Football is ever-evolving. One of the most popular formations used in the early seasons of the Premier League was the classic 4-4-2. It was pretty much the most widely-used formation in world football through the 90s and the go-to option for playing football video games.
Even so, it’s clear today that everything connected to football has the potential to change. New handball detection technologies are being introduced, debates around offside rules remain lively, and even at the latest top 10 UK casinos you can find relatively new football-themed slots. The same goes for formations in the Premier League.
How often in the top-flight’s modern game do you see a team start a game in a 4-4-2 set-up? It’s almost seen as having become a little archaic and one that can be easily exploited in the middle of the park. But that’s not to say it doesn’t have its time and place still.
The Classic 4-4-2
The 4-4-2 can be a robust, rigid formation. It’s arguably the most balanced basic set-up that a manager can go with, and even the great Sir Alex Ferguson wasn’t exactly shy about using it. Fergie however evolved it to more of a diamond shape in the middle of the park to release wingers and play with a bit more width.
Some teams do still drop to a 4-4-2 when trying to defend a lead in a tight game because it is balanced and fairly easy for players to get to grips with. It is also still a great platform for launching quick counter-attacks. The formation has come in and out of fashion through the history of football.
4-3-3 Formation
José Mourinho was the king of the 4-3-3 when he took over at Chelsea and delivered them the league title in the 2004-05 season. It shook the game up a bit and has been used by the likes of Jürgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti, Mikel Arteta and Sir Alex Ferguson, so it has a pretty good reputation.
The 4-3-3 can create a lot of width and needs a good link-up between wingers and fullbacks, allowing for both dominant-footed players or inverted wingers. The wingers have to track back though to make this formation work and is often used with a high press. It’s a more adventurous, bolder approach than its stodgy predecessor, the 4-4-2.
3-5-2 Formation
Relying even more on wing-backs than the 4-3-3 which is more full-back based, the 3-5-2 evolved into popularity. This is also often used with not two up top, but more of a 1-1 situation with a creative number ten in behind a number nine, which can be a handful for defenders.
Juventus and Inter Milan leaned towards it during their periods of dominance in the 2000s, predominantly because while giving width, it can give a great deal of control in midfield as long as wingbacks know when to go and when to stay back.
4-2-3-1 Formation
The 4-2-3-1 is a more modern system seen in the Premier League, geared towards protecting the back line. It’s essentially six defensive-minded players on the pitch to give robust security and strength in defence and is good when a manager doesn’t completely trust his backline.
A weakness of the formation is that the two defensive midfielders and three advanced ones can often drift apart, and really need an Andrea Pirlo-type central player to pull the strings. The lone striker in this formation can often be isolated.
In Summary
Managers are always tweaking systems. Pep Guardiola, arguably one of the greatest tactical minds in the history of the game, introduced his false nine, and Jürgen Klopp his bold gegenpress. Sir Alex Ferguson was able to tweak his formations to get the very best out of the players that arrived at the club.
Getting the right formation is the thin line between success and failure. But as the modern game continues to prove, there’s no single right way to set up a team. Formations will always chop and change many times during a game, as managers react to in-game scenarios.
If teams only ever play the same formation, they will quickly be figured out by opponents and become vulnerable. Flexibility is the key.