Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Formations

One of the most important aspects of soccer is the proper formation-- the arrangement of players into position on the field. Coaches adjust their formations depending on how aggressive or defensive they want their team to be. Popular formations include 4-4-2 , 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 5-3-2 and 4-2-3-1. In my opinion the formation 4-4-2 is the way to go! The 4-5-1 and the 4-3-3 are also very effective.


4-4-2
My favorite formation is the 4-2-2. It is a balance between a defensive team and an offensive team, which most teams are. Each person has an individual job on the field. The goalkeeper is the same in all formations, protecting the goal using their their hands and feet. The centre-backs are defensive players that focus on clearing the ball to the outside. The left- and right-backs clear the ball up the sides and also look for runs and overlaps. The centre midfielders are the anchors of the 4-4-2. This formation allows for compensation. For instance, the centre midfielders can be positioned one in front of the other or beside each other. The left and right midfielders run the planks, or outsides, and look for crosses. The centre forwards in the 4-4-2 can be used as target players or run-on players. They main goal is to score and assist. The 4-4-2 is my favorite formation because it allows versatility. I believe it is better than the 4-5-1 and the 4-3-3 because it compensates for lack of depth. The 4-5-1 utilizes only one forward. It doesn't help when your losing and trying to score a tying goal. The 4-3-3 is a good formation, but you have to have an outstanding centre midfielder to fill the position and do the work of two centre midfielders.  





2 comments:

  1. I love soccer, as I played for around 8 years. I had to quit because of a medical issue, but I still miss it every year. When I played, I was either left or right back and I found the team most effective when we played the 4-4-2 formation. I think that we had a strong midfield and defense without getting too bunched up backfield.
    I like how you give your own reasons for choosing the 4-4-2 as your favorite formation. Other than when the team is down in score, when would it be a good choice to play the 5-3-2 formation?

    -Louise

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  2. Thank you! I play forward, but I think it's interesting to hear view points from people who played diffrent positions. A 5-3-2 would be most effective when you are outnumbered in skill. The five defenders or backs would allow them to play their game deffensivley. Thanks for your comment! :)
    ~Kaitlyn

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