Early days

In the football matches of the 19th century defensive football was not played, the line-ups reflected the all-attacking nature of these games.

In the first international game, Scotland v. England on 30 November 1872, England played with seven or eight forwards in (1-1-8 or 1-2-7) and Scotland with six (2-2-6). For England, one player would remain in defence picking up loose balls and one or two players would hang around 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 when they could proceed no further they would kick it ahead for someone else to chase. Scotland surprised England by actually passing the ball among its players. The Scottish outfield players were organised into pairs and each player would always attempt to pass the ball to his assigned partner. Paradoxically, with so much attention given to attacking play, the game ended with a 0-0 draw.

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Classic formations

Catenaccio

Catenaccio describes a tactical system in football with an emphasis on defence. In Italian catenaccio means "door-bolt" and it means a highly organized and effective backline defense which is intended to prevent goals. It was made famous by Argentinean trainer Helenio Herrera of Inter Milan in the 1960s who used it to grind out 1-0 wins over opponents in their league games.

The system remained popular until the European Cup final in 1967 when it backfired on Inter who had gone 1-0 up from an 8th minute Mazzola penalty kick. They came under constant pressure from Celtic F.C, a team admired for their style of attack. Celtic won the game 2-1 with over 40 attempts on goal in the process. The game exposed the serious weaknesses of the catenaccio system. After the game Helenio Herrera was forced to admit: "Celtic deserved to win and their win was a victory for the sport".

The Catenaccio was influenced by the verrou or "chain" system invented by Austrian coach Karl Rappan. As coach of Switzerland, Rappan played a defensive sweeper just ahead of his goalkeeper in the 1930s and 1940s. Nereo Rocco's Padova, in the 1950s, pioneered the system in Italy where it would be used again by the AC Milan team of the early 1960s.

Rappan's "verrou" system, proposed in 1932 when coach of Servette, was implemented with 4 fixed defenders, playing a strict man-to-man marking system, plus a playmaker in the middle of the field who plays the ball together with two midfield wings.

Rocco's tactic, often referred to as the "real" catenaccio, was shown first in 1947 with Triestina: the most common mode of operation was a 1-3-3-3 formation with a strictly defensive team approach. With catenaccio, Triestina finished the Serie A tournament in a surprising second place. Some variations include 1-4-4-1 and 1-4-3-2 formations.

The key innovation of catenaccio was the introduction of the role of libero or sweeper, a player positioned behind the line of three defenders. The sweeper's role was to recover loose balls, nullify the opponent's striker and double mark when necessary. Another important innovation was the counter-attack, mainly based on long passes from the defence.

In Herrera's version in the 1960s, four man-marking defenders are tightly assigned to each opposing attacker while an extra sweeper would pick up any loose ball that escaped the coverage of the defenders.

With the years, the original catenaccio has been slowly abandoned for other, more balanced tactical approaches; in particular, the increasing popularity gained by an attacking-based approach like Total Football has contributed to make catenaccio a tactic of the past.

Catenaccio today

Real catenaccio is no longer used in the modern football world. Two major characteristics of this style;

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man-to-man marking and the libero position are no longer in use (the "libero" or "sweeper" having been made redundant due to the offside rule , rendering pure catenaccio unavailable.) What many consider catenaccio is rather a very hyper-defensive or retreat style defending from teams, with rare forward movement. This hyper defensive style is still commonly referred to as catenaccio. Nowadays, catenaccio is used mainly by weaker teams, in order to reduce any technical gap against stronger ones by showing a more physical approach to football. The slow disappearance of the role of sweepers in modern football has also contributed to the decline in its use.

The catenaccio system is often criticized for reducing the quality of football games as a spectacle. In certain parts of Europe, it became synonymous with negative football since the focus is so much upon defending.

One frequent mistake is to define catenaccio as any defensive tactical system used by a football team. This is actually untrue, because catenaccio is just one of the possible defensive tactics to be used. Nowadays catenaccio is used less and less by top teams, and often limited solely to particular circumstances, such as numerical inferiority following a sending off, or needing to defend a marginal scoreline until the end of the match. Thus, today any extremely defensive mental approach to a football match by a team is frequently, incorrectly, referred to as catenaccio.

Catenaccio is often thought to be commonplace in Italian football, however, it is actually used infrequently by Italian Serie A teams, who instead prefer to apply some other, more modern, tactical systems, like 4-4-2 and others. This does not apply to the Italian national football team, however. Italy's previous coaches, Cesare Maldini and Giovanni Trapattoni, used the catenaccio at international heights, and have all failed to reach the top. Italy, under Maldini, lost on penalties at the 1998 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, while Trapattoni lost early in the second round at 2002 FIFA World Cup and disappointingly lost at the 2004 European Football Championship during the first round, although after this, Trapattoni would apply catenaccio football successfully, securing a Portuguese League Title with SL Benfica. It should be noted, however, that Dino Zoff employed it to good use for Italy, securing a place in the European Championship Final in 2000, which Italy only lost on the "golden goal" rule.

When Italy was reduced to 10 men in the fiftieth minute of the 2006 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match against Australia, coach Marcello Lippi changed the Azzurri's formation to a defensive orientation which caused the British newspaper The Guardian to note that "the timidity of Italy's approach had made it seem that Helenio Herrera, the high priest of catenaccio, had taken possession of the soul of Marcello Lippi".[1] Note, however, that the 10 men team was playing with a 4-3-2 scheme, just a midfielder away from the regular 4-4-2, another stereotypical viewing of a defensive italian formation as "Catenaccio".Italy won their next match against Ukraine (3-0), and proved they have excellent football to offer. In their following match, the Azzurri secured a historic semi-final win over Germany in Dortmund by defying common expectations of negative, safety-first play, with their two late goals scored by Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero in the 119th and 120th minute that sank the host country. In this match, the Azzurri surprised many, including their opponents, by their "un-catenaccio" display which saw both teams having an equal 18 shots, of which the Germans had only six shots on target, while the Italians had an impressive 11, forced 10 saves from German keeper Jens Lehmann, and scored two goals.

However, after the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the media picked up the fact that modern football, which should heavily rely on attacking, is not to be and feared that defensive style of playing will come back. The amount of goals scored in that World Cup was only 147 (an average of 2.297 per match), and the Golden Boot Winner Miroslav Klose only scored 5 goals as opposed to the amount the previous winner

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Ronaldo scored, 8. Not only that, this World Cup was the first to feature its official top three "Best Players" to be all non-forwards.

A new breed of cattanacio has been utilised in 2007 in Scotland by Walter Smith's Rangers, where they have played 4-5-1 in almost every game. This Wattenacio tactic has proved to be deeply flawed after Smith used it in both home and away games even against smaller teams. It came spectacularly outdone at home against Lyon in December 2007 when they were soundly thrashed 3-0 to put them out of the Champions League. Walter remained loyal to the Wattenacio till the end, finishing the game with his standard 4-5-1 formation.

Catenaccio in football history

This is a list of teams who gained some triumphs by playing catenaccio:

AC Milan , under coach Nereo Rocco, in the 1960s; Inter Milan , under coach Helenio Herrera, in the 1960s; Argentina and Cameroon. Cameroon under coach Valeri Nepomniachi, used tactical fouls to grind out a 1-0 victory

against Argentina in the opening game of the 1990 World Cup. Italy , under coach Dino Zoff, reached final in Euro 2000 after having defeated Holland in the

previous round; Greece , under coach Otto Rehhagel successfully employed catenaccio tactics to win the Euro

2004, beating teams, superior to themselves on paper, like Portugal, Czech Republic and France.

France , under coach Raymond Domenech used similar tactics to the above in the 2006 World Cup semi final against Portugal.

Real Madrid under coach Fabio Capello in the 2006-07 season, where Capello claimed the days

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of attacking football have come to an end with results being more important than attractive football.

Brazil , under coach Dunga have fielded all-out defensive formations, most notably fielding 3 defensive midfielders throughout Copa America 2007 and making use of tactical fouls, 37 in the final match alone.

Rangers , under coach Walter Smith. This Scottish brand of 'Wattenacio' has seen Rangers play 4-5-1 against all opponents regardless of quality and has seen them struggle in the league and in Europe

Totall football

In football (soccer) Total Football is a system where a player who moves out of his position is replaced by another from his team, thus retaining their intended organizational structure. In this fluid system no footballer is fixed in his or her intended outfield role; anyone can be successively an attacker, a midfielder and a defender.

Total Football depends largely on the adaptability of each footballer within the team to succeed. It consists of footballers being extremely tactically aware, allowing them to change positions at high speed—in its simplest terms, every player is comfortable in any other position. It also puts high technical and physical demands on the players.

History

The foundations for Total Football were laid by Jack Reynolds, who was the manager of Ajax Amsterdam from 1915-1925, 1928-1940 and 1945-1947.

Rinus Michels, who played under Reynolds, later went on to become manager of Ajax himself and refined the concept into what is known today as "Total Football" (Totaalvoetbal in Dutch), using it in his training for the Ajax squad and the Netherlands national team in the 1970s. It was further refined by Stefan Kovacs after Michels left for FC Barcelona. Dutch forward Johan Cruyff was the system's most famous exponent.

Although Cruyff was fielded as centre forward, he wandered all over the pitch, popping up wherever he could do most damage to the opposing team. This resulted in a need for such a dynamic system like Total Football. His teammates adapted themselves flexibly around his movements regularly switching positions, so that the tactical roles in the team were always filled, although not always by the same person.

Space and the creation of it were vital for the tactic of Total Football to be played into fruition, Ajax defender Barry Hulshoff explained how the team that won the European Cup in 1971, 1972 and 1973 worked it to their advantage. 'We discussed space the whole time. Johan Cruyff always talked about where people should run and where they should stand, and when they should not move.'

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The constant switching of positions that became known as Total Football only came about because of this spatial awareness. 'It was about making space, coming into space, and organising space-like architecture on the football pitch,' said Hulshoff. The system developed organically and collaboratively: it was not down to coach Rinus Michels, his successor Stefan Kovacs or Cruyff alone. Cruyff summed up his (Total Football) philosophy: 'Simple football is the most beautiful. But playing simple football is the hardest thing.' [1]

The 1972 European Cup final proved to be Total Football's finest hour and which placed it on the map. After Ajax's 2:0 victory over Internazionale, newspapers around Europe reported the "death of Catenaccio and triumph of Total Football". The Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad declared: ‘The Inter system undermined. Defensive football is destroyed.’[2]

Dutch goal against Brazil in 1974 FIFA World Cup.

Michels was appointed for the 1974 FIFA World Cup campaign by the KNVB. Most of the 1974 team were made up of players from Ajax and Feyenoord. However, Rob Rensenbrink was an outsider, having played for clubs in neighboring Belgium, and was unfamiliar with Total Football, although he was selected and adapted well. During the tournament, the Netherlands coasted through their first and second round matches, defeating Argentina (4-0), East Germany (2-0) and Brazil (2-0) to setup a meeting with hosts West Germany.[3]

The 1974 Finals, Cruyff kicked off and the ball was passed around the Oranje thirteen times before returning to Cruyff, who then went on a rush that eluded Berti Vogts and ended when he was fouled by Uli Hoeness inside the box. Teammate Johan Neeskens scored from the spot kick to give the Netherlands a 1-0 lead with 80 seconds of play elapsed, and the Germans had not even touched the ball. Cruyff's playmaking influence was stifled in the second half of the match by the effective marking of Berti Vogts, while Franz Beckenbauer, Uli Hoeness and Wolfgang Overath dominated midfield, enabling West Germany to win 2-1.[4]

The ill-fated Austrian "Wunderteam" of the 1930s is also credited in some circles as being the first national team to play Total Football. It is no coincidence that Ernst Happel, a talented Austrian player in the 1940s and 1950s, was coach in the Netherlands in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He introduced a tougher style of play at ADO and Feyenoord. Happel managed the Netherlands national team in the 1978 World Cup, where they again finished as runners-up.

Teams to have used the tactic

Austria Ajax FC Barcelona Netherlands

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2-3-5 (The Pyramid)

In 1884, Preston North End (England) introduced what would become the first long-term successful formation — the 2-3-5; this was originally known as the Pyramid with the numerical formation being referenced retrospectively. By the 1890s it was the standard formation in Britain and had spread all over the world. With some variations it was used by most top level teams up to the 1940s.For the first time a balance between attacking and defending was reached. When defending, the two defenders (fullbacks) would watch out for the opponent's insides (the second and fourth players in the attacking line); while the midfielders (halfbacks) would watch for the other three forwards.The center halfback had a key role in both helping to organize the team's attack and marking the opponent's center forward, supposedly one of their most dangerous players.It was this formation which gave rise to the convention of shirt numbers which is still used today[citation needed] but can appear confused when applied to the classic 4-4-2 line up, i.e.:

01 – Goalkeeper 02 – Right back 03 – Left back 04 – Center back/Defensive Midfielder 05 – Center back 06 – Defensive midfielder 07 – Right winger 08 – Center midfield/Center Midfielder 09 – Center Forward 10 – Offensive midfielder(play maker/Center Forward 11 – Left winger

Teams that used this formation

Uruguay , 1930 World Cup winner:

Team: Ballestero; Nasazzi and Mascheroni; Andrade, Fernández and Gestido; Dorado, Scarone, Castro, Cea and Iriarte. Coach: Alberto Suppici.

Argentina , 1930 World Cup runner up: Team: Botasso; Della Torre and Paternoster; J.Evaristo, Monti and

Arico Suárez; Peucelle, Varallo, Stábile, Ferreira and M.Evaristo. Coach: Juan José Tramutola.

The Danubian school

The Danubian School of football is a modification of the 2-3-5 formation as played by the Austrians, Czechs and Hungarians in the 1920s, and taken to its peak by the Austrians in the 1930s. It relied on short-passing and individual skills.

Teams that used this formation

Austria, 4th at the 1934 World Cup: Team: Platzer; Cisar and Sesta; Wagner, Smistik and Urbanek; Zischek, Bican, Sindelar, Schall and Viertl. Coaches: Hugo Meisl and Franz Hansl.

Metodo

The Metodo was devised by Vittorio Pozzo, coach of the Italian national team in the 1930s [1]. It was a derivation of the Danubian School. The system was based on the 2-3-5 formation, Pozzo realized that his halfbacks would need some more support in order to be superior to the opponents' midfield, so he pulled 2 of the forwards to just in-front of midfield, creating a 2-3-2-3 formation. This created a stronger defense than previous systems, as well as allowing effective counterattacks. The Italian national team won back-to-back World Cups in 1934 and 1938 using this system.

The WM

The WM system was created in the mid-1920s by Herbert Chapman of Arsenal to counter 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 the WM has either been described as a 3-2-5 or as a 3-4-3.

The WWThe WW was a development of the WM created by the Hungarian coach Márton Bukovi who turned the 3-2-5 WM "upside down" [2]. The lack of an effective centre-forward in his team necessitated moving this player back to midfield to create a playmaker, with a midfielder instructed to focus on defence. This created a 3-5-2 (also described as a 3-3-4), and was described by some as an early version of the 4-2-4. This formation was successfully used by fellow countryman Gusztáv Sebes in the Hungarian national team of the early 1950s

3-3-4

The 3-3-4 formation 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 would be commonplace during the 1950s and early 1960s. One of the best exponents of the system was the Tottenham Hotspur double-winning side of 1961, which deployed a midfield of Danny Blanchflower, John White and David Mackay. FC Porto won the 2005-06 Portuguese national championship using this unusual formation (coach: Co Adriaanse).

4-2-4

The 4-2-4 Formation

The 4-2-4 formation attempts to combine a strong attack with a strong defense, and was conceived as a reaction to 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, the credit for creating the 4-2-4 lies with two different 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 [3] [2] [4]. However the fully developed 4-2-4 was only 'perfected' in Brazil in the late 1950s.

Costa published his ideas, the "diagonal system", in the Brazilian newspaper O Cruzeiro, using schematics as the ones used here and, for the first time ever, the formation description by numbers as used in this article [3]. The "diagonal system" was another precursor of the 4-2-4 and was created to spur improvisation in players.

Guttman 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 the increasing players skills and fitness, aiming to effectively use 6 defenders and 6 forwards, with the midfielders performing both tasks. The 4th 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 defense would allow an even stronger attack.

The relatively empty midfield relied on defenders that should now be able not only to steal 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 skillful and with initiative, making it a perfect fit for the Brazilian player's mind. The 4-2-4 needed a high level of tactical awareness as having only 2 midfielders could lead to defensive problems. The system was also fluid enough to allow the formation to change throughout play.

4-2-4 was first used with success at club level in Brazil by Palmeiras and Santos, and was used by Brazil in their wins at 1958 World Cup and 1970 World Cup, both featuring Pelé, and Zagallo who played in the first and coached the second. The formation was quickly adopted throughout the world after the Brazilian success.

Teams that used this formation

Brazil, 1958 FIFA World Cup Winners: Team: Gilmar; Bellini, Djalma Santos, Nílton Santos, Orlando; Zito,

Didi; Garrincha, Vává, Pelé, Zagallo. Coach: Vicente Feola. Celtic FC , European Cup 1966-67 Winners "The Lisbon Lions":

Team: Ronnie Simpson; Jim Craig, Billy McNeill (captain), John Clark, Tommy Gemmell; Bobby Murdoch, Bertie Auld; Jimmy Johnstone, Willie Wallace, Stevie Chalmers, Bobby Lennox. Coach: Jock Stein.

Brazil, 1970 FIFA World Cup winner: Team: Félix; Carlos Alberto, Brito, Piazza, Everaldo; Clodoaldo,

Gérson; Jairzinho, Pelé, Tostão, Rivelino.

Common modern formations

The following formations are used in modern football. The formations are flexible allowing tailoring to the needs of a team, as well as to 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

4-3-3

The 4-3-3 was a development of the 4-2-4, and was played by the Brazilian national team in the 1962 World Cup. The extra player in midfield allowed 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 three forwards split across the field to spread the attack, and are expected to "tackle back". When used from the start of a game, this formation is widely regarded as encouraging defensive play, and should not be confused with the practice of modifying a 4-4-2 by bringing on an extra forward to replace a midfield player when behind in the latter stages of a game.

A staggered 4-3-3 involving a defensive midfielder (usually numbered 4 or 6) and two attacking midfielders (numbered 8 and 10) was commonplace in Italy, Argentina and Uruguay during the 1960s and 1970s. The Italian variety of 4-3-3 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 which 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 the forefront was the famous Ajax Amsterdam team of the early 1970s, which won three European Cups with Johan Cruyff. Chelsea have used this formation to great effect under José Mourinho in the time he has been at the club. While getting his team to constantly press the opposition when defending, he also likes the two wingers to come back to create a 4-5-1 formation.

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup Spain and The Netherlands played both a variation of 4-3-3 without wingers. The three strikers would interchange positions and run the channels like a regular striker would.

Teams that used this formation

Greece national football team , winners Euro 2004 Brazil national team , winners 1962 FIFA World Cup Feyenoord in winning the 1970 European Cup Juventus F.C. , Serie A Winners 1994/95 and UEFA Champions League

Winners 1995/96 Rosenborg B.K. of Norway, during all of their 13-in-a-row league wins, and

10 seasons in the UEFA Champions League All the teams coached by Zdeněk Zeman Chelsea FC , Premiership Winners 2004/05 2005/06 Olympique Lyonnais , Ligue 1 Winners 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05

2005/06 2006/07 FC Barcelona, La Liga Winners 2004/05 2005/06, UEFA Champions League 2005/06

4-4-2

This adaptable formation is the most common in football today, so well known that it has even inspired a magazine title, FourFourTwo. The midfielders are required to work hard to support both the defense and the attack: one of the central midfielders is expected to go upfield as often as possible to support 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 fullback wide defenders. It is a very popular formation in Britain especially where it is sometimes called a 'flat-back 4'.

Teams that used this formation

Brazilian National Team during 1994, winners of the 1994 World Cup (Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira)

Manchester United F.C. , Treble Winners 1998-99 Team: Schmeichel; Gary Neville, Irwin, Stam, Johnsen; Giggs,

Beckham, Scholes, Keane; Cole, Yorke. Coach: Sir Alex Ferguson. Arsenal F.C. , Unbeaten Season 2003/04

Team: Lehmann; Lauren, Campbell, Toure, Cole; Pires, Vieira, Gilberto, Ljungberg; Bergkamp, Henry. Coach: Arsene Wenger

4-4-2 diamond or 4-3-1-2

The 4-4-2 diamond (also described as 4-1-2-1-2 or 4-3-1-2) staggers the midfield. The width in the team has to come from the full-backs pushing forwards.

Teams that used this formation

Argentina ; probably the team that uses it more often, although in the 2006 FIFA World Cup coach José Pekerman alternated between 4-3-1-2 and 4-2-2-2. Carlos Bilardo's team is a clear example with Diego Maradona being the offensive midfielder. This position is known as enganche and is a key position for Argentine football. This player often has more freedom than the rest and is considered the creative player, the playmaker, which can 'break' the formation and move freely along the offensive field. Other examples are Ronaldinho, Juan Román Riquelme, Rivaldo, Gheorghe Hagi, Zidane, Kaká, and Totti. The defensive midfielder is key for getting the ball back and covering the spaces left by the fullbacks or other players, being some sort of "midfield sweeper". This position is key for the 4-3-1-2 formation because of the recuperation of possession and several times this player distributes the ball to the teammates. Some examples include Dunga, Torsten Frings, Fernando Redondo, and Makelele.

Germany - with the speciality of two Full Backs who are also capable of playing like good wingbacks, which is more offensive (Phillip Lahm, Marcell Jansen) - if there is a "Konter" then, the defensive midfielder is helping the two centre backs.

England National Team ; the so-called "Wingless Wonders"; winners of the 1966 World Cup

AC Milan winner of the Champions League 2003, 2007 and the 2004 Scudetto (coached by Carlo Ancelotti)

FC Porto winner of the Champions League 2004 (managed by José Mourinho) Galatasaray SK winner of the UEFA Cup 2000 (managed by Fatih Terim)

Real Madrid 2001-2002 champions league winners in final Boca Juniors winner of the Copa Libertadores 2000 and 2001 (managed by

Carlos Bianchi), and 2007 (managed by Miguel Angel Russo)

4-4-1-1

A variation of 4-4-2 with one of 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.

Teams that used this formation

Italy , 2006 FIFA World Cup Winners: Team: Buffon; Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Materazzi, Grosso;

Camoranesi, Gattuso, Pirlo, Perrotta; Totti; Toni. Coach: Marcello Lippi.

Greece, European champion 2004

Finnish national team Juventus during 2001/2002 and 2002/2003 (Alessandro Del Piero as a

'trequartista' or attacking playmaker behind David Trézéguet) — this was a hugely successful strategy for Juve, as they won the Scudetto in 2002 and 2003 and finished runners-up to AC Milan in the 2003 European Champions League.

Manchester United F.C. during 2006-07 season, In which they won the premiership for the first time in 4 years with Wayne Rooney behind Saha/Solskjær/Smith and Ryan Giggs on the left with Cristiano Ronaldo on the right.

4-3-2-1 (the 'Christmas Tree' formation)

This is another variation of the 4-4-2, commonly described as the 'Christmas Tree' formation. Another forward is brought on for a midfielder to play 'in the hole'. so leaving two forwards slightly behind the most forward striker. Terry Venables, first brought in this system throughout England's Euro 96 campaign. Glenn Hoddle then used this formation poorly during his time in charge of the England national football team and since then the formation has lost its popularity in England.

Teams that used this formation

AC Milan , 2007 Champion's League Winners: Team: Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Maldini, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Pirlo,

Ambrosini; Kaka, Seedorf; Inzaghi. Coach: Carlo Ancelotti. FC Barcelona during the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons when not playing 4-3-3 with Ronaldinho and Ludovic Giuly (or sometimes Lionel Messi during 2005–06) playing behind Samuel Eto'o.

5-3-2

This formation has three central defenders (possibly with one acting as a sweeper.) This system is heavily reliant on the wing-backs providing width for the team. The two wide full-backs act as wing-backs. It is their job to work their flank along the full length of the pitch, supporting both the defence and the attack.

Teams that used this formation

Germany adopted this formation between 1990 and 1994, winning the 1990 World Cup

Celtic FC under Martin O'Neill employed this formation during their 2001 treble winning season and run to the UEFA Cup Final in 2003

5-3-2 with Sweeper or 1-4-3-2

A variant of the above, this involves a more withdrawn sweeper, who may join the midfield, and more advanced full-backs.

Teams that used this formation

Real Madrid, as 2000 Champions League winner, with Iván Helguera playing as sweeper

3-4-3

Using a 3-4-3 the midfielders expected to split their time between attacking and defending. Having only three dedicated defenders means that if the opposing team breaks through the midfield, they will have a greater chance to score than with a more conventional defensive configuration, such as 4-5-1 or 4-4-2. However, the three forwards allow for a greater concentration on offense. This formation is used by more offensive-minded teams. To use this effectively a team must have 3 defenders which can hold their own and a keeper who is not afraid to leave the box.

Teams that used this formation

FC Barcelona during the early 1990s, with Johan Cruijff as coach (four La Liga titles in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994, and a Champions League in 1992)

AC Milan during the end of the 1990s, with Alberto Zaccheroni as coach (one scudetto in 1999)

FC Barcelona during the a portion of the 2006-2007 La Liga season, with Frank Rijkaard as coach. This formation was a result of Frank Rijkaard's insistence on playing Deco, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and a defensive midfielder as well. With this formation, he most commonly utilized Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o as forwards.

AFC Ajax won the Champions League in 1995 when Louis van Gaal was manager. Ajax also won the Eredivisie three times - 1994, 1995 and 1996. The first eleven was: Edwin Van der Sar, Michael Reiziger, Danny Blind, Frank de Boer, Frank Rijkaard, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Jari Litmanen, Marc Overmars, Finidi George, Patrick Kluivert.

3-5-2

This formation is similar to 5-3-2 except that the two wingmen are oriented more towards the attack. Because of this, the central midfielder tends to remain further back in order to help prevent counter-attacks. It differs from the classical 3-5-2 of the WW by having a non-staggered midfield. It was used for the first time at international level by the Argentinian coach Carlos Salvador Bilardo in the FIFA World Cup Mexico 1986[citation needed]. Many teams also use a central attacking midfielder and two defensive midfielders, so the midfielders form a W formation.

Teams that used this formation

Argentina, 1986 World Cup winner. Brazil, 2002 World Cup winner: Rangers F.C., won seven consecutive Scottish Premier League titles between

1991 & 1997 under Walter Smith mostly using this formation. Croatia , 1998 World Cup 3rd place under Miroslav Blazevic. CSKA Moscow winner of the UEFA Cup 2005 (managed by Valery Gazzaev) Russia São Paulo Futebol Clube , 2005 FIFA Club World Championship winner D.C. United , 2004 MLS Cup winner, used this formation under coach Piotr

Novak from 2004 - 2006 Iran, 3 times Asian Cup Champions, coach Frank O'Farrell had used this formation in all three tournaments in which he won the cup

3-6-1

This uncommon but modern formation obviously focuses in the ball possession in the midfield. In fact, it is very rare to see it as an initial formation, as it is better used to keep results. Its more common variant is 3-4-2-1, which uses two wingbacks and a square of two centre midfielder and two playmakers. The latter ones can switch for the free roles, performing as a second striker or helping the centre midfielders in order to keep the ball under their control. When there are no spaces in the centre, the wingbacks must provide crosses from deep-line to the forward, as well as protection from the forward runs from the opposition wingers/fullbacks. The lone forward must be tactically gifted, because he is not only focused in scoring, but to play back to the goal to assist with back passes to his teammates. Once the team is leading the game, the tactics focuses even more in ball control, short passes and time wasting. On the other hand, when the team is losing, at least one of the playmakers will play more often in the edge of the area to add depth to the attack. Guus Hiddink is one of the few coaches who has used this formation.

Teams that used this formation

South Korea , 2002 FIFA World Cup fourth place. Australia , 2006 FIFA World Cup second round. United States , 1998 FIFA World Cup, 32nd place.

4-5-1

4-5-1 could be seen as a defensive formation, however if the two midfield wingers play a more attacking role it can be likened to 4-3-3. The formation can be used to grind out 0-0 draws or preserve a lead, as the packing of the centre midfield makes it difficult for the opposition to build-up play. Because of the 'closeness' of the midfield, the opposing team's forwards will often be starved of possession. However, due to the lone striker, the centre of the midfield does have the responsibility of pushing forward as well. The defensive midfielder will often control the pace of the game.

A modification of this formation is also used by José Mourinho's Chelsea F.C. side. This modified version is the 4-1-4-1 where only one striker is used and the wingers are given the responsibility of moving the ball forward and attacking. A holding midfielder is also positioned in front of the back four. This provides freedom for the rest of the team to move forward and attack as the defense will be "protected" by the holding midfielder.

Recently Big Sam Allardyce audaciously claimed to have invented this formation.[citation needed]

Teams that used this formation

Norwegian national team with great success in the early/mid-90s. Liverpool FC , 2005 UEFA Champions League winner (with Steven Gerrard as

the playmaker of the team)

Arsenal FC , frequently during the 2005-2006 season with Cesc Fabregas as a playmaker and Thierry Henry as the lone striker

Olympique Lyonnais , Ligue 1 Winners 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06

Rangers Football Club have often used the formation in europe under walter smith with Brahim Hemdani in the holding role and either Jean-Claude Darcheville or Daniel Cousin as the lone striker

4-2-3-1

This formation is widely used by Spanish and French sides: it is a defensive formation which is quite flexible, as both the side midfielders and the fullbacks may join the attack, usually on the counter. In defense, this formation is similar to the 4-5-1. 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 fullbacks join him in attack. The striker could also be very fast. In these cases, the opponent's defense 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.

Teams that used this formation

France , 2006 FIFA World Cup Runners-Up: Team: Barthez; Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Abidal; Vieira, Makelele;

Ribery, Zidane, Malouda; Henry. Coach: Raymond Domenech. Portugal , 2006 FIFA World Cup 4th Real Madrid C.F. 2001/2002 Uefa Champions League Winners AS Roma , 2005-2006, 2006-2007 Italian Serie A 4th (2nd), 2nd with Doni,

Panucci Mexès Chivu Tonetto, De Rossi Pizarro (Aquilani), Taddei Perrotta Mancini, Totti.

Grêmio FBPA , Campeonato Brasileiro 2006 3rd Real Madrid C.F. 2006/2007 La Liga Winners Manchester United used this formation in their Uefa Champions league

2006/2007 run with Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes as play makers in defensive midfield and Ryan Giggs playing behind the striker.

Brøndby I.F., SAS Liga Winners 2004/05 and runners up 2002/03, 2003/04 and 2005/06 with either Thomas Kahlenberg or Johan Elmander as playmaker

5-4-1

This is a particularly defensive formation, with an isolated forward and a packed defense. Again however, a couple of attacking fullbacks can make this formation resemble something like a3-6-1Incomplete formations

When a player is sent-off (after being shown a red card), the teams generally fall back to defensive formations such as 4-4-1 or 5-3-1. Only when defeat is not an option (e.g. in a playoff or knockout match) will a team with ten players play in a risky attacking formation such as 4-3-2 or even 4-2-3. When more than one player is missing from the team the common formations are generally disbanded in favor of either maximum concentration on defense, or maximum concentration on attack

Future formations

Many leading football experts have said[citation needed] that, with the increase in fitness of players, the normal, symmetrical formation is out of date. Variety is needed in teams; so a pacy, direct winger might be deployed with a slower, more creative player on the other flank. An example can be seen with the Argentina national team playing "one armed" with Juan Riquelme attacking from the left.