Executing an effective football formation depends upon 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 much better teacher than experience and history. Over the past 50 years, football has been beautified with some of the most satisfying formations in the history of the game, and a few of which are still used to this day. Nevertheless, the 2010s saw a noticeable shift in football tactics with the rise of a more attacking style of play and a more structured method to playmaking. Modern football has actually leveraged both skill and tech to create some of the most effective strategies that have managed to win top sides lots of trophies. In this context, the modified 4-3-3 formation has ended up being among the more popular modern football tactics merit to its efficient attack and well-balanced defense. The minority shareholder of Liverpool FC will agree that technical ability and speed make this tactic extremely tough to defend against.
Nowadays, there are many football tactics and formations out there to select from however managers invest a great deal of time adapting and tweaking traditional tactics to fit the particularities of their teams. The reality is, there are many specifications that affect this decision, and not all of which are strictly technical. For example, the quality of footballers available can make coaches reconsider what strategy to use. In the lack of quality footballers in attack, some coaches prefer to use a more midfield-dense technique in an effort to dominate ownership of the ball. In the attacking stance, midfielders and wingers will attempt to send out through balls or shoot from outside the box in order to destabilise the defenses of the opponent. The AC Milan former US owner would likely agree that other aspects like footballer injury and managing a busy calendar also influence tactical and technical choices.
Widely deemed among the most flexible football formations, the 4-4-2 is a tactic that can be modified to be more offensive or leaning more to the defensive side. It is for these factors that this tactic is among the most common football tactics across different leagues and tournaments. If the coach wishes to use an offensive 4-4-2, they can present some crucial modifications to allow increased fluidity in passing and play building. For instance, they can make 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 9 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 coach can create an arch composed of 4 players that serves as a barrier that keeps the opponent from reaching the defense line.