By examining that luxuriant tree of formations, we gained a thorough understanding of the evolution of soccer formations. In previous courses, we have repeatedly explored several key nodes in the evolution of soccer formations, of which the three most central are: first, the pursuit of a balanced distribution of positions on the field, second, the evolution of adapting to the offside rule, and third, the shift in defensive strategy from mere man-marking to man-marking plus zone defense, until now, zone defense is the mainstay. The development of modern soccer formations is based on such a logical evolution. Only in regions where the development of soccer is relatively lagging behind, or in grassroots youth soccer matches, can we see some old traditional tactics. In professional leagues or international competitions, the mainstream tactics are largely similar.
In this lesson, we will look at some of the formations that are commonly used in international matches. The first is the classic 442 formation, known as the "eternal formation", which is the basis of all formations, even in the top professional leagues. 442 has many variations, one of which is to set up two wing players as traditional breakaway players.
This formation is suitable for teams with a tall center forward and wingers who are good at breaking through passes. The two midfielders are mainly responsible for defending and passing the ball to the side at the right time. For example, Manchester United of the English Premier League.
Another variant is the diamond midfield for teams that lack the ability to break through on the sides. The midfield control is enhanced by a dense formation in the center of the field. Mourinho dominated this formation when he first coached Chelsea.
There are other variants of the 442 formation, such as the 4132, for teams with a strong defensive midfield and the 4312 formation when more attacking hands are needed in the midfield.
In the late 1990s, the 442 formation gave rise to the 451 or 4411, which sacrifices a striker to be positioned closer to the midfield when the team is short of strikers or has less control over the midfield than the opponents. Today's popular 4231 formation is the ultimate form of this formation. 451 helped France win the 1998 World Cup, and many of Europe's strongest teams, such as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, now play the well-established 4231 formation.
The 433 formation, which has been used by Barcelona and Spain over the last few years, is also commonly used by the Netherlands. 433 has a midfield with three players who are very good in possession, and a forward line with several main configurations, such as a winger or an attacking midfielder, as well as three strikers.
Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola, at Barcelona and now at Bayern Munich, has developed a strikerless tactic of using non-traditional wingers such as Lionel Messi or Cesc Fabregas in what some call a 460 formation, but is still essentially a 433 formation.
In Italy, some teams prefer to use the 352 formation.
This formation is both offensive and defensive, and if the wing players are positioned further back, a defensive 532 is formed.352 formations require active wing players, and have been used by Udinese, Napoli and Juventus in Italy.
During the tournament, we can also see some special unbalanced formations, usually for specific purposes, such as the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, when Dutch manager Hiddink had South Korea and Australia use the 361 formation respectively, because he knew that the midfield strength of these two teams was far from being as strong as that of the world-class powerhouses, and so he trooped his troops in the middle of the field and fought for the control of the middle of the field.
AC Milan also used a special formation to counter the two number ten players in the lineup, KAKA and SEEDORF, as well as striker Inzaghi, who specializes in defensive counterattacks. Carlo Ancelotti placed two attacking midfielders behind the strikers to form a 4-3-2-1 formation, which is also known as the Christmas Tree Formation due to its shape resembling a Christmas tree.
Have you gained a better understanding of the history of soccer formations through the above introduction?
