There are many vital aspects to football. However, one of them is the formation a team plays, as it can mean the difference between a team winning games and trophies or not.
Here is an overview of the most popular formations in the beautiful game:
442
The 442 may be seen as a thing of the past by many, but it was once the dominant formation for many teams, especially in England.
As the title suggests, a 442 is a formation that uses four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards. This can be in a flat 442 formation or utilise more of a diamond shape in midfield, which we will talk about later on.
It is associated with simplicity and a balanced approach to football. This formation is often criticised when in use, as it’s considered old-fashioned by some who believe the modern game has moved past its simplicity.
However, if it is employed correctly, it can be a highly effective tactic, especially when teams are looking to keep things tight in games against opposition with superior quality.
4231
The formation involves four defenders, two defensive midfielders, usually in a double-pivot, three attacking midfielders and a central forward.
The 4231 has become the most popular formation in world football in the last decade. Used by many of the world’s best teams, it gives a team a solid foundation to allow them to be defensively strong while providing an attacking threat.
The double pivot plays a key role in this formation. The two players protect the defence, especially covering the space left by the full-backs if they venture forward to aid their team’s attack.
Depending on how the three attacking midfielders are positioned, the 4231 can provide some flexibility in attack. They can be narrow, with three players playing as number tens or one number ten and two wingers.
352/532
This highly versatile tactic has been around for a long time. The base structure usually involves three centre-backs, two wing-backs, three central midfielders and two central forwards.
The difference between the 352 and 532 is in transition. When a team is attacking, the wing-backs will join in the attacking play. However, when defending, they drop back in to become a defensive five alongside the three central midfielders.
Then there are the three in midfield. It can be made up of a flat three, a double-pivot and a more advanced player or even one defensive midfielder with two more advanced players in front of them.
However, a setup can include a number of ten, who can be the creative force behind the central striker.
433
The 433 is now considered one of the go-to formations for modern-day teams and head coaches.
Like many modern formations, it’s designed to give a team enough defensive cover and an attacking threat on the counterattack. It finds a balance that is often difficult to discover when looking for successful tactics.
The tactic generally sets up with four defenders, three central midfielders and three forwards.
The midfield is the key with this formation, as one of the central midfielders tends to be a defensive/holding midfielder with two players in more advanced positions.
How attacking you want to play depends on the instructions given to those more advanced central midfielders.
Often, one of the midfielders has the licence to get forward and help the front three while the other sits slightly more in the centre of the park.
The way the forwards are set up also has a big impact on the team’s style of play. If the three forwards are a true three, then the team needs to get width from attacking full-backs.
However, if two of the front players are wingers who provide width, the need for the attacking full-back is less, even if they can still offer support via an overlapping run.
343
The 343 has become highly popular with teams that like to play on the front foot and usually have control of the game through a possession-based style of football. This formation is designed to cause an overload in certain areas of the pitch.
The team is set up with three central defenders and two central midfielders, one of whom usually holds his position and one box-to-box midfielder.
The wide players of the four tend to be attacking wing-backs who get forward to help out their forward players.
The front three usually consist of two wide players/wingers and a central forward.
However, some teams have adapted this formation so that two number tens support the central forward. If that happens, then the wing-backs are usually the players that provide the team’s width.
451
The 451 is a formation that is used primarily by teams that want to remain solid rather than go on the attack. It’s a formation that some teams would use if they are massive underdogs against an elite team or an opponent with better-quality players.
The formation generally uses four defenders, five midfielders and a central striker. In a 451, the wide players are often the biggest support to the central forward.
However, the midfielders also have to offer an attacking threat to the opposition goal.
In fact, many 451 formations are really 4-4-1-1 formations, as one of the central midfielders becomes a number ten when the team has possession of the ball. They are often a player who will arrive late in the box and possess a goal threat.
When a team loses possession, the player will drop into midfield and help his team attempt to dominate the vital midfield area.
361
This is a formation that only the brave and football innovators are daring enough to use. As the title suggests, the formation consists of three defenders, six midfielders and one central forward.
This formation is all about having control of the midfield. Some of the six midfielders may play as defensive midfielders, box-to-box midfielders or attacking midfielders.
The 361 is aimed at overloading the centre of the park in order to gain a possessional advantage. The fact that this formation can be fluid, with players changing positions, causes massive problems for opposition teams in attacking situations.
In defence, the midfielders can act as a swarm pressing the opposition in an attempt to regain possession of the ball.
424
The 424 is considered an attacking formation, as it sets a team’s stall out from the start of the game, indicating that they are going to attack the opposition.
The formation starts with a normal back four, with two central midfielders, often a double pivot, with two wingers and two central forwards.
The double pivot is needed due to the attacking nature of the 442. This formation has weaknesses in that, like any formation with just two central midfielders, a team can get overrun in the centre of the park.
However, when it comes to attacking play, a team using this formation can be prolific if the wingers and central forwards have attributes that complement each other.
4141
This formation is an adaption of the 451 but slightly more defensive in its approach.
However, this differs in the fact that instead of having three central midfielders, it utilises a defensive midfielder behind two more advanced midfielders.
This formation can be solid but isn’t necessarily as defensive as it looks if implemented in the right way. If the wide players and two central midfielders support the attack, then that gives a team five players in attacking positions, potentially offering more of an attacking threat than the formation suggests.
541
This one is an ultra-defensive formation that you don’t see often used in elite football.
However, the defensive nature of the formation can be helpful for underdogs who wish to prioritise keeping out the opposition team over their own attacking ambitions. This is often used by lower-league teams against teams from higher divisions.
The formation includes five defenders, consisting of three centre-backs and two full-backs. The team may use wing-backs if they want to be slightly more attacking.
In front of the defence is a flat four, with two wide players and, two central midfielders and a lone striker.
3142
The 3142 is an attacking formation involving three defenders, a defensive midfielder, four midfielders and two forwards. It is a relatively attacking formation often used by teams who expect to dominate possession and be on the front foot.
It is a highly popular formation for the modern / young up-and-coming head coaches. It is considered an innovative formation.
The key defensive player in this formation is the defensive midfielder, who protects the back three, while the wide midfield players sometimes act as wing-backs, aiding the attack.
3412
The 3412 is similar to the 352, except that the system uses a number ten and two central midfielders instead of three central midfielders.
The rest of the team consists of three central defenders, four midfielders, two attacking midfielders and one forward.
As with many formations that use attacking midfielders/number tens, they are the ones that can be the biggest support to the forwards and provide the team’s creativity.
3421
Once again, similar to the 352, or even 3142 and 3412, it is a relatively attacking formation that looks to dominate the game by controlling the centre of the park.
When it comes to attacking play, the two behind the one forward are two number tens. One of the central midfielders would act as a defensive shield, while the other could be a more box-to-box player in the centre of the pitch.
3511
The 3511 is all about how the midfield plays. It is set up to dominate the middle of the park. It’s usually used by teams that look to have lots of possession and control the ball.
The team consists of three central defenders, with two of them maybe playing as wide centre-backs. The centre of the midfield can be made up of one defensive midfielder, shielding the backline, with two more advanced central midfielders.
The wide players could either be wing-backs or play in a more advanced wide midfield role, although they would work back to help the defence.
In front of the central midfielders is a number ten/attacking midfielder who is the main support for the one central striker.
41212
This variation of the 442 is a diamond formation that can be relatively narrow.
The team involves a back four, with a defensive midfielder at the bottom of the diamond, then two central midfielders behind a number ten. In front of the number ten are two central forwards.
Due to the narrow formation, the main attacking width in the team is provided by the full-backs. When they go forward, it is generally the job of the defensive midfielder to fill the gaps that the full-backs have left behind.
The number ten at the top of the diamond is usually the main creative force while also aiding the two central forwards by providing an additional attacking threat by scoring goals.
4123
The 4123 is highly similar to the 433. It is a formation that provides a good balance between defence and attack.
The defence is usually a simple back four, with the full-backs either staying back in line with the centre-backs or providing an attacking threat, depending on the playing style. They could overlap the wingers.
The defensive midfielder will sit in front of the backline, screening the defence. In front of them will be two midfielders who can be box-to-box, defensive or attack-minded.
The two wingers are usually part of the team’s front three, supplying the lone central forward and providing the attacking width.
4132
The 4132 is close to the 442 diamond, but instead of using a number ten, it uses three central midfielders, with a defensive midfielder in front of the defence.
This is a narrow formation, with the outer central midfielders moving across to cover the wings, as well as the full-backs pushing on in attack to support the two central forwards.
4222
The 4222 is an attacking formation, which puts the old adage of ‘the best form of defence is attack’, as there are four players in this formation who have very few defensive responsibilities.
The defence is simple: a flat-back four and two defensive midfielders in front of the backline are protecting them.
In front of the double-pivot are two attacking midfielders/number tens, who are usually the creative hub of the team. They are the closest players to the central forwards.
With the attacking midfielders playing in a narrow style, the full-backs will be the players offering the attacking threat from out wide.
3133
This formation was made famous by former Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa. The Argentinian used the formation to help get the Yorkshire outfit promoted to the Premier League.
The formation consists of three defenders, protected by a central defensive midfielder.
In front are three more advanced midfielders who can act in more box-to-box roles, with slightly more freedom because of the defensive midfielder and the number of players to cover them defensively.
The front three usually consists of two wingers/inside forwards and a more central striker. The wingers will likely be the lone strikers’ primary attacking support.
One negative for this formation is that it can be vulnerable to a quick counter if too many players move into advanced attacking positions.