Implementing an effective football formation depends on variables like player quality, ranking on the table, and the tournament itself.

Today, there are many football tactics and formations out there to pick from however managers invest a lot of time adapting and tweaking classic tactics to fit the particularities of their teams. The fact is, there are numerous parameters that affect this decision, and not all of which are strictly technical. For example, the quality of players available can make coaches hesitate about what tactic to use. In the lack of quality footballers in attack, some managers choose to use a more midfield-dense method in an attempt to control ownership of the ball. In the attacking stance, midfielders and wingers will attempt to send through balls or shoot from outside the box in order to destabilise the defenses of the other team. The AC Milan former US owner would likely confirm that other elements like player injury and managing a hectic calendar also affect tactical and technical decisions.

While you can constantly read a football tactics book to get excellent insights into playmaking, there is no better instructor than experience and history. Over the past 50 years, football has been beautified with some of the most satisfying formations in the history of the game, and a few of which are still used to this day. Nevertheless, the 2010s saw a noticeable shift in football tactics with the rise of a more attacking style of play and a more structured method to playmaking. Modern football has leveraged both skill and tech to create some of the most effective tactics that have actually managed to win top sides lots of trophies. In this context, the modified 4-3-3 formation has ended up being among the more popular modern football tactics owing to its efficient attack and well-balanced defense. The minority shareholder of Liverpool FC will concur that technical ability and speed make this tactic really hard to ward off.

Extensively considered among the most versatile football tactics, the 4-4-2 is a tactic that can be modified to be more offensive or leaning more to the defensive side. It is for these factors that this formation is among the most common football tactics throughout different leagues and tournaments. If the coach wants to utilise an offense-forward 4-4-2, they can introduce some essential modifications to allow increased fluidity in passing and play making. For example, they can create a lozenge in the midfield that consists of one defensive midfielder, 2 playmakers on the sides, and one attacking midfielder. This lozenge would supply balls to the wingers and a false 9 that periodically drops to a lower position. In a more defensive 4-4-2, the former owner of Aston Villa would tell you that the coach can form an arch composed of 4 players that serves as a barrier that keeps the adversary from reaching the defense line.