: Frank Rijkaard).
• AC Milan during the season 2002/2003, winning Champions League; sometimes in season 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 (coach: Carlo Ancelotti)
• Juventus occasionally in seasons 2001/2002 and 2002/2003 with Pavel Nedved and Alessandro Del Piero playing together behind David Trezeguet (coach: Marcello Lippi)

[edit] 5-3-2

This formation has three central defenders (possibly with one acting as a sweeper.) This system is heavily reliant on the wing-backs providing width for the team. The two wide full-backs act as wing-backs. It is their job to work their flank along the full length of the pitch, supporting both the defence and the attack. Teams that used this formation Mexico national team, at Confederations Cup in 2005 West Germany national football team adopted this formation between 1990 and 1994, winning the 1990 World Cup Team: Illgner; Berthold, Augenthaler, Kohler, Buchwald, Brehme; Hässler, Matthäus, Littbarski; Völler, Klinsmann

5-3-2 Formation

[edit] 5-3-2 with Sweeper

A variant of the above, this involves a more withdrawn sweeper, who may join the midfield, and more advanced full-backs. Teams that used this formation Real Madrid, as 2000 Champions League winner, with Iván Helguera playing as sweeper.

5-3-2 Sweeper Formation

[edit] 3-4-3

Using a 3-4-3 the midfielders expected to split their time between attacking and defending. Having only three dedicated defenders means that if the opposing team breaks through the midfield, they will have a greater chance to score than with a more conventional defensive configuration, such as 4-5-1 or 4-4-2. However, the three forwards allow for a greater concentration on offense. This formation is used by more offensive-minded teams. Teams that used this formation AC Milan during the end of the 1990s, with Alberto Zaccheroni as coach (one scudetto in 1999)

3-4-3 Formation

[edit] 3-5-2

This formation is similar to 5-3-2 except that the two wingmen are oriented more towards the attack. Because of this, the central midfielder tends to remain further back in order to help prevent counter-attacks. It differs from the classical 3-5-2 of the WW by having a non-staggered midfield. It was used for the first time at international level by the Argentinian coach Carlos Salvador Bilardo in the FIFA World Cup Mexico 1986 [citation needed]. Teams that used this formation Argentina, 1986 World Cup winner. Team: Nery Pumpido; José Cuciuffo, José Luis Brown, Oscar Ruggeri; Ricardo Giusti, Hector Enrique, Sergio Batista, Jorge Burruchaga, Julio Olarticoechea; Diego Maradona, Jorge Valdano Brazil, 2002 World Cup winner: Team: Marcos; Lúcio, Roque Júnior, Edmílson, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Gilberto Silva, Kleberson, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo. Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari

3-5-2 Formation

[edit] 4-5-1

4-5-1 could be seen as a defensive formation, however if the two midfield wingers play a more attacking role it can be likened to 4-3-3. The formation can be used to grind out 0-0 draws or preserve a lead, as the packing of the centre midfield makes it difficult for the opposition to build-up play. Because of the 'closeness' of the midfield, the opposing team's forwards will often be starved of possession. However, due to the lone striker, the centre of the midfield does have the responsibility of pushing forward as well. The defensive midfielder will often control the pace of the game. A modification of this formation is also used by José Mourinho's Chelsea F.C. side. This modified version is the 4-1-4-1 where only one striker is used and the wingers are given the responsibility of moving the ball forward and attacking. A holding midfielder is also positioned in front of the back four. This provides freedom for the rest of the team to move forward and attack as the defense will be "protected" by the holding midfielder. Teams that used this formation Liverpool FC, 2005 UEFA Champions League winner (with Steven Gerrard as the playmaker of the team)

4-5-1 Formation

[edit] 4-2-3-1

This formation is widely used by Spanish and French sides: it is a defensive formation which is quite flexible, as both the side midfielders and the fullbacks may join the attack, usually on the counter. In defense, this formation is similar to the 4-5-1. It is used to maintain possession of the ball and stopping opponent attacks by controlling the midfield area of the field. The lone striker may be very tall and strong to hold the ball up as his midfielders and fullbacks join him in attack. The striker could also be very fast. In these cases, the opponent's defense will be forced to fall back early, thereby leaving space for the offensive central midfielder. This formation is used especially when a playmaker is to be highlighted. Teams that used this formation French national football team, runner-up at the 2006 World Cup with Zinedine Zidane as the team playmaker and Thierry Henry as the centre forward. A.S Roma uses this formation. This formation fits into almost every squad current Roma coach Luciano Spalletti coaches, which include, along with Roma, Udinese and Empoli (youth and senior).

4-2-3-1 Formation

[edit] 5-4-1

This is a particularly defensive formation, with an isolated forward and a packed defense. Again however, a couple of attacking fullbacks can make this formation resemble something like a 3-4-3.

5-4-1 Formation

[edit] Incomplete formations

When a player is sent-off (after being shown a red card), the teams generally fall back to defensive formations such as 4-4-1 or 5-3-1. Only when defeat is not an option (e.g. in a playoff game) will a team with ten players play in a risky attacking formation such as 4-3-2 or even 4-2-3. When more than one player is missing from the team the common formations are generally disbanded in favor of either maximum concentration on defense, or maximum concentration on offense. Teams that used this formation

• Turkey U-17 team in 2004 against Brazil when 3-0 down. The game ended 4-3.

[edit] See also

• Football (soccer) tactics and skills
• Catenaccio
• Total Football
• Carpet Football

[edit] References

1. ^ Knowledge Unlimited (November 15 2000) (English). Guardian (2000-11-15). Retrieved on 2006-07-10.
2. ^ ^a b Gusztáv Sebes (biography) (English). FIFA. Retrieved on 2006-07-10.
3. ^ ^a b Walter Lutz (2000-09-11). The 4-2-4 system takes Brazil to two World Cup victories (English). FIFA. Retrieved on 2006-07-10.
4. ^ Sebes' gift to football (English). UEFA (2003-11-21). Retrieved on 2006-07-10.

[edit] External links

• National Soccer Coaches Association of America articles:
  • Evolution of Systems of Play
    • http://www.nscaa.com/subpages/20060331154402100.php - Part 1: The development of early formations
    • http://www.nscaa.com/subpages/2006033115392999.php - Part 2: 1954 to 1998
    • http://www.nscaa.com/subpages/20060331164300113.php - Part 3: 1998 World Cup
  • 3-5-2
    • http://www.nscaa.com/subpages/20060331155828101.php - 3-5-2: Examining the System
    • http://www.nscaa.com/subpages/20060331160039102.php - 3-5-2: Building Blocks
  • 4-4-2
    • http://www.nscaa.com/subpages/20060331160310103.php - 4-4-2: Attacking Strategy
    • http://www.nscaa.com/subpages/20060331160432104.php - 4-4-2: The Defensive Strategy
    • http://www.nscaa.com/subpages/20060331160611105.php - 4-4-2: A Balanced Attack
• http://www.thedugout.tv/community/archive/index.php/t-791.html - Forum posting and discussion on formations
• Formation analyses at Fifa.com: 3-5-2, 4-2-4, 4-4-2
• BBC Sport - Introduction to Formations
• Formations Database