Coaching Football

 
The 4-2-3-1 has 4 defenders, 2 holding midfielders, 3 more attacking midfielders and 1 attacker.
This formation is widely used by Spanish and French sides where it is utilised as a more defensive formation.
It is quite a flexible formation, as both of the side midfield players and the two fullbacks can join in the attack, which is usually on the counter.
Defensively the formation is quite similar to the 4-5-1. It can be used to retain possession and is good for stopping the opponents attacks by giving good strength in the midfield …

The 3-5-2 formation has 3 defenders, 5 midfielders and 2 attackers.
The two wide midfield players tend to be wing backs and are more attack orientated but this formation can very quickly become 5-3-2 if the two wide players drop back to take up defensive duties.
Because the two wide players play more offensively the central midfielder tends to stay further back in a holding role in order to help prevent counter-attacks by the opposition.
when playing with the 3 central defenders it is sometimes necessary for one of them to go out …

The 3-4-3 formation sees the players positioned on the pitch as 3 defenders, 4 midfielders and 3 attackers. The midfielders are expected help out with attacking and defending in pretty much equal shares.
One of the down sides to this formation is that having only 3 defenders means that any attacks that see the opposition break through the midfield will be more dangerous than with a more conventional defensive configuration, such as 4-5-1 or 4-4-2.
However the plus side is that the three forwards allow for a more potent attack.
This formation definately suits the …

This formation could also be described as the 4-1-2-1-2. The two centre midfield players are staggered with one playing a defensive role and the other taking up a more offensive role. The two wide midfield players tuck in a more central position creating the diamond effect. The width from the midfield is lost so this is very often compensated for by the fullbacks pushing forward more often to create the width when needed.

The 4-5-1 consists of 4 defenders, 5 midfielders and one attacker. This gives the formation a solid base as the five midfield players cover the defence.
The 4-5-1 is also an effective formation for allowing a team to retain possession but tends to limit the teams attacking possibilities. The lone striker needs to work very hard and retain possession up front whenever possible. This role is best suited to a big, strong striker although a smaller forward with blistering pace can sometimes achieve the required results.
The two wide midfield players need …

The 4-4-1-1 is a simple variation on the 4-4-2 formation with 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 attackers with one of the attackers playing just in behind the main striker but ahead of the midfield. This makes it difficult for the opposition to mark this “floating” player. The opposition will already have to mark the four midfielders and if one of the defenders does the job then they will have to drop out of the defence.
This formation is especially effective when used with a creative player taking up the “floating …

The 4-4-2 formation consists of 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 attackers. The 4-4-2 is a very adaptable formation and is the most common formation you will see in British football and probably world football, in fact it is so well known that it has inspired a magazine called, FourFourTwo.
In this formation the four midfielders are required to work hard to support both the defence and the attack. The four in midfield gives this formation good midfield strength with the added bonus of width. During attacks one of the central midfielders would …

The 4-3-3 formation consists of 4 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 attackers. The three midfield players usually play closely together in order to protect the defence, and move laterally across the pitch as a coordinated unit. The three strikers split across the pitch to spread the attack, and are expected to “tackle back” when necessary. Normally one of the strikers will play a more central role with the other two either side and slightly dropped off.
Barcelona are a side that plays regularly with this formation.
Mostly teams do not start a …