3-5-2
The 3-5-2 is coming
back, but world football aficionados aren't exactly certain why.
The formation Roberto
Mancini has put together, while tactically interesting, is fast becoming an
unmitigated disaster.
The once-solid
Manchester City back line has been porous so far this season, and that's come
down to the Italian's tinkering.
The 3-5-2 allows true
wing-backs to go forward with little defensive responsibility. The width and
service they provide creates a large number of chances for the strikers, while
the three centre-backs should feel confident in dealing with the opposing
strikers.
Many managers look to have a spare man in defence. For example, if Marcelo Bielsa comes up against a team that plays 4-4-2, he will use three at the back. Should the opposition switch to one up front, he converts to a back four.
4-2-3-1
The 4-2-3-1 is the de
facto best formation in world football right now.
Euro 2012 saw a lot of
teams utilise it in one way or another, as it looks for possession and control
whilst remaining defensively sound.
Joachim Low's Germany
were probably the best exponents of it, as the holding duo of Sami Khedira and
Bastian Schweinsteiger sat deep and allowed Mesut Ozil, the No. 10, to do
pretty much whatever he wanted.
With the insurance of
two holding midfielders, the full-backs are given license to roam. Philipp Lahm
needed no second invitation.
France,
Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic and Ukraine are just some of the sides partial
to this formation.
4-1-4-1
What's the difference
between a 4-1-4-1 and the 4-5-1 then?
As you can see, if you
look at these formations exclusively on paper, the lines start to become
blurry.
Typically speaking,
this formation requires one holding player and four attack-minded midfielders
playing horizontally across the pitch.
Perhaps the most
crucial aspect of this formation (or the successful variants of it) is the
forward, who would frequently drop into a midfield role to find and create
space for others.
Luciano
Spalletti's AS Roma of 2006-07 are a wonderful example of this system, and there
is perhaps no better false nine than Francesco Totti.
4-4-1-1
The 4-4-1-1 and the
4-4-2 are like cousins. They're closely related, yet several differences exist
between them.
This formation is one
of the most flexible in world football and can be used to counter almost any
specific threat the opposition provides.
It's essentially four
at the back, a flat-four midfield, one support striker and one out-and-out
striker. Modern football has seen managers twist this formation in directions
previously unheard of, though, and some of its uses are fascinating.
Slaven Bilic used
Mario Mandzukic in a "suffoco" role for Croatia during Euro 2012 to
nullify the threat of Andrea Pirlo, while Michel Gonzalez used Ivan Rakitic in
the same way for Sevilla's 1-0 victory over Real Madrid this season.
The
spare "1" can also be used to drop off and aid the retention of the
ball like Wayne Rooney did last season for Manchester United, or it can even be
used as a Marouane Fellaini-esque supplementary target man.
3-4-3
Another variation of
three at the back is the 3-4-3 formation Roberto Martinez is using with Wigan
at the moment.
His back three is the
same as Roberto Mancini's at Manchester City, so the differences come in the
forward line.
Martinez uses one central
striker in the mould of a targetman flanked by two wingers eager to come
inside.
An interesting part of
the Spaniard's philosophy is to not burden the central midfielders with the
playmaking role, instead opting to give it to one of the wide forwards. This is
usually Shaun Maloney.
Other
teams are using this formation, too, as it becomes a little more common.
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