The World Cup posed a lot of questions. Not the least of which was some serious doubt over the state of the much favored, and now much maligned, 4-4-2 formation. A favorite in Britain for years, it is the preferred system of the England team, a team that had a terrible showing at the tournament. That’s not to say that all their problems lay with the formation, but the World Cup served to expose the frailties the system contains.
Spain and Holland, the two teams in the final this year, both play their national football in a 4-3-3, or even a 4-2-3-1. Both teams used these systems to dazzling effect, but let’s look at Spain as they used it to ultimately win. By using this kind of formation, Spain was able to keep possession for large percentages of their games. The fluid passing and moving they created essentially wore down the opposite team, and that’s when they sprung into attack. For teams looking to dominate the possession, utilizing these tactics to create passing triangles all over the field in turn creates space and depth for players to work in, thereby creating more chances on goal.
Johan Cruyff, the Dutch master whose everlasting insistence on the 4-3-3 as the only way to play, has a point. His vision has always revolved around ball possession and endless pressing. You could easily refer to the success of both Barcelona and Spain in proving just how successful it is. They utilized the tactics to perfection, creating a very technical game based on triangles, and short, quick passing.
While the 4-4-2 doesn’t allow for as much artistry and ball possession, it does allow for a side to disrupt the other. With two deep back lines of four, the space in between them is minimal, making it very difficult for opposing midfielders and forwards to penetrate. Keeping these players at bay with this formation will stifle them into submission. No matter how many triangles they make, they won’t get anywhere near the goal to actually create an opportunity. This particular tactic has been used by English sides playing away in Europe to tantalizing effect. Just look at Liverpool in the Champions League and Fulham last season in the Europa League. Their ability to quell the threat of the other team by putting these banks behind the ball allowed for a number of clean sheets, and they relied on their offense to work on the counter-attack to supply a winning goal. And in some cases, even a 0-0 draw was plenty to see them through.
These two formations are, in essence, the antitheses of each other. Attack vs Defense. And at the moment, attack is winning. The 4-3-3 has found ways to expose the space between the two banks of four, effectively allowing creative midfielders and deep-lying forwards opportunities to attack. This is especially dangerous when teams play a high-line leaving even bigger gaps at the back. It’s not all done and dusted for the 4-4-2, as having two incredibly potent strikers can make the formation a success. But what the World Cup proved is that the 4-4-2 that’s been on the rise over the last few generations, in England especially, is now fighting a losing battle.
Kyle Simpson is a writer for Medical Billing and Coding Online where you can find more information about a career in medical billing and coding.
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