There are so many successful formations that might be employed by a football manager, but here are three that have been used successfully.
A formation that is often employed by clubs that are lacking 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 strong back line that can remain in front of their own box. While many recognise this formation as defeatist, or mundane, it is an successful way of shutting out a much better club for prolonged stretches of the game. If you play this formation you can expect to have very little possession, with virtually no real out ball considering you just have a single attacking person. Teams may play this formation for the initial 70 minutes and then adjust their football tactics in the last period to try and snatch success. The Cardiff City owner has quite regularly favoured managers that can field this formation well, as they do not have the same calibre players as various other clubs.
The most famous formation is probably the 4-4-2 formation that was extremely popular in English soccer in the 2000’s. The formation was made famous by one of the most skilled teams in Italian history; the new AC Milan owner may well look for their manager to resort back to this formation as it has seen significant success over the years. Many teams nowadays choose for just one striker, as it offers the midfield much more cover and flexibility. The benefit of the formation the Italian team applied, is that it offers plenty of width and then two forwards who make excellent opportunities for crosses from those wide openings. Nevertheless, the formation requires quality wingers, therefore if a group does not have options in this position, it works better to play a formation that goes down the middle.
One the toughest decisions for a soccer coach, is selecting which formation to play against the opposition. A major element in this choice is the style of play of the opponent. A football formation list is not offered out by managers, unlike in other sports, so managers don’t know what the opposition side will look like until they get onto the pitch. This lack of transparency means coaches must do lots of researching on the competitors to find out how they will play. One solution nevertheless, is to disregard the opponent and play a formation that suits you and stick to it. This choice is what the new Italian manager opts for, who was assigned by the Chelsea owner at the beginning of this year. The Italian coach sticks to a 4-3-3 formation religiously; it has been one of the most successful football formations, with so many managers choosing it. It is an adaptable formation that enables you to play 3 forwards, but the wide players in roles where they can fall back and aid in defence when necessary.