There are many successful formations that can be used by a football manager, but here are three that have been used well.
The most popular formation is arguably the 4-4-2 formation that was extremely prominent in English football in the 2000’s. The formation was made well-known by about the most successful clubs in Italian history; the new AC Milan owner may well look for their manager to resort back to this formation as it has experienced substantial success over the years. Many teams today choose for just one striker, as it gives the midfield much more cover and versatility. The benefit of the formation the Italian club employed, is that it gives loads of width and then two forwards who make excellent options for crosses from those wide openings. However, the formation needs high quality wingers, so if a group does not have options in this position, it works better to play a formation that goes down the center.
A formation that is commonly employed by teams that lack the high quality of their opposition is the 5-4-1 formation. By playing this way, a squad can overload the midfield and have a sturdy back line that can remain in front of their own box. While many recognise this formation as defeatist, or drab, it is an effective way of closing out a better team for prolonged periods of the match. If you play this formation you can expect to have very slight control, with no real out ball considering you only have a single attacking person. Teams may play this formation for the initial 70 minutes and then change their football tactics in the final period to attempt and snatch victory. The Cardiff City owner has quite regularly favoured managers that can field this formation properly, as they do not have the same calibre players as some other teams.
One the toughest decisions for a soccer manager, is deciding which formation to play against the opponent. A major factor in this choice is the style of play of the opposition. A football formation list is not given out by coaches, unlike in other sports, so managers don’t know what the opposition team will be like until they get onto the pitch. This absence of transparency means coaches must do lots of researching on the competitors to figure out how they will play. One alternative however, is to ignore the opponent and play a formation that complements you and adhere to it. This choice is what the new Italian manager opts for, who was appointed by the Chelsea owner at the beginning of this year. The Italian manager sticks to a 4-3-3 formation religiously; it has been among the most successful football formations, with so many managers selecting it. It is an adaptable formation that allows you to play 3 forwards, but the wide players in roles where they can fall back and assist in defence when required.