Posts Tagged ‘4-4-2 Diamond’

Mourinho used 4-5-1 @ Chelsea

Supposedly, in the first international match played between England and Scotland, England played a 1-1-8 (or 1-2-7) while Scotland played a 2-2-6. In the first World Cup played in 1930, Uruguay won playing with a 2-3-5 formation and in the 1950 World Cup, Uruguay played with a 4-3-3. It would appear that as the sport has evolved, it has seen a reduction in the number of forwards. Consequently, some consider the 4-5-1 as the next step in the evolution. Some would classify the 4-5-1 as “ultra-defensive”, perhaps because it has been used successively by the Italian team which has a reputation for defensive play. Others would argue that it provides the right balance between offense and defense.

There quite a few variations of the 4-5-1: Read the rest of this entry »

On paper, teams utilizing a 3-5-2 formation should be attack-minded; after all, they have only 3 backs defending, and 5 midfielders/2 forwards attacking. It was developed as a response to the 4-4-2. Why utilize 4 defenders if you are only defending against 2 forwards? Also, if the fullbacks are being used to bring the ball up the field, why not convert them to wingbacks? Read the rest of this entry »

It was used unsuccessfully by Maradona’s Argentina in their 1-0 win over Colombia; they had to revert back to a 4-4-2 at half time. It is the “sistema madre” used by Carrasco’s River Plate in his “Tiqui-Tiqui” (toque por acá, toque por allá), along with Carrasco’s “23 jugadas de laboratorio”; although a more older, wiser (?) Carrasco has been known to go to a 4-3-3 (last game versus San Lorenzo) or even a 4-4-2 (!!) if defending a lead. Because of Carrasco, in Uruguay, it’s seen an ultra-offensive, exciting soccer formation/style characterized lots of ball movement. But perhaps no one has had more success recently than Bielsa with the Chilean NT. Read the rest of this entry »

Many of Uruguay’s teams play this style (or formation), where the “diez” (or “enganche”) is the “brains”, commanding the attack, controlling the tempo of play, making pinpoint passes to his forwards, and scoring outrageous goals on set plays. One of the most common formations in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, it was developed from the traditional 4-4-2. Instead of a relatively flat midfield, the midfield positions were staggered in a diamond shape to allow better defensive and offensive play (by creating “natural” passing lane triangles). Read the rest of this entry »

The 4-2-2-2 (or 4-4-2 Box) Formation Follow-up

When I wrote about the 4-2-2-2 formation that Tabarez used against Peru and Colombia, I should also have mentioned that Brazil is another country that has consistently used the 4-2-2-2 (or 4-4-2 Box). In the WCQ2010, in the 1st game versus Uruguay, the “midfield box” was Miniero and Silva as defensive midfielders and Kaká and Ronaldinho as attacking/creative midfielders. However, when Brazil beat Uruguay in el Centenario, Brazil played a 4-4-2 Diamond with Kaka as “enganche” since Ronaldinho did not play. Read the rest of this entry »

When the newspapers started reporting that Tabarez was looking at a 4-2-2-2 formation against Colombia, I have to be honest to say I did not really understand the pros and cons, so I had to do a bit of research.

4-2-2-2 Formation

Supposedly, the 4-2-2-2 is a common formation in Colombian, Peruvian and Ecuadorian soccer.

The set-up on the field is:

• 4 defenders: 2 centerbacks (centrales or zagueros) and 2 fullbacks (laterales). The fullbacks may be required to join in the attack more than in other formations, since there are no “wingers” in the midfield.
• 4 midfielders in a “square” formation: 2 defensive midfielders near the 4 defenders and 2 attacking midfielders. Alternatively, could be 1 defensive midfielder and 1 deep playmaker, plus the 2 attacking midfielders. As mentioned, this formation is refered to as “wingerless” since there are no midfielders lining up on the wings.
• 2 forwards.

Read the rest of this entry »