Football Dissected

The 4-4-2 formation has become the typical standard for most football teams ever since the birth of it in the 60s, most notably with regards to the England national team at the 1966 World Cup. Whenever one mentions formations in football, the 4-4-2 setup is the first one to spring mind. In fact, most teams will attempt a 4-4-2 after another formation, whether a 4-3-3 or a 4-5-1 or any other, has failed simply because the system is the most familiar. It’s the most famous formation there is and, most of the time, it’s the most effective.

But to understand the 4-4-2 system and to implement it successfully, one needs to break it down completely. There are, in fact, many different ways to play the 4-4-2 system, with each individual position being an integral part of the whole just as organs are integral to the whole of the human body.

The Back Four

First, let’s take the back four. Two centre backs and two wings. It sounds pretty simple, yet in fact the back four is one of the most important and most complicated parts of the team. Because football is low scoring game, the defence is by far the most important component of the team. For example take Chelsea FC. Some would say the reason Jose Mourniho and Chelsea were able to win back-to-back Premierships and other trophies is that their attacking players, Lampard, Drogba and others, could score the goals needed to win the games. But, in truth, as many would know, the defence was the key. Everyone knows Petr Cech is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, if not the best, and his record of clean sheets is evidence for that statement. In 100 games for Chelsea, he’s kept over 60 clean sheets. The defensive line was just as important, if not more important. John Terry, partnered with William Gallas and then with Ricardo Carvalho, made sure Cech had nothing to do. Why? Because if the goalkeeper doesn’t have to do anything or if the opponent doesn’t get a shot on target, then there’s very little chance of conceding a goal (unless, of course, there’s a deflection or an own goal). And if you don’t concede, then you can’t possibly lose.

So let’s begin with the centre backs or CBs. Within the framework of the defence, there has to be clear communication between the defenders and the goalkeeper. The two CBs have to communicate clearly to each other about what should happen if any given scenario arises. For example, if an opposition midfielder is driving forward with the ball towards their goal and the CBs only have one striker to mark, then you should go and close down the midfielder and who should mark the striker? One, and only one, must go. If both go then the midfielder, with good timing not to let the striker be offside, can simply slot the ball in between the two CBs to the forward (unless of course there is a wingback playing the forward on side). So the communication between who does what must be clear. Ideally this would take place before the game on the training ground, but regardless there are still times when CBs can become confused about what they’re supposed to do so communication is vital. When they’re clear on what they’re supposed to do, the CBs must stick to the plan.

There is also got to be clear communication between the CBs and the goalkeeper. For example, if a cross comes in, does the CBs try and clear the ball away or does the goalkeeper come to try and clear/collect it? From very early on in the game, ideally from the first cross, the goalkeeper must make his mind up whether to come or not and then he must stick to that throughout the game. If he decides to change his mind midway through, he must let his CBs know otherwise chaos will ensue.

Communication between CBs and wingbacks is also important. The wingbacks occupy positions where it is more difficult for the opposition to score from directly, so therefore the wingbacks should show the opponent down the wing. For example, if an opponent comes inside and has a shot which is on target then that will work the goalkeeper and so therefore it has a chance of going into the back of the net. If, on the other hand, the opponent is shown down the wing by the wingback, then all he/she can do is cross because if they try and cut inside, the wingback will hopefully be able to clear the ball away. And if the opponent chooses to cross the ball then the CBs can clear it away or the goalkeeper can come and get it.

But above all of this, there’s still one thing that is important: the offside trap. Get it right and you get a free kick to start your next attack. Get it wrong and you better pray your goalkeeper woke up on the right of bed this morning or that the line’s man is blind. All too often in the game 3 out of the 4 defenders will get the line right, but there will be one, usually one of the wing backs, who is deeper than everyone else for whatever reason. Getting the line right is the most important things in making the defence work so whenever the ball is not near a defender, that defender should look at where he/she is with regards to the other defenders.

Sometimes the wing backs play another vital role for the team which is to attack down the wing to provide another outlet. The best wing backs in the world, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Ashley Cole, Daniel Avles and others, have been able to sprint up and down the wing for most of the game to help in attack. Their great lung power makes them a valuable asset to have, but also an expensive drawback at the same time. If the wing back is powering up the wing and the team loses the ball, there’s now a massive gap in the defence where the wing back should be. What happens to that hole varies from manager to manager, from team to team, but it must never get ignored. Does the rest of the defence spread out and risk getting stretched, particularly if they’re outnumbered by opposition players? Does one of the midfielders, perhaps the holding one, come and fill the hole with the risk that leaving his/her midfield position may allow the opposition midfield time and space to create a goal? Does the rest of the defence keep a high line to implement an offside trap? Or does the rest of the defence keep dropping back and back towards their goal until help arrives from the midfielders and/or the hole is filled by the wing back getting back in time?

The Midfield

The midfield is equally important as the defence. The four midfielders make up the central core of the team, so therefore they’re involved in all aspects of the team all of the time: set pieces, defence and attack. The way the midfield will line up will vary from manager to manager, from team to team, but the way they line up will influence the defensive and attacking strategies. For example, the midfield could be a diamond formation, a single line formation or a T-formation. In most teams nowadays though, there’s always the same components, regardless of what way the midfield is lined up: a holding central midfielder to provide cover for the defence, two wingers to provide crosses from the wing and an attacking central midfielder to link up with the two strikers and two wingers. In some teams, if the midfield is lined up in a T-formation (3 midfielders in a line with the fourth midfielder in front of them), then there may be a variation of the set-up. Some would say this is a completely different formation (a 4-3-1-2 in this case), but in essence it’s just a variation of the 4-4-2. For example, the 3 midfielders in the line:

(1)may be all holding midfielders
(2)two may be holding and one may be a passer/runner who links up with the fourth midfielder and the two strikers in front
(3)one may be a holding midfielder and the other two may be passers/runners

If the midfield line up in the T-formation then the 3 midfielders in the line will be the 3 players dropping back to help the defence when the opponent has the ball. The fourth midfielder, the attacking midfielder, will be, to some extent, free of defensive duties so therefore he/she can stay up front with the two strikers ready for the counter attack (note: the fourth midfielder may drop back now and again into his own half to try and get the ball back but only if the opposition’s midfield has the ball – he should rarely drop deeper). Ideally the fourth midfielder will be somewhat with pace and, because there are no wingers in the T-formation, he/she should be able to sprint down either the left or right wing to act as a temporary winger if the circumstances warrant such a move.

In a diamond formation, which is sometimes the most widely used midfield arrangement, the two wingers not only provide crosses into the box that the strikers can get onto the end of, but they also provide outlets for passing and through-balls. For example, if the opponent is playing a 4-4-2 system themselves and the back line and midfield are where they should be, then the left winger may come inside and link up with left-sided striker and the central attacking midfielder in a triangular passing movement, which is the best passing movement for drawing defenders out of position to provide through-balls. So, therefore, the central attacking midfielder must be able to cover the whole twenty-five yards or so rectangular area outside the box but not including the wings. A triangular passing movement is easy to implement and, if successful, can lead to many goals. Here’s an example:


Key:
Green dots – team players
Red dots – opposition’s players
Circled dot – player currently in possession
Straight arrow – direction of pass
Broken arrow – direction of movement/run
Dots in triangles – players in movement

(note: I have not included a goalkeeper as his position does not change drastically with regards to outfield players, although it does change at points. I have also chosen not to show the movement of some players as I’m only trying to show a triangular passing movement at this moment.)

The winger chooses to pass the ball to the central attacking midfielder. Then this happens:

The central attacking midfielder then passes the ball to the striker while at the same time opposition players are trying to close him down (note: in reality the opposition players will be much closer than what I have shown). Then this happens:


The striker then plays the ball into the feet of the winger who just so happens to be played onside by the wing back on the other side of the field. The midfielder doesn’t just pass the ball through to the winger as soon as the winger passes the ball and starts his run because then the opposition’s right-back or centre back will be able to ready the easy pass and will then be able to intercept. With this movement the right-back is completely taken out of the equation (unless of course he/she tracks the winger’s run, but even then the striker can choose to keep the ball, pass it back to the central attacking midfielder or, if he/she has enough awareness, pass a square ball across the box to the second striker). And the centre back will be to busy marking the striker to track the run of the winger.

One must realise this is a simplified version of a triangular passing movement as a more detailed one will take into account fatigue and much more realistic player movements among other things.

The central attacking midfielder can also link up with the strikers. If there are no opposition midfielders closing down the central attacking midfielder or if they are but they are not quick enough, then the central attacking midfielder has a choice. With the ball he/she can drive forward, thus forcing the defenders to make a decision. Do the CBs come and close down the attacking midfielder and risk leaving their striker unmarked? Does one of them go to close down the midfielder while the other one stays back to mark the two strikers? Or do they keep dropping back, eventually holding a line, and wait for either the midfielder to make a decision (shoot or pass) or their own midfielders to come and help? Here’s an example:






Now if one of the CBs comes out to close down the midfielder, this is what happens:



Now the midfielder has to make a choice – does he/she have a shot on goal where if they are not somebody like Steven Gerrard, they may not score, or do they move left and then quickly pass the ball through to the now unmarked striker who then has a one-on-one with the goalkeeper?



The Forwards

Forwards come in many different sizes and shapes. You can have the big, stocky target-man centre forward partnered with a smaller striker who a low-centre of gravity. Or you can have two medium-sized forwards who are midway between the huge target-man and the speedy striker. Or you can have a aging veteran partnered with a young, quick striker. Or any other possible combination. But for the forwards to work, they must of course have a good partnership with each other and their midfielders.

With playing a 4-4-2 system that has a central attacking midfielder, the attack, in essence, becomes a 3 vs 2 (2 forwards and the central attacking midfielder vs 2 CBs), without including the team's wingers and the opposition's wing backs and midfield. So therefore, in this case, one forward should always be a big target man who can go up against the CB and have a chance of winning the ball. In situation such as a counterattack the target man can then, after winning the ball in the air, link up with his strike partner or pass the ball back to his advancing central midfielder who can then have a shot at goal or pass a through ball to the second striker if he/she sees the opportunity.

With regards to the wingers, in a situation whereby the team is implementing a triangular passing movement as mention above, the forwards will not only be able to play in a winger, but he/she will also have a chance to get a square ball played across goal for a tap-in (refer to the triangular passing movement diagrams above). But for the tap-in to be successfully, the forward must lose the CB. Therefore to lose the CB, the forward must be able to dummy a run (e.g. dummy a run to the back post and then quickly get in front of the strikers).

Most of this is to do with football basics and isn't be any means exclusive to the 4-4-2 formation, but one gets the general idea behind why how there are many different smaller systems within the 4-4-2 system itself.