97-516: Graeme Armstrong (born 23 June 1956) is a Scottish retired footballer who played as a defender or left-winger . He is best known for the longevity of his playing career, which encompassed a Scottish record figure of 910 league appearances over a 26-year period between 1975 and 2001. Including cup matches, Armstrong is one of a select number of players who have amassed over 1,000 career appearances . Born in Edinburgh , Armstrong began his career in
194-419: A corner kick or other set pieces , centre-backs may move forward to the opponents' penalty area ; if the ball is passed in the air towards a crowd of players near the goal, then the heading ability of a centre-back is useful when trying to score. In this case, other defenders or midfielders will temporarily move into the centre-back positions. There are two main defensive strategies used by defensive lines:
291-681: A ball-playing central defender in a 3–5–2 or 3–4–3 formation; in addition to their defensive skills, their technique and ball-playing ability allowed them to advance into midfield after winning back possession, and function as a secondary playmaker for their teams. Some goalkeepers, who are comfortable leaving their goalmouth to intercept and clear through balls, and who generally participate more in play, such as René Higuita , Manuel Neuer , Edwin van der Sar , Fabien Barthez , Hugo Lloris , Marc-André ter Stegen , Bernd Leno , Alisson Becker and Ederson , among others, have been referred to as sweeper-keepers . The full-backs (the left-back and
388-471: A change in the offside law in 1925. The change had reduced the number of opposition players that attackers needed between themselves and the goal-line from three to two. This led to the introduction of a centre-back to stop the opposing centre-forward, and tried to balance defensive and offensive playing. The formation became so successful that by the late 1930s most English clubs had adopted the WM. Retrospectively,
485-420: A formation typically defines whether a player has a mostly defensive or attacking role, and whether they tend to play centrally or towards one side of the pitch. Formations are usually described by three or more numbers in order to denote how many players are in each row of the formation, from the most defensive to the most advanced. For example, the "4–5–1" formation has four defenders , five midfielders , and
582-510: A full-back who was described as a terzino volante (or vagante , as noted at the time by former footballer and Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Renzo De Vecchi ); the latter position was essentially a libero , which was later also used by Viani in his vianema system, and Rocco in his catenaccio system. Though sweepers may be expected to build counter-attacking moves, and as such require better ball control and passing ability than typical centre-backs, their talents are often confined to
679-406: A modern version of this formation. This formation is also similar to the standard in table football , featuring two defenders, five midfielders and three strikers (which cannot be altered as the "players" are mounted on axles). The WM formation, named after the letters resembled by the positions of the players on its diagram, was created in the mid-1920s by Herbert Chapman of Arsenal to counter
776-518: A period when the position of offensive midfielder was occupied by Rui Costa and later Kaká . This tactic was gradually abandoned by Milan after Andriy Shevchenko 's departure in 2006, progressively adopting a " Christmas tree " formation. The 4–1–3–2 is a variation of the 4–1–2–1–2 and features a strong and talented defensive centre midfielder. This allows the remaining three midfielders to play further forward and more aggressively, and also allows them to pass back to their defensive mid when setting up
873-404: A play or recovering from a counterattack. The 4–1–3–2 gives a strong presence in the forward middle of the pitch and is considered to be an attacking formation. Opposing teams with fast wingers and strong passing abilities can try to overwhelm the 4–1–3–2 with fast attacks on the wings of the pitch before the three offensive midfielders can fall back to help their defensive line. Valeriy Lobanovskiy
970-873: A player, the following day. He played just once for Alloa, as a substitute in April 2001, at the age of 44 years, before retiring. He was dismissed by Alloa in January 2003 as part of a drive to cut costs. In 2007, he guided Newtongrange to the Scottish Junior Football Association 's East Region, South Division championship and promotion to the Premier League . On 8 April, Graeme Armstrong resigned from his post as manager of Junior side Newtongrange Star after 6 years. Stirling Albion Meadowbank Thistle Stenhousemuir Newtongrange Star Defender (association football) In
1067-493: A playmaker, with another midfielder instructed to focus on defence. This transformed into a 3–2–1–4 formation when attacking and turned back to 3–2–3–2 when possession is lost. This formation has been described by some as somewhat of a genetic link between the WM and 4–2–4 and was also successfully used by Bukovi's compatriot Gusztáv Sebes for the Hungarian Golden Team in the early 1950s. The 3–3–4 formation
SECTION 10
#17328026116521164-399: A single forward . The choice of formation is normally made by a team's manager or head coach . Different formations can be used depending on whether a team wishes to play more attacking or defensive football, and a team may switch formations between or during games for tactical reasons. Teams may also use different formations for attacking and defending phases of play in the same game. In
1261-490: A sweeper. Prior to Viani, Ottavio Barbieri is also thought by some pundits to have introduced the sweeper role to Italian football during his time as Genoa 's manager. Like Viani, he was influenced by Rappan's verrou , and made several alterations to the English WM system or "sistema", which led to his system being described as mezzosistema . His system used a man-marking back-line, with three man-marking defenders and
1358-516: Is one of the most famous exponents of the formation, using it with Dynamo Kyiv , winning three European trophies in the process. Another example of the 4–1–3–2 in use was the England national team at the 1966 World Cup , managed by Alf Ramsey . The 4–3–3 was a development of the 4–2–4, and was played by the Brazil national team in the 1962 World Cup, although a 4–3–3 had also previously been used by
1455-458: Is sometimes referred to as libero , which is Italian for "free". Austrian manager Karl Rappan is thought to be a pioneer of this role, when he incorporated it into his catenaccio or verrou (also "doorbolt/chain" in French) system with Swiss club Servette during the 1930s, deciding to move one player from midfield to a position behind the defensive line, as a "last man" who would protect
1552-482: Is thought to have been coined by Gianni Brera , originated from the original Italian description for this role libero da impegni di marcatura ( i.e. , "free from man-marking tasks"); it was also known as the "battitore libero" ("free hitter", in Italian, i.e. a player who was given the freedom to intervene after their teammates, if a player had got past the defence, to clear the ball away). In Italian football,
1649-476: The 1966–67 European Cup and reached the final of the 1969–70 European Cup using this formation. It was also used by Vladimír Mirka in Czechoslovakia's victorious 1968 UEFA European Under-18 Championship campaign. He continued to use it after its waning days. The following formations are used in modern football. The formations are flexible allowing tailoring to the needs of a team, as well as to
1746-579: The 2002–03 UEFA Cup and 2003–04 UEFA Champions League winners Porto under José Mourinho's; and the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League and 2003–04 Serie A -winning Milan team, and 2009–10 Premier League winners Chelsea, both managed by Carlo Ancelotti. This formation was also adopted by Massimiliano Allegri for the 2010–11 Serie A title-winning season for Milan. It was also the favoured formation of Maurizio Sarri during his time at Empoli between 2012 and 2015, during which time they won promotion to Serie A and subsequently avoided relegation, finishing 15th in
1843-483: The 2005–06 Primeira Liga using this unusual formation under manager Co Adriaanse . The 4–2–4 formation attempts to combine a strong attack with a strong defence, and was conceived as a reaction to the WM's stiffness. It could also be considered a further development of the WW. The 4–2–4 was the first formation to be described using numbers. While the initial developments leading to the 4–2–4 were devised by Márton Bukovi ,
1940-472: The 2014–15 Serie A season. A variation of the 4–3–3 with a defensive midfielder, two central midfielders and a fluid front three. The 4–3–2–1 , commonly described as the " Christmas tree " formation, has another forward brought on for a midfielder to play "in the hole", so leaving two forwards slightly behind the most forward striker. Terry Venables and Christian Gross used this formation during their time in charge of Tottenham Hotspur . Since then,
2037-604: The Scottish Challenge Cup beating Dundee United in the 1995 final . He also played in the Scottish Cup giant-killing against Aberdeen in 1995. Armstrong later became manager and guided the side to promotion. He was sacked in April 2000, with Stenhousemuir battling relegation. In 2005, Armstrong was voted Stenhousemuir's all-time cult hero by viewers of BBC 's Football Focus . Armstrong joined Alloa Athletic as assistant-manager, also registering as
SECTION 20
#17328026116522134-424: The formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch . As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper ) in a formation does not define their role as tightly as that of rugby player, nor are there breaks in play where the players must line up in formation (as in gridiron football ). A player's position in
2231-476: The libero is also retroactively thought to have evolved from the centre-half -back role in the English WM system, or sistema, which was known as the centromediano metodista role in Italian football jargon, due to its association with the metodo system; in the metodo system, however, the "metodista" was given both defensive and creative duties, functioning as both a ball–winner and deep-lying playmaker . Juventus manager Felice Borel used Carlo Parola in
2328-529: The libero was usually assigned the number six shirt. One of the first predecessors of the libero role in Italy was used in the so–called " vianema " system, a predecessor to catenaccio , which was used by Salernitana during the 1940s. The system originated from an idea that one of the club's players – Antonio Valese – posed to his manager Giuseppe Viani. Viani altered the English WM system – known as
2425-411: The sistema in Italy – by having his centre-half-back retreat into the defensive line to act as an additional defender and mark an opposing centre-forward, instead leaving his full-back (which, at the time, was similar to the modern centre-back role) free to function as what was essentially a sweeper, creating a 1–3–3–3 formation; he occasionally also used a defender in the centre-forward role, and wearing
2522-447: The sport of association football , a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers, and wing-backs. The centre-back and full-back positions are most common in modern formations. The sweeper and wing-back roles are more specialised, often limited to certain formations dependent on
2619-438: The stopper , and a free defender, which was usually known as the sweeper , or libero , whose tasks included sweeping up balls for teammates and also initiating attacks. The sweeper (or libero ) is a more versatile centre-back who "sweeps up" the ball if an opponent manages to breach the defensive line. This position is rather more fluid than that of other defenders who man-mark their designated opponents. Because of this, it
2716-407: The verrou , his system was not as flexible and was a development of the WM rather than the 2–3–5, but it also featured one of the half-backs dropping deep; this allowed the defensive centre-half to sweep in behind the full-backs. In Italy, the libero position was popularised by Nereo Rocco 's and Helenio Herrera 's use of catenaccio . The current Italian term for this position, libero , which
2813-476: The "diagonal system", in the Brazilian newspaper O Cruzeiro , using schematics and, for the first time, the formation description by numbers. The "diagonal system" was another precursor of the 4–2–4 and was created to spur improvisation in players. Guttmann himself moved to Brazil later in the 1950s to help develop these tactical ideas using the experience of Hungarian coaches. The 4–2–4 formation made use of
2910-563: The 1920s, it was taken to its peak by the Austrians in the 1930s. This school relied on short passing and individual skills, heavily influenced by the likes of Hugo Meisl and Jimmy Hogan , an English coach who visited Austria at the time. The metodo was devised by Vittorio Pozzo , coach of the Italy national team in the 1930s. A derivation of the Danubian school, it can be called MM (if
3007-431: The 1930s. For the first time, a balance between attacking and defending was reached. When defending, halfback-trio were the first facing opposing forwards, when those were surpassed, then fullbacks met forwards as last line of defending. The centre halfback had a key role in both helping to organise the team's attack and marking the opponent's centre forward, supposedly one of their most dangerous players. This formation
Graeme Armstrong - Misplaced Pages Continue
3104-489: The 4–2–3–1, but one common factor among them all is the presence of the double pivot. The double pivot is the usage of two holding midfielders in front of the defence. At international level, this formation is used by the Belgian , French , Dutch and German national teams in an asymmetric shape, and often with strikers as wide midfielders or inverted wingers. The formation is also currently used by Brazil as an alternative to
3201-543: The 4–2–4 formation of the late 1950s to 1970. Implemented similarly to how the original 4–2–4 was used back then, use of this formation in this manner is very offensive, creating a six-man attack and a six-man defence tactical layout. The front four attackers are arranged as a pair of wide forwards and a playmaker forward who play in support of a lone striker. Mário Zagallo also considers the Brazil 1970 football team he coached as pioneers of 4–2–3–1. In recent years, with full-backs having ever more increasing attacking roles,
3298-559: The Porto and Chelsea teams coached by José Mourinho , as well as the Barcelona team under Pep Guardiola . Mourinho has also been credited with bringing this formation to England in his first stint with Chelsea, and it is commonly used by Guardiola's Manchester City . Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp employed a high-pressing 4–3–3 formation with dynamic full-backs and a potent front three (Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino) to win
3395-584: The Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. A variation of the 4–3–3 wherein a striker gives way to a central attacking midfielder. The formation focuses on the attacking midfielder moving play through the centre with the strikers on either side. It is a much narrower setup in comparison to the 4–3–3 and is usually dependent on the attacking midfielder to create chances. Examples of sides which won trophies using this formation were
3492-454: The Uruguay national team in the 1950 and 1954 World Cups. The extra player in midfield allows a stronger defence, and the midfield could be staggered for different effects. The three midfielders normally play closely together to protect the defence, and move laterally across the field as a coordinated unit. The formation is usually played without wide midfielders. The three forwards split across
3589-411: The WM has either been described as a 3–2–5 or as a 3–4–3, or more precisely a 3–2–2–3, reflecting the letters which symbolise it. The gap in the centre of the formation between the two wing halves ( Half backs ) and the two inside forwards allowed Arsenal to counter-attack effectively. The WM was subsequently adapted by several English sides, but none could apply it in quite the same way Chapman had. This
3686-460: The WW formation if the goalkeeper is depicted at the top as was customary at the time), was a development on the WM formation. It was created by Hungarian Márton Bukovi , who turned the 3–2–2–3/WM formation into a 3–2–3–2 by effectively turning the forward "M" upside down (that is M to W). The lack of an effective centre-forward in Bukovi's team necessitated moving a forward back to midfield to create
3783-491: The back-line and start attacks again. As coach of Switzerland in the 1930s and 1940s, Rappan played a defensive sweeper called the verrouilleur , positioned just ahead of the goalkeeper. During his time with Soviet club Krylya Sovetov Kuybyshev in the 1940s, Aleksandr Abramov also used a position similar to a sweeper in his defensive tactic known as the Volzhskaya Zashchepka , or the "Volga clip". Unlike
3880-490: The ball among players. The Scottish outfield players were organized into pairs and each player would always attempt to pass the ball to his assigned partner. Ironically, with so much attention given to attacking play, the game ended in a 0–0 draw. The first long-term successful formation was recorded in 1880. In Association Football , however, published by Caxton in 1960, the following appears in Vol II, page 432: " Wrexham ...
3977-432: The ball out from the back. Some sweepers move forward into midfield, and distribute the ball up-field, while others intercept passes and get the ball off the opposition without needing to hurl themselves into tackles. If the sweeper does move up the field to distribute the ball, they will need to make a speedy recovery and run back into their position. In modern football, its usage has been fairly restricted, with few clubs in
Graeme Armstrong - Misplaced Pages Continue
4074-618: The ball out from the back; examples of such pairings have included Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique for Barcelona and Spain , David Luiz , Gary Cahill , John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho with Chelsea , Sergio Ramos , Raphaël Varane or Pepe with Real Madrid , Diego Godín and José María Giménez with Atlético Madrid and Uruguay , Nemanja Vidić and Rio Ferdinand with Manchester United , or Giorgio Chiellini , Leonardo Bonucci , Andrea Barzagli and Medhi Benatia with Juventus . Under normal circumstances, centre-backs are unlikely to score goals. However, when their team takes
4171-462: The ball wide to its full-backs or providing the two strikers with through balls. When out of possession, the midfield four must drop and assist the defence, while the two strikers must be free for the counter-attack. Its most famous example was Carlo Ancelotti's Milan, which won the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final and made Milan runners-up in 2005 . Milan was obliged to adopt this formation so as to field talented central midfielder Andrea Pirlo , in
4268-401: The ball, but also hold it, pass it or even run with it and start an attack. So this formation required that all players, including defenders, are somehow skilful and with initiative, making it a perfect fit for the Brazilian players' minds. The 4–2–4 needed a high level of tactical awareness, as having only two midfielders could lead to defensive problems. The system was also fluid enough to allow
4365-686: The ball. Other defenders who have been described as sweepers include Bobby Moore , Daniel Passarella , Franco Baresi , Ronald Koeman , Fernando Hierro , Matthias Sammer , and Aldair , due to their ball skills, vision, and long passing ability. Though it is rarely used in modern football, it remains a highly respected and demanding position. Recent and successful uses of the sweeper include by Otto Rehhagel , Greece 's manager, during UEFA Euro 2004 . Rehhagel utilised Traianos Dellas as Greece's sweeper to great success, as Greece became European champions. For Bayer Leverkusen , Bayern Munich and Inter Milan , Brazilian international Lúcio adopted
4462-457: The biggest leagues using the position. The modern example of this position is most commonly believed to have been pioneered by Franz Beckenbauer , and subsequently Gaetano Scirea , Morten Olsen and Elías Figueroa , although they were not the first players to play this position. Aside from the aforementioned Blason and Picchi, earlier proponents also included Alexandru Apolzan , Velibor Vasović , and Ján Popluhár . Giorgio Mastropasqua
4559-403: The centre-backs during corner kicks and free kicks, when the centre backs usually go forward to attempt to score from headers. That said, full-backs can sometimes score during counterattacks by running in from the wings, often involving one-two passing moves with midfield players. The wing-back is a variation on the full-back, but with a heavier emphasis on attack. Wing-backs are typically some of
4656-422: The centre-half role, as a player who would drop back into the defence to mark opposing forwards, but also start attacks after winning back possession, in a similar manner to the sweeper, which led to the development of this specialised position. Indeed, Herrera's catenaccio strategy with his Grande Inter side saw him withdraw a player from his team's midfield and instead deploy them further-back in defence as
4753-445: The classic formation have been created, such as the 4–1–2–1–2. However, the 4–4–2 is still regarded as the best formation to protect the whole width of the field with the opposing team having to get past two banks of four and has recently had a tactical revival having recently contributed to Diego Simeone 's Atlético Madrid , Carlo Ancelotti 's Real Madrid and Claudio Ranieri 's Leicester City . A variation of 4–4–2 with one of
4850-557: The credit for creating the 4–2–4 lies with two people: Flávio Costa , the Brazilian national coach in the early 1950s, as well as another Hungarian, Béla Guttman . These tactics seemed to be developed independently, with the Brazilians discussing these ideas while the Hungarians seemed to be putting them into motion. The fully developed 4–2–4 was only "perfected" in Brazil, however, in the late 1950s. Costa published his ideas,
4947-468: The defensive line, and clearing balls away from the penalty area. Armando Picchi was subsequently also a leading exponent of the more traditional variant of this role in Helenio Herrera's Grande Inter side of the 1960s. The more modern libero possesses the defensive qualities of the typical libero while being able to expose the opposition during counterattacks by carrying or playing
SECTION 50
#17328026116525044-446: The defensive realm. For example, the catenaccio system of play, used in Italian football in the 1960s, often employed a predominantly defensive sweeper who mainly "roamed" around the back line; according to Schianchi, Ivano Blason is considered to be the first true libero in Italy, who – under manager Alfredo Foni with Inter and subsequently Nereo Rocco with Padova – would serve as the last man in his team, positioned deep behind
5141-450: The development of the catenaccio formation. The WM formation was used by West Germany during the 1954 FIFA World Cup . It antedates Pozzo's Metodo and made more radical changes to the widely used system of that era: the 2–3–5 formation. The WW formation (also known as the MM formation, according to the current diagram convention, that is goalkeeper at the bottom. However, it is called
5238-429: The diamond 4–4–2 formation, demand the full-back to cover considerable ground up and down the flank. Some of the responsibilities of modern full-backs include: Due to the physical and technical demands of their playing position, successful full-backs need a wide range of attributes, which make them suited for adaptation to other roles on the pitch. Many of the game's utility players, who can play in multiple positions on
5335-487: The early days of football, most team members would play in attacking roles, whereas modern formations are generally split more evenly between defenders, midfielders, and forwards. Formations are described by categorising the players (not including the goalkeeper ) according to their positioning along (not across) the pitch, with the more defensive players given first. For example, 4–4–2 means four defenders , four midfielders , and two forwards . Traditionally, those within
5432-564: The evolution of the modern game, wing-backs are the combination of wingers and full-backs. As such, this position is one of the most physically demanding in modern football. Successful use of wing-backs is one of the main prerequisites for the 3–5–2 and 5–3–2 formations to function effectively. Wing-backs are often more adventurous than full-backs and are expected to provide width, especially in teams without wingers. A wing-back needs to be of exceptional stamina, be able to provide crosses upfield and defend effectively against opponents' attacks down
5529-474: The fastest players on a team, when employed. Wing-backs are typically used in a formation with three centre-backs and are sometimes classified as midfielders instead of defenders. They can, however, be used in formations with only two centre-backs, such as in Jürgen Klopp 's 4–3–3 system that he used at Liverpool , in which the wing-backs play high up the field to compensate for a lack of width in attack. In
5626-429: The field to spread the attack, and may be expected to mark the opposition full-backs as opposed to doubling back to assist their own full-backs, as do the wide midfielders in a 4–4–2. A staggered 4–3–3 involving a defensive midfielder (usually numbered four or six) and two attacking midfielders (numbered eight and ten) was commonplace in Italy, Argentina, and Uruguay during the 1960s and 1970s. The Italian variety of 4–3–3
5723-404: The field. For example, a clearance is a long unaimed kick intended to move the ball as far as possible from the defender's goal. Due to the many skills centre-backs are required to possess in the modern game, many successful contemporary central-defensive partnerships have involved pairing a more physical defender with a defender who is quicker, more comfortable in possession and capable of playing
5820-596: The first winner of the Welsh Cup in 1877 ... for the first time certainly in Wales and probably in Britain, a team played three half-backs and five forwards ..." The 2–3–5 was originally known as the "Pyramid", with the numerical formation being referenced retrospectively. By the 1890s, it was the standard formation in England and had spread all over the world. With some variations, it was used by most top-level teams up to
5917-408: The flanks, and the position became increasingly specialised for dynamic players who could fulfil that role as opposed to the central defenders who remained fairly static and commonly relied on strength, height and positioning. In the modern game, full-backs have taken on a more attacking role than was the case traditionally, often overlapping with wingers down the flank. Wingerless formations, such as
SECTION 60
#17328026116526014-790: The flanks. A defensive midfielder may be fielded to cover the advances of wing-backs. It can also be occupied by wingers and side midfielders in a three centre-back formation, as seen by ex- Chelsea , ex- Inter Milan , and ex-Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte . Examples of players who could and did play as wing-backs were AC Milan teammates Cafu and Serginho , Barcelona player Dani Alves , Roberto Carlos of Real Madrid's Galácticos era, former River Plate's defender Juan Pablo Sorín , World Cup winning German Andreas Brehme , Parma 's legend Antonio Benarrivo , Angelo Di Livio of Juventus and Italy and former Corinthians , Arsenal and Barcelona star Sylvinho . Formation (association football)#4.E2.80.934.E2.80.932 In association football ,
6111-458: The football matches of the 19th century, defensive football was not played, and the line-ups reflected the all-attacking nature of these games. In the first international game , Scotland against England on 30 November 1872, England played with seven or eight forwards in a 1–1–8 or 1–2–7 formation, and Scotland with six, in a 2–2–6 formation. For England, one player would remain in defence, picking up loose balls, and one or two players would roam
6208-465: The forefront was the famous Ajax team of the early 1970s, which won three European Cups with Johan Cruyff , and Zdeněk Zeman with Foggia in Italy during the late 1980s, where he completely revitalised the movement supporting this formation. It was also the formation with which Norwegian manager Nils Arne Eggen won 15 Norwegian league titles. Most teams using this formation now use a specialist defensive midfielder . Recent famous examples include
6305-410: The formation has lost its popularity in England. It is, however, most known for being the formation Carlo Ancelotti used on-and-off during his time as a coach with Milan to lead his team to win the 2007 UEFA Champions League title. In this approach, the middle of the three central midfielders act as a playmaker while one of the attacking midfielders plays in a free role. However, it is also common for
6402-441: The formation to change throughout play. The 4–2–4 was first used with success at the club level in Brazil by Santos , and was used by Brazil in their wins at the 1958 World Cup and 1970 World Cups , both featuring Pelé , and Mário Zagallo , the latter of whom played in 1958 and coached in 1970. The formation was quickly adopted throughout the world after the Brazilian success. Under the management of Jock Stein , Celtic won
6499-565: The forward pair, while the other will play a "holding role", shielding the defence; the two wide midfield players must move up the flanks to the goal line in attacks and yet also protect the full-backs. On the European level, the major example of a team using a 4–4–2 formation was Milan , trained by Arrigo Sacchi and later Fabio Capello , which won three European Cups , two Intercontinental Cups , and three UEFA Super Cups between 1988 and 1995. More recently, commentators have noted that at
6596-406: The four midfielders). The numbering system was not present until the 4–2–4 system was developed in the 1950s. Diagrams in this article use a "goal keeper at the bottom" convention but initially it was the opposite. The first numbering systems started with the number 1 for the goalkeeper (top of diagrams) and then defenders from left to right and then to the bottom with the forwards at the end. In
6693-619: The goalkeeper is at the top of the diagram) or WW (if the goalkeeper is at the bottom). The system was based on the 2–3–5 formation; Pozzo realised that his half-backs would need some more support in order to be superior to the opponents' midfield, so he pulled two of the forwards to just in front of midfield, creating a 2–3–2–3 formation. This created a stronger defence than previous systems, as well as allowing effective counter-attacks. The Italy national team won back-to-back World Cups , in 1934 and 1938 , using this system. It has been argued that Pep Guardiola 's Barcelona and Bayern Munich used
6790-526: The highest level, the 4–4–2 is being phased out in favour of formations such as the 4–2–3–1. In 2010, none of the winners of the Spanish, English and Italian leagues, nor the Champions League, relied on the 4–4–2. Following England's elimination at the 2010 World Cup by a 4–2–3–1 Germany side, England national team coach Fabio Capello (who was notably successful with the 4–4–2 at Milan in the 1990s)
6887-400: The last line of defence and usually covered opposing forwards in the middle of the field. The later 3–2–5 style involved a third dedicated defender, causing the left and right full-backs to occupy wider positions. Later, the adoption of 4–2–4 with another central defender led the wide defenders to play even further over to counteract the opposing wingers and provide support to their own down
6984-461: The manager's style of play and tactics. The centre-back (also known as a central defender or centre-half, as the modern role of the centre-back arose from the centre-half position) defends in the area directly in front of the goal and tries to prevent opposing players, particularly centre-forwards , from scoring. Centre-backs accomplish this by blocking shots , tackling , intercepting passes , contesting headers and marking forwards to discourage
7081-416: The midfield and kick the ball upfield for the other players to chase. The English style of play at the time was all about individual excellence and English players were renowned for their dribbling skills. Players would attempt to take the ball forward as far as possible and only when they could proceed no further, would they kick it ahead for someone else to chase. Scotland surprised England by actually passing
7178-420: The midfielders are split into two defensive and one offensive player; as such, this formation can be considered a type of 4–3–3. An example of a five-numbered formation would be 4–1–2–1–2, where the midfield consists of a defensive midfielder, two central midfielders and an offensive midfielder; this is sometimes considered to be a kind of 4–4–2 (specifically a 4–4–2 diamond, referring to the lozenge shape formed by
7275-638: The non-leagues in Scotland, including for Haddington Athletic , playing once as a trialist for Meadowbank Thistle , before being signed by Stirling Albion in 1975, making his league debut on 26 April 1975. Over the next 6 seasons "Louis" played in 204 games for the Yo-Yo's before being transferred to Berwick Rangers and then spending 10 years at Meadowbank Thistle . He then moved on to Stenhousemuir , where he later broke Tommy Hutchison 's British record of 863 league appearances. With Stenny , Armstrong lifted
7372-413: The number nine shirt, to track back and mark the opposing forwards, thus freeing up the full-backs from their marking duties. Andrea Schianchi of La Gazzetta dello Sport notes that this modification was designed to help smaller teams in Italy, as the man–to–man system often put players directly against one another, favouring the larger and wealthier teams with stronger individual players. In Italy,
7469-409: The opponent's defence will be forced to fall back early, thereby leaving space for the offensive central midfielder. This formation is used especially when a playmaker is to be highlighted. The variations of personnel used on the flanks in this set-up include using traditional wingers, using inverted wingers or simply using wide midfielders. Different teams and managers have different interpretations of
7566-447: The opposing team from passing to them. Centre-backs are often tall and positioned for their ability to win duels in the air. In the modern game, most teams employ two or three centre-backs in front of the goalkeeper . The 4–2–3–1 , 4–3–3 , and 4–4–2 formations all use two centre-backs. In possession of the ball, centre-backs are generally expected to make long and pinpoint passes to their teammates, or to kick unaimed long balls down
7663-421: The other can be debated. The 4–4–2 diamond (also described as 4–1–2–1–2) staggers the midfield. The width in the team has to come from the full-backs pushing forward. The defensive midfielder is sometimes used as a deep-lying playmaker, but needs to remain disciplined and protect the back four behind him. The central attacking midfielder is the creative player, responsible for picking up the ball, and distributing
7760-581: The pitch, are natural full-backs. Two rather prominent examples are former A.C. Milan left-back Paolo Maldini and the former PSG full-back Sergio Ramos , who have played on the flanks as full-backs and in central defence throughout their career. In the modern game, full-backs often chip in a fair share of assists with their runs down the flank when the team is on a counter-attack like Leighton Baines and Trent Alexander-Arnold . The more common attributes of full-backs, however, include: Full-backs rarely score goals, as they often have to stay back to cover for
7857-433: The players available. Variations of any given formation include changes in positioning of players, as well as replacement of a traditional defender by a sweeper . This formation was the most common in football in the 1990s and early 2000s, in which midfielders are required to work hard to support both the defence and the attack: typically one of the central midfielders is expected to go upfield as often as possible to support
7954-482: The players' increasing levels of skill and fitness, aiming to effectively use six defenders and six forwards, with the midfielders performing both tasks. The fourth defender increased the number of defensive players but mostly allowed them to be closer together, thus enabling effective cooperation among them, the point being that a stronger defence would allow an even stronger attack. The relatively empty midfield relied on defenders that should now be able not only to steal
8051-430: The right-back) locate the holding wide positions and traditionally stay in defence at all times, until a set-piece. There is one full-back on each side of the field except in defences with fewer than four players, where there may be no full-backs and instead only centre-backs. In the early decades of football under the 2–3–5 formation , the two full-backs were essentially the same as modern centre-backs in that they were
8148-410: The same category (for example the four midfielders in a 4–4–2) would generally play as a fairly flat line across the pitch, with those out wide often playing in a slightly more advanced position. In many modern formations, this is not the case, which has led to some analysts splitting the categories in two separate bands, leading to four- or even five-numbered formations. A common example is 4–2–1–3, where
8245-404: The strikers playing "in the hole", or as a " second striker ", slightly behind their partner. The second striker is generally a more creative player, the playmaker, who can drop into midfield to pick up the ball before running with it or passing to teammates. Interpretations of 4–4–1–1 can be slightly muddled, as some might say that the extent to which one forward has dropped off and separated from
8342-402: The sweeper role too, but was also not afraid to travel long distances with the ball, often ending up in the opposition's final third. Although this position has become largely obsolete in modern football formations, due to the use of zonal marking and the offside trap , certain players such as Daniele De Rossi , Leonardo Bonucci , Javi Martínez and David Luiz have played a similar role as
8439-490: The three midfielders to be energetic shuttlers, providing for the individual talent of the two attacking midfielders ahead. The "Christmas tree" formation is considered a relatively narrow formation and depends on full-backs to provide presence in wide areas. The formation is also relatively fluid. During open play, one of the side central midfielders may drift to the flank to add additional presence. A flexible formation in prospects to defensive or offensive orientation, as both
8536-449: The wide players (be they deep lying forwards, inverted wingers, attacking wide midfielders) have been tasked with the defensive responsibility to track and pin down the opposition full-backs. Manuel Pellegrini is an avid proponent of this formation, and frequently uses it in the football clubs that he manages. This formation has been very frequently used by managers all over the world in the modern game. One particularly effective use of it
8633-421: The wide players and the full-backs may join the attack. In defence, this formation is similar to either the 4–5–1 or 4–4–1–1. It is used to maintain possession of the ball and stopping opponent attacks by controlling the midfield area of the field. The lone striker may be very tall and strong to hold the ball up as his midfielders and full-backs join him in attack. The striker could also be very fast. In these cases,
8730-455: The zonal defence, where each centre-back covers a specific area of the pitch; and man-to-man marking, where each centre-back has the job of tracking a particular opposition player. In the now obsolete man–to–man marking systems such as catenaccio , as well as the zona mista strategy that later arose from it, there were often at least two types of centre-backs who played alongside one another: at least one man–to–man marking centre-back, known as
8827-474: Was Liverpool under Rafael Benítez, who deployed Javier Mascherano , Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard in central midfield, with Gerrard acting in a more advanced role in order to link up with Fernando Torres , who acted as the central striker. Another notable example at club level is Bayern Munich under Jupp Heynckes at his treble -clinching 2012–13 season. Mauricio Pochettino , Jose Mourinho , and Ange Postecoglou also use this formation. A high point of
8924-506: Was criticised for playing an "increasingly outdated" 4–4–2 formation. One reason for the partially discontinued use of the 4–4–2 formation at the highest level of the game is its lack of central dominance against other formations like a 4-3-3, due to having only 2 central midfielders. Being outnumbered in the central area of the pitch makes it more difficult to both obtain and retain the ball against formations that utilize three or more midfielders centrally. To combat these issues, variations of
9021-454: Was known for revolutionising the role of the libero in Italy during the 1970s; under his Ternana manager Corrado Viciani, he served as one of the first modern exponents of the position in the country, due to his unique technical characteristics, namely a player who was not only tasked with defending and protecting the back-line, but also advancing out of the defence into midfield and starting attacking plays with their passing after winning back
9118-480: Was mainly due to the comparative rarity of players like Alex James in the English game. He was one of the earliest playmakers in the history of the game, and the hub around which Chapman's Arsenal revolved. In 2016, new manager Patrick Vieira , a former Arsenal player, brought the WM formation to New York City FC . In Italian football, the WM formation was known as the sistema , and its use in Italy later led to
9215-425: Was similar to the WW, with the notable exception of having an inside-forward (as opposed to centre-forward) deployed as a midfield schemer alongside the two wing-halves. This formation was commonplace during the 1950s and early 1960s. One of the best exponents of the system was Tottenham Hotspur 's double-winning side of 1961, which deployed a midfield of Danny Blanchflower , John White and Dave Mackay . Porto won
9312-515: Was simply a modification of WM, by converting one of the two wing-halves to a libero (sweeper), whereas the Argentine and Uruguayan formations were derived from 2–3–5 and retained the notional attacking centre-half. The national team that made this famous was the Dutch team of the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, even though the team won neither. In club football, the team that brought this formation to
9409-410: Was used by Uruguay to win the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games and also the 1930 FIFA World Cup . It was this formation which gave rise to the convention of shirt numbers increasing from the back and the right. The Danubian school of football is a modification of the 2–3–5 formation in which the centre forward plays in a more withdrawn position. As played by Austrian, Czechoslovak and Hungarian teams in
#651348