Football Formations

Football formations and positions are a very important part of the game of soccer. Every team has their own unique style of playing, depending on the skills and abilities of their players, but they are often based on certain blueprints that have been around for many years. They are most commonly employed by teams have evolved over many years, and in fairness, they are sure to evolve yet again.

Each team has a distinct style of play, and based on this they come up with their own versions of offensive and defensive formations. This is the area where the manager earns his money, and a game of soccer can only be won by tweaking the soccer formations to make full use of one's own strengths and by exploiting the other teams weaknesses.

The most basic of all soccer formations is the 4-4-2. Once, you understand the nomenclature you can start seeing the relevance in the field positions. The first '4' signifies the four players in defense, the second '4' points to the four midfield players, and the '2' signifies the two strikers. This is the way they all are denoted.

The 4-4-2
As mentioned before, this is one of the most basic formations, and almost all soccer teams use this or a derivation of this. Using 4 players in defense has become the norm nowadays as it allows the 2 players on each wide side (the full backs) to assist in attack as well. It is assumed that the opposing teams full backs will also push ahead, so these players have a very important dual role to fulfill, while the two center backs sit deep. Playing 2 strikers also gives a team an added attacking impetus, as one of them can drift wide or drop deep into midfield as well.

The 4-1-2-1-2
Also known as the 'diamond', this is a highly tactful way to set out a team. The most advanced of the 4 midfield players is known as the 'trequartista' and he is usually the most skillful and creative player on the team. All the moves go through him and he is the focal point of all attacks. This is a comparatively narrow formation, and the full backs have to work harder as a result, to provide width for the team. The withdrawn midfield player is the defensive midfielder or the holding midfielder, and he rarely ventures forward.

The 4-3-3
Out of all the strategies, this one is the most dynamic and fluid. This is the formation that Rinus Michels adopted for the legendary 'Total Football' style of play. This is also the one that is highly mobile and attack minded teams like FC Barcelona and Arsenal FC adopt. It requires highly skillful players who are constantly on the move. They must constantly swap positions to cover for each other, and there is usually one target striker who plays alone up front. The two supporting players attack from the flanks, while the 3 midfield players sit in the middle of the park and create and control the game.

The 4-5-1
This is the antithesis to the 4-3-3 and is considered the defensive version of that particular formation. The target striker plays alone, and the two wide players drop back into midfield to support the team when they are on the defensive. This gives the midfield a strength of 5, and it is very useful while defending. The 4-3-3 and the 4-5-1 always go hand in hand, and it changes depending on the situation in a particular match.

The 4-1-3-2
This is an altered version of the 4-4-2, and it requires one of the central midfielders to drop between the midfield line and the defensive line. This is a football formation mastered by the Spanish national team that won the Euro 2008 tournament in some style. It again demands a lot of fluidity and mobility from the 3 midfield players who must push ahead to support the strikers. The width is again provided by the full backs.

The WM
This is one of the outdated football formations, that used to be in vogue in the 1920s. Nomenclature wise, it can be denoted as a 3-2-2-3. When seen on the football pitch it resembled a W and an M, and hence the name. There are primarily 3 attackers and 3 defenders, and the 4 midfield players used to play in a square shape. As time passed, the use of width in games became more and more popular, and thus, this formation slowly became obsolete.

There are many more soccer formations that exist, but they can all be simplified down to the basic blueprints given here. Some coaches even come up with their own versions of these soccer formations, but these are highly dependent on the players performing the tasks that they have been given. Football is a collective game, and the success of a team depends on how well the players can cover for each other and understand each others roles.