Why these association football formations are prevalent

Teams who wish to preserve their lead on the table typically choose more aggressive formations. Here is why.

If you take a look at the most popular clubs today that consistently win silverware, you will discover that they all share one crucial characteristic when it concerns formations: they all use highly offensive football formations. Obviously, formations that favour attacking are numerous however among the most popular tactics is the 4-3-2-1. On a tactics board, this formation looks like a narrow christmas tree, with players inhabiting the most area possible on the field. The lines are also close together to allow for more fluid passing and more dangerous chances past the midfield. Thanks to how the players are placed on the pitch, clubs employing this formation often find themselves at a numerical advantage, denying ownership to their adversaries at all times. Quick and triangular passing is the name of the game in this tactic, something that the Aston Villa former owner is most likely aware of.

For teams that value defense more than anything else, there are specific tactics that work best for this function. In this context, the 4-5-1 is among the most popular options when it comes to defensive football formations. Clubs that want to suppress the offensive power of their rivals frequently go with this method as it makes it very difficult for teams to build play and efficiently pass the ball around. Thanks to the five-player barrier that is set up in the midfield, counting on dribbling or short passes becomes a non-starter as this barrier leaves very little area for the rival. This obliges the rival to count on long balls that can quickly be obstructed by the defensive midfield or the last line of defense. Covering both the right and left flanks is what makes this tactic more effective, and the AC Milan former US owner is most likely to validate this.

Widely considered one of the most used football formations in the 21st century, the 4-3-3 is a tactic that has actually gotten a great deal of appeal ever since the early 2010s, and it continues to be the go-to for lots of clubs worldwide. To lots of tacticians and coaches, this tactic is among the best football formations thanks to how well balanced and effective it is. The clubs that won most prizes have actually employed this tactic at some time, which is a testimony to its effectiveness. What makes it stand apart is how vibrant it is, particularly the smooth shifts from the defensive to the offensive phase and vice versa. The midfield trio is what makes or breaks this formation as they are required to build play in the midfield and count on their technical abilities to reach the rival's box in the most effective method possible. This is something that the minority shareholder of Liverpool FC will know.