Implementing an effective football formation depends on variables like footballer quality, ranking on the table, and the tournament itself.
Nowadays, there are many football tactics and formations out there to select from however coaches spend a lot 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 choice, and not all of which are strictly technical. For instance, the quality of players in the squad can make coaches hesitate about what tactic to use. In the lack of quality footballers in attack, some coaches choose to use a more midfield-dense strategy in an attempt to control ownership of the ball. In the attacking position, midfielders and wingers will attempt to send through balls or shoot from outside the box in order to destabilise the defenses of the other team. The AC Milan former US owner would likely agree that other factors like player injury and managing a busy calendar also affect tactical and technical choices.
Extensively deemed one of the most versatile 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 competitions. If the manager wants to utilise an offense-forward 4-4-2, they can present some key changes to allow increased fluidity in passing and play building. 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 9 that occasionally drops to a lower position. In a more defensive 4-4-2, the former owner of Aston Villa would inform you that the coach can form an arch made up of 4 midfielders that functions as a barrier that keeps the adversary from reaching the defense line.
While you can constantly check out a football tactics book to get excellent insights into playmaking, there is no much better instructor than experience and history. Over the past 50 years, football has actually been graced with a few of the most enjoyable formations in the history of the game, and some of which are still used to this day. However, the 2010s saw a visible shift in football tactics with the emergence of a more attacking design of play and a more structured technique to playmaking. Modern football has actually leveraged both ability and tech to develop some of the most effective tactics that have managed to win top sides numerous trophies. In this context, the revised 4-3-3 formation has become among the more popular modern football tactics merit to its effective attack and well-balanced defense. The minority shareholder of Liverpool FC will agree that technical ability and speed make this strategy really difficult to ward off.