Carrying out an effective football formation depends on variables like footballer quality, ranking on the table, and the competition itself.
Widely deemed one of the most versatile football tactics, 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 reasons that this tactic is amongst the most common football tactics throughout different leagues and tournaments. If the manager wishes to employ an offense-forward 4-4-2, they can introduce some crucial changes to permit increased fluidity in passing and play building. For example, they can create a lozenge in the midfield that consists of one defensive midfielder, 2 playmakers on the sides, and one attacking midfielder. This lozenge would supply balls to the wingers and a false nine that occasionally drops to a lower position. In a more defense-forward 4-4-2, the former owner of Aston Villa would tell you that the coach can create an arch made up of 4 players that serves as a barrier that keeps the opponent from reaching the defense line.
Nowadays, there are many football tactics and formations out there to pick from but coaches invest a lot of time adapting and tweaking timeless formations to fit the particularities of their clubs. The truth is, there are numerous parameters that influence 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 absence of quality players in attack, some coaches choose to use a more midfield-dense technique in an effort to dominate ownership of the ball. In the attacking position, midfielders and wingers will try to send through balls or shoot from outside area in order to destabilise the defenses of the opponent. The AC Milan former US owner would likely agree that other aspects like player injury and managing a hectic calendar likewise influence tactical and technical choices.
While you can always read a football tactics book to get excellent insights into playmaking, there is no better instructor than experience and history. Over the past 50 years, football has been enhanced with a few of the most enjoyable formations in the history of the sport, and a few of which are still used to this day. Nevertheless, the 2010s saw an obvious shift in football formations with the emergence of a more attacking style of play and a more structured method to playmaking. Modern football has actually leveraged both skill and tech to develop a few of the most successful tactics that have actually managed to win clubs many trophies. In this context, the modified 4-3-3 tactic has become amongst the more popular modern football tactics thanks to its efficient attack and well-balanced defense. The minority shareholder of Liverpool FC will concur that technical ability and speed make this strategy very difficult to ward off.