Modern football’s most flexible formation
Football tactics have long been under debate ever since the world cup got under way. Although there is no “best” formation up till now, a formation which has no counter to it, there are several ones which are quite successful.
The previous league season and the world cup have given rise to a new trend of formations in international football. Most of the powerhouses of international football are now playing a 4-2-3-1 formation.
A formation which allows a lot of movement upfront coupled with room for changes if things go wrong. Let’s take a look at some of the teams playing this formation and how they utilize it to suit their players and how it can be changed to accommodate ones opponent’s attacking threat.
Brazil, the five time world champions are playing a 4-2-3-1 formation which itself is an adaptation of the more commonly used 4-4-2 formation. This formation firstly, utilizes Brazilian ability to keep possession of the ball and also makes use of their off the ball movement.
Luis Fabiano is the sole striker in this formation with Kaka, Elano and Robinho as the three behind him. Behind these three creative geniuses Felipe Melo and Gilberto Silva play the sweeping game and provide cover to the Brazilian defense.
Now one might wonder that the 4-2-3-1 formation derives a team of natural width but if you have players like Maicon and Michel Bastos as your full backs, they can attack from their positions to give you natural width on the right and left wings respectively.
With two holding midfielders of Melo and Silva’s quality, it allows the likes of Robinho, Kaka and Elano to express themselves freely in attack without having to track back and look after their defensive responsibilities. These holding midfielders in front of the back four provide security against a potential counter attack which can open up the Brazilian defense. It also allows the two defensive midfielders to move into full back positions when the original Brazilian fullbacks move forward to provide support and width to their fluid attack.
Robinho is one of the more attacking midfielders out of the three playing behind Luis Fabiano. He often cuts inside to his right foot to create opportunities for himself and other players around him. In doing so he also allows Michel Bastos to provide overlapping runs and width for the Brazilian team in attack.
When Brazil is not in possession of the football, they move to a 4-3-2-1 formation with Elano withdrawing from his offensive role to play as a deep lying playmaker. Kaka and Robinho become the front 2 behind the sole striker Fabiano. Brazil then put pressure on their opponents to win back the ball around the half way line, when they win it back their formation reverts to a 4-2-3-1 again.
Another team which is utilizing this formation to successful ends is Germany, in their win against England they played a perfect 4-2-3-1 system which defeated the English conventional 4-4-2. Germany’s sole striker in this formation is often Miroslav Klose, a renounced goal scorer. Their 3 offensive midfielders are Podolski on the left, Ozil in the center and Muller on the right. Their two defensive midfielders are Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira.
The German 4-2-3-1 system is a little different from the Brazilian one, Germany’s natural width comes from their wide offensive midfield players such as Muller and Podolski. Muller and Podolski combine with Ozil and Klose to set up German attacks. Although a relatively young German side, their positional sense and movement off the ball is spectacular to watch. Ozil plays the Kaka role and plays the final balls for the German attacks. His lack of experience does not show at all as his on the ball skill and movement is essential to the German style of play.
On the German right Muller cuts on quite a lot allowing Phillip Lahm, the German right back to move forward and provide overlapping runs and width much like Maicon for the Brazilians. Muller also sometimes holds his position to stretch the opposition’s defense, in such a case Lahm cuts inside and becomes a temporary old fashioned left side midfielder and combines with Khedira and Schweinsteiger to retain possession for Germany.
The German system does not change when they are not in possession of the ball because of the fact that their full backs are not as attacking as the Brazilians. If Brazil comes up against Germany in the final of the World Cup, it will be a joy to watch as both play the same systems and pretty much the same tactics when it comes to football, so something will have to give for one of these sides in order for the other to lose.
Some club sides also use this system (4-2-3-1), such as Manchester United, with Rooney as the sole striker, Park Ji Sung, Valencia and Nani making the offensive three and Fletcher and Scholes making the defensive two. However the roles that players play differ in this system as Nani and Valencia play as out and out wingers.
Fletcher plays as a box to box midfielder and tries to balance his offensive duties with his defensive ones, whereas Scholes solely plays as a deep lying midfielder. United’s style of play thus differs because the players in their squad have different qualities to those in Brazil national team or Germany for that matter.
It is a point to note here that the 4-2-3-1 system is flexible as it can accommodate any kind of player, an important point to note for any manager searching for a good solid tactical system. The past decade has proved that systems can be more important that the players playing within them, Greece and their success at the 2004 European Championships is a proof, Barcelona's demise against tactically superior Inter Milan side in the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League is more proof. Porto's success in Europe under Jose Mourinho is a further testament of the importance of systems and tactics. The list can go on and on but it is sufficient to say that 4-2-3-1 is here to stay.
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