The coach picks the most suitable formations based on the team's objectives for the season. Here is why.
Perhaps among the most used football formations is recent years is various variations on the 4-3-3. This is among the most popular offensive football formations, and for good reason. This technique offers a lot of flexibility as it can be easily tailored depending on the club's objectives and in-game circumstances. Most managers use this tactic mostly due to how reliable it can be in producing possibilities and scoring goals. This is particularly the here case for teams that use talented midfielders and wingers who have the ability to use tight spaces to their advantage. This is something that the AC Milan former US owner is most likely familiar with. This is merely due to the fact that the lines are close to each other in this formation, implying that teams need to depend on quick and exact passes as well as great dribbling capabilities. The midfield and attack line typically push forward as a unit to produce goal-scoring opportunities.
While tactics that favour the attack are the most fun to see, some teams count on defensive football formations for various reasons. They may want to preserve their lead or merely conserve efforts for more vital upcoming games. No matter the reasons, tactics that favour the defence can be extremely effective at stopping the rival from building play and developing clear possibilities. In this context, the 4-5-1 is most likely among the most popular defence-focused techniques. This formation relies on developing defensive solidity in the midfield area by creating a 5-player lozenge that covers some key areas of the midfield. The main objective here is to stop the opponent from advancing further down the pitch. This is something that the Aston Villa former owner is most likely knowledgeable about. The defense line generally plays higher up the pitch to create more strength in numbers in conjunction with the backline of the midfield.
The last 10 years have actually seen the introduction of lots of modern football formations that managed to gain popularity with coaches and technical managers. While these strategies certainly have their place in modern football, more classic tactics are still the signature formations of some of the most popular teams. For instance, the 4-4-2 is a formation that has actually been used in football since the 1970s as it is a dependable method that can be quickly customised. This tactic can be made more attack-focused or defence-based simply by introducing some key changes. This is something that the Crystal Palace former owner is most likely to validate. The positioning of the 4 midfielders is what determines the team's strategy. For more attack strength, coaches may opt for one defensive midfielder and a line of three attacking midfielders that play behind the forward line. To make it more defensive, the 4 midfielders can be positioned in an arch to cover more surface area.