442 never left (as said in the video). Easiest way to organise a press. And if you stretch the meaning to also include the 442 diamond, that's incredibly popular too. A 433 with inverted wingers and a false 9 is basically a 442 diamond
@@triaxe-mmb hahaha definitely watched. But there's no point just regurgitating lines from the video is there. It's not only without the ball 442 is still common
When I was kid (late nineties and early 2000´s), the 4-4-2 was so prevalent that I assumed that’s how the game was supposed to be played. In our local games, We always arranged our ourselves in that way, or tried to approximate it when we weren’t playing with 11 players.
Its just a really well balanced formation. The “weakness” of the formation is that it doesn’t do anything *really well*. There are better formations to field to pull opponents out of position, form an attack, or counter quickly in transitional play, but the 4-4-2 is reliable and scalable, if predictable and medium.
@@SK-kh2rs tiki taka was "invented" by Luis Aragonés and the Spanish national team and it was used in a 4-4-2 formation with actual strikers. Football is a simple game and the hardest thing to do is play simple football. So most time we see tactical inventions such as the having no striker on the team is usually because of what's available and not what's most effective.
2010/2011 Villarreal played a possession-based 4-4-2. The two 'wingers' (one was Cazorla) would move inside, while the fullbacks would provide the width. Both forwards were very mobile and could either drop as a #10 or help overwhelm the wide areas. Finished third that season if memory serves.
Yeah, I loved that Villarreal. They signed players and coaches based on their style and ideas rather than results, so they always found the underrated tools and punched well above their weight. With one of the lowest budgets in the division, they qualified for Europe in every season but one between 2003/04 and 2011/12. They put such a magnificient XI on the pitch with a shoestring budget, it's ridiculous. This was their team in 2010/11: Rossi, Nilmar (Altidore) Cazorla, Bruno (Senna), Valero, Cani Capdevila, Musacchio (Marchena), G. Rodríguez, Ángel (Mário) Diego López
@@ashtonalmond9024 Montpellier didn't use a 4-4-2 that season? In fact, the #10 in-front of their midfield pivot was one of the key components of their title win.
sounds incredibly similar to the monaco team that beat city in the champions league and won ligue 1. bernardo and lemar both cut inside while mbappe and falcao could both drop into the middle or push wide.
Jonathan Wilson's "Inverting the Pyramid" is essential reading for anyone interested in the evolution of football tactics. There's an immense part of the book based on Valeriy Lobanovskyi's (of FC Dynamo Kyiv fame) formations and tactics. Would be a really good secret santa/stocking filler for someone 👌
The return of the 4-4-2 as a specifically in-possession formation seems to be part of a more general transition towards what could be called phase-specific formations. In other words, I think it's become more widely accepted to no longer see starting line-ups as having a single-set formation, but different set-ups to occupy given the state-of-play (e.g. attacking, defensive transition etc.). Something similar has happened with how common it is to see teams adopt the W-M or 2-3-5 as an in-possession set-up.
@@titaninsane Thanks. And perhaps the culmination of that (or at least the next phase) would be to denote players in terms of their "roles" rather "position". So, for example, no longer calling Trent, Cancelo and Wan-Bissaka "full-backs" just because that tends to be their nominal starting position. I remember HITC Sevens made a video arguing basically that same point.
@@fadhilideche2831 Your definitely onto something. Players need to be so versatile in the modern game, simple labeling them by their holding positions definitely doesn't reflect their contributions to the game.
It was 4-2-2-2. The diamond was more common in Argentina. However, in Brazil, the 2’s weren’t never equal. Even the forward 2. It was never 2 #9. Think of Brazil 1994. Mauro Silva e Dunga were very different players. So were Mazinho e Zinho. Also, Romário and Bebeto. There was flexibility in the Brazilian 4-4-2, which would count with the attacking fullbacks as well.
@@prsancho In 2006 we also played like this, taking out Juninho Pernambuco, who was on the right in the diamond formation, for Adriano to enter, setting Zé Roberto next to Emerson and Gaúcho next to Kaká
@@prsancho I was thinking more of the Wanderley Luxemburgo diamond midfield, that @fmac6441 said. But the 4-2-2-2 was awesome too because you have the balance between players that defend and create, with two midfielders that created a lot. And people tend to forget players like Cesar Sampaio, Rincon and others, that were defensive midfielders but were huge forces going forward. We had players capable of doing the box to box needed today. I think we have had a decline in quality at the fullback position because they don’t attack was often as they did in the past. Also the wingers were turn in to fullbacks in the past (like Cafu and Serginho). Nowadays they stay as wingers. But I think today teams have a huge difficulty facing closed defense because they use only one striker and this is showing in this World Cup. I think a second striker (not a second poacher), a faster striker, that can dribble and pass as Edmundo and Paulo Nunes were back in the 90s would help this. One, because they would give a partner to the striker and another thing to defenders to worry. Two, because they would open space to fullback to go further upfield. We have players that have that characteristics like Lautaro, Gabriel Jesus and Joao Felix, but they are obligated to play as strikers or wingers because every scheme in today’s game uses only one striker.
Morocco has been using this formation out of postion extremely well in the world cup, only conceded three goals in the whole tournament and two of them came in the semifinals.
4-4-2. The formation that I first know back when I started watching football. I was still at Elementary school that time. Seeing tifo made a video about this somehow kicks some memories in my brain
Arrigo Sacchi loved the 4-4-2 because it's the best in terms of covering the space. Wherever the opponent passes the ball, you always have at least 2 players nearby. I would add that its simplicity makes it easier to build a team, you don't need many positions to sign players.
442 always well adapted to international football since there isn’t as much time to develop true gameplan philosophy, and it forces horse shoe offense from opposition by pushing them wide, and a good strike partnership can never fail.
Senegal, Croatia, France, and Portugal have had their national team coaches for over 5yrs. Are you saying these managers don't have your so-called true game plan philosophy because they are international coaches? The disrespect!
That’s not true at all. Tite has been with Brazil for six years, with a pretty consistent squad, and the way the South American qualifiers are structured it means playing everyone in home-away games. Tite didn’t deploy the 4-4-2 structure until late in the process. We attack in a 4-2-1-3 or 4-2-4 and defend in 4-4-2 with Neymar dropping deep looking to unleash Richarlison or one of the wingers. 4-4-2 works very well with our trigger based press, and it’s -effect for launching counter attacks.
@@abstraqtphilosophy7357 it’s not disrespectful. Didier Deschamps is a great coach and he’s done a great job, but tactics are definitely not a skill of his. His skills are man management and player selection, substitutes, but not tactical intelligence. And even if you have a coach that can do that (such as Enrique for Spain), you must understand that it’s simply just much harder to develop a stable possession based gameplan due to international teams not being able to play together nearly as often as club teams. That’s why international football is often more back and forth and there’s much less intricate buildup like you might see in top tier clubs
@@Victor-kh5rh I never said every single team had to use it 😂😂 Argentina does tho and so do most other teams out of possession. I’m just saying it’s always a solid option
There is also the addition of the sweeper keeper or keeper playmaker; teams like Arsenal or Man City plays these vigorously with either Ederson playing further upfront as an additional defender or Ramsdale playing the quick over the top or a fast ball through the mid and being crucial to the transition phase. They allow their teammates to maintain a better defensive shape while having the potential for quick turnovers. In attack, Arsenal moves forward ala 2-3-4-1 shape while defending as a 4-4-2 with Xhaka as that box to box player and Odegaard as a second striker / No 10 role. And while opposing coaches can understand and even play against these teams, the sheer amount of control and possession socks the life out of the opposing team and constant threat all over the pitch highlights it.
Arrigo Sacchi loved the 4-4-2 because it's the best in terms of covering the space. Wherever the opponent passes the ball, you always have at least 2 players nearby. I would add that its simplicity makes it easier to build a team, you don't need many positions.
What goes around comes around. Like fashion, things come in cycles and with formations having only a limited number of combinations and the ever evolving, never ending, tactical duels between clubs, the 4-4-2 was bound to return with some twists. Love the content
Speaking of evolving tactics, I would say that an effective formation could sometimes depend upon the popularity of formations. 442 may be effective when out of possession, but I believe it to be so only when most team plays (for instance) 4231 when attacking. One day when most people opt for some other in-possession formation, maybe a 352 would return as the best formation too, just hypothesising. These kind of things called formation actually counter one another in some ways and it also depends on whether or not you have the players to make the best out of a certain formation.
Can you do a documentary on the San Marino national team (football's biggest underdogs) and their never-ending struggle in international football. Loving the content ❤
Can you stop spamming bro? You've been commenting the exact same comment everytime. If they're interested they would've done it already. Or maybe they're working on it. Seeing your spam everytime i watch tifo videos just become annoying now.
Sérgio Conceição has been using the 4-4-2 ever since he took charge of FC Porto, it's the flexibility and adaptability that matters. Having Evanilson and Taremi, he has a striker that can push deep and another striker who has more freedom on the pitch. He did this with Aboubakar and Marega. It's all about the input you try to give your team when attacking and defending,
Sergio Conceição's FC Porto is using 442 for the 6th consecutive season. One striker dropping a bit but roughly maintaining two lines of 4 players. The RM usually joins the CMs when in possession. A 622 was used a couple of times when defending against stronger teams.
A couple of games in the CL this season where, while defending attacks from the left side, Zaidu would close in with the CBs and Galeno would drop to the LW position. Weird but it worked great against oponents with fast players on the wing.
My favorite formation is the “Christmas tree” 4-3-2-1 and its cousin the 4-3-1-2, which is a 4-4-2 variant, as exemplified by AC Milan in the mid 2000s
In Portugal, since the beginning of Sérgio Conceição's era, FC Porto has been playing in 4-4-2, sometimes looking like a 4-2-3-1 (for example, now Taremi plays as Second Forward) in a very high pressing style (usually with quick counter). Benfica, this season, with Schmidt, has been doing something similar, but with more possession style, with a formation that sits between a 4-4-2 and a 4-2-3-1 (with Rafa Silva playing as kind of a #10 or a Second Forward)
My favorite formation, brought me many career victories in Manager Mode on FIFA 15. The last great FIFA game. That first champions league with Sheffield United felt so sweet and brought to me all by the usage of the 4-4-2.
The most popular formation in the late 80s and for most of the 90s was the 442 diamond. There usually was a central midfielder (Rijkaard, Albertini, Redondo, Guardiola...); there were two midfielders on the sides that could be more like wings or more like extra central midfielders; and an offensive midfielder that could be kind of a predecessor of the box to box (Gullit for Milan or Bakero for Barcelona) or a playmaker (Baggio, Laudrup, Schuster..). Some teams would use the 442 with two central midfielders (holding and box-to-box) and no actual playmaker and two more offensive midfielders, forming a square shape. In the late 90s and early 2000s some teams began to use only one striker, bring back the playmaker and turn the offensive midfielders almost into wings. Then the Spanish teams found success with the 433 formation and the 442 and 4231 kinda went away for a while. And now what was old is new again.
Excellent information and awesome trip through memory lane. Only nitpick, the box to box is a much older concept that made a comeback in the early-mid 2000s (Lampard, Scholes and Gerard at different points in their careers, and Michael Ballack)
@@croskoal Gerrard was half playmaker and half box-to-box. He could do both very well. Ballack and Lampard were better as the box-to-box type but he was more creative than either of them. I get your point though.
Formation are more often than not effected by the tools at hand. For example, the 4-3-3 worked in Guardiola's Barcelona because that was the most effective formation for the players he had. Many coaches who tried to copy it failed because they didn't have the same tools. Victor Maslov was intelligent and insightful enough to realise the footballers were becoming fitter, stronger, and with higher endurance, which allowed to drop some of his forwards back and control the midfield better while maintaining their attacking functions. His Torpedo Moscow was one of the best teams in Europe, and had the Soviet bureaucrats not been so dumb and allowed Soviet Teams to join the European Cup earlier, who knows? Maybe Russia would've had a finalist, or even a winner, already back then. Also, while Dynamo Kiev had won one title before his arrival, it was he who really created the "great Dynamo" and paved the way for the great Lobanovsky.
The 4-4-2 is like Rock music. People always seem to want to claim that it's dead, so that they can bring it back to life. Yet, like Rock music always in some form being on the radio, every year we see 4-4-2 being played at all levels of the men's and women's game.
My local side actually still plays a 4-2-4 and has done since the 70's, though with the pace of the left-back and right-winger we've got it does often become more of a 3-3-4 or a 3-2-5 on attack. Going fairly well for them now, winning most games by at least 4 goals minus the odd dodgy lino.
Sir Alex Ferguson favourite formations even in his last season with Manchester United he used this formation to win the league with aging players and average squad plus Van Persey and Rooney partnership is one deadly duo shame we could only see it for one season tho
Poland defended in a 4-4-2 formation today and only conceded when they where out of it... I noticed this too in some games over the WC. This formation never really died..
These new formations were created to counter the 4-4-2 , but this also means that the 4-4-2 can counter them. As we see with how high pressing can be countered by counter attacking and sometimes counter attacking can be countered by pressing high to stop the attacks from starting in the first place. I think it comes down to which teams can execute their plan in the best way and that's why there isnt really a "right" way to play football
Viktor Maslov deserves a lot more recognition than he gets. The price for being part of the Soviet bloc I guess. One of the greatest pioneers in Football. There is something distinctly Soviet about the way he developed the game. The idea that individual skill can be nullified by teamwork, discipline and fitness.
4-2-2 is so popular in Inazuma town, the crown champion of Football Frontier, Raimon starts using it. Although in Glodelania, the formation 4-3-3 is the most prepared one although the national team uses 3-4-1-2 instead.
I've not seen a 4-4-2 as a pressing system - only a mid-block. Occasionally they might initiate a press by mostly it's preventing space. A full-press where traps are set is usually a 4-3-3 with the a midfielder joining the front 3 and the full-backs joining the midfield, I never see that happen in a 4-4-2
In Argentina, the 4-4-2 had a diamond in midfield (4-1-2-1-2). In Brazil, it was a square (4-2-2-2). In both countries, one would RARELY see the midfield in line. I was expecting to see those formations, but they weren’t mentioned.
Was thinking about this since the start of this world cup cause every tactico the 442 was finished and outdated cause of the midfield inferiority but it still works on an international level a lot of teams use it. Even Bayern adopt a form of it sometimes
442 is the most balanced formation.. you can evolve it to 424 if your on super attacking mode, 4411 if you want to hold the line upfront if you have a target man or a 451 if you want to win a midfield battle and even a 4231 is a form of 442 if you want to put 2 DM's in defending mode
3:46 I was excited to watch this video because I started seeing it with Arsenal this season where Odegaard moves up and presses with Gabriel Jesus, and Saka and Martinelli drop in with Xhaka and Partey
It's more common at international level because it's easier a slightly safer system, and international coaches to tend to adopt conservative strategies overall.
an organized press, overloading the wings and utilizing partnerships at forward, midfield, and defense all are fundamental in the modern game. a 442 structure accomplishes these goals well and allows flexibility in selection in attacking areas.
It’s coming back, it’s the best way to beat the 4-3-3 because of the quicker transition from defense to attack, especially when playing against a team that wants to keep possession and pushes wing backs high. But you need very strong box to box midfielders to keep up with the pace, Everton have the players for this type of midfield.
The issue with the 442 (flat) in the modern era has been the lack of numbers in the centre of the pitch. That can be compensated for if you have a strong defence , two extremely hardworking midfielders in the middle and enough pace to hit on the break effectively (leicester 2015, vintage Atletico under Simeone) these examples though are rare. In general games are dedided by the midfield and having 2 v 3's is just a tough ask.
Creating a mid-block is something Brendan Rodgers half did briefly when he was at Liverpool fc, unless pressing for 5 seconds as a team inside your own half is not creating a mid-block (?). The 8 pushing up to the centre-forward is what I'm into, Gerrard and Torres was one of the best attacking partnerships in football, literally everyone played well around them. Balance is key imo, if Liverpool hadn't had Suarez as a right forward then interchanging with the front three would not of been as effective. Leicester's back 4 when they won the title was a formation with good defensive structure that Claudio Ranieri created.
I doubt big clubs would implement 4-4-2 regularly. Maybe for certain matches, but not regularly. With the introduction of attacking fullbacks, we dont need more wide wingers.
The issue with this is that it's difficult to find the necessary quality of attack in a full back. Full backs are asked to do these things when they aren't skilled in doing so, and sometimes your full backs are injured and you have to use centre backs as makeshift full backs.
This needs to be understood with respect to the change in the offside rule in 2005. The rule change allowed players to be in an "offside" position but not interfering with play. This forced defensive lines deeper creating more space in the middle. Two men simply cannot cover that space anymore hence the need for three in midfield. And only on one striker. Look at any games from the 90s and the defences played much higher up with strikers looking to get in behind much more often.
I have noticed a number of teams favouring the 4-1-4-1 in this world cup i.e Brazil, Australia, Morocco, Tunisia. What are advantages of this system, especially in the context of international tournament football and what are it's potential pitfalls in defence.
@@fajarbudiman9979 with firmino it's like a 442 with the wingers being striker's and him being an attacking midfielder. It's like a 442 diamond with the full backs giving the width. If a team had Salah Mbappe and halland it would be 3 deadly forwards on the pitch at the same time.
except messi roamed so much, the formation shifted him into the mid field with alvarez being the center forward it's a 4-4-2 on paper but in real play it is closer to a 4-3-2-1
I'm no tactical genius but I can't work out a system that covers the space better than the 4-4-2 and is the most balanced and logical system whereby players can adjust to other formations easily. Among others Arsene Wenger favoured this formation before moving to the 4-5-1.
Tactical formations are of course subject to fashion. The adoption of 4-4-2 by arrigo sacchi at AC Milan was influential in making it respectable and orthodox again against the trend away from it in Europe. its success in 90s serie A, the most prestigious league in the world then. The trend away from 4-4-2 to 4--3-3 had much to do with the success of Barcelona who adopted this Dutch style structure to build tiki taka. There is nothing wrong with 4-4-2 it will always make a comeback. Even mike Bassett knew this.
Yesterday Senegal made it impossible for equador to play forward using their wing backs, whenever they tried to use the WBS senegal regained position and took advantage
I think the 442 as an out of possession formation has long been popular ever since Someone took charge of Atletico. The big point of focus in tha last few years is how teams playing in a 433/4231 attacking formation switch in between that and the 442 when defending. And how that is part a consequence of trying to accommodate number 10's like Neymar, Messi, Ødgaard and even Muller at Bayern. Players who fulfill the same role as The CM when attacking(with higher impact) but dont really (or can't) defend like a standard CM.
Here in Ireland our idea of football is the 442 and long ball has been for 50+ years although it’s old and not great to watch it’s what we know so good to see the mainstream return
Argentina played a 4-4-2 against Mexico recently. I can’t understand why, as it’s yet another formation that doesn’t play to Messi’s strengths. Perhaps it’s illegal to play 4-3-3 in Argentina.
I think it was because of Atlético Madrid that it became mainstream again. I think it's the best defensive formation beating the defensive formation of the 4-3-3 which is 5-2-3.
Well that depends on how you classify a pure winger. Arguably Pep's first Barça team and Rijkaard's 2005-06 team were playing with pure wingers or playmakers in the front three. See also Pyramid was classified as five forwards but there was only one true center forward in the formation. Arguably the inside forwards were playmaker or supporting striker types, and the outside forwards were wingers.
portugal kinda rotates into a formation like that with ronaldo on the pitch they get 3 forwards with ronaldo not playing defense forcing someone in the mid field to drop back instead kinda ridiculous how a walking messi actually gets more defensive plays than a cr7
442 never left (as said in the video). Easiest way to organise a press. And if you stretch the meaning to also include the 442 diamond, that's incredibly popular too. A 433 with inverted wingers and a false 9 is basically a 442 diamond
🔥🔥🔥🔥
Liverpool have basically played 4-4-2 diamond this season
I have a feeling you didn't watch the video...just commenting off the title...
@@triaxe-mmb hahaha definitely watched. But there's no point just regurgitating lines from the video is there. It's not only without the ball 442 is still common
Not sure I agree with that last statement. Inverted wingers might come inside but their starting positions are far too wide to be considered strikers.
When I was kid (late nineties and early 2000´s), the 4-4-2 was so prevalent that I assumed that’s how the game was supposed to be played. In our local games, We always arranged our ourselves in that way, or tried to approximate it when we weren’t playing with 11 players.
Its just a really well balanced formation. The “weakness” of the formation is that it doesn’t do anything *really well*. There are better formations to field to pull opponents out of position, form an attack, or counter quickly in transitional play, but the 4-4-2 is reliable and scalable, if predictable and medium.
Tiki taka destroyed striker position. If all kids start playing 442 more strikers and complete mids will come through.
@@SK-kh2rs You're absolutely spot on, with that assessment.
@@SK-kh2rs tiki taka was "invented" by Luis Aragonés and the Spanish national team and it was used in a 4-4-2 formation with actual strikers.
Football is a simple game and the hardest thing to do is play simple football. So most time we see tactical inventions such as the having no striker on the team is usually because of what's available and not what's most effective.
@@ivanmunoz9055so true!
2010/2011 Villarreal played a possession-based 4-4-2. The two 'wingers' (one was Cazorla) would move inside, while the fullbacks would provide the width. Both forwards were very mobile and could either drop as a #10 or help overwhelm the wide areas. Finished third that season if memory serves.
Yeah, I loved that Villarreal. They signed players and coaches based on their style and ideas rather than results, so they always found the underrated tools and punched well above their weight. With one of the lowest budgets in the division, they qualified for Europe in every season but one between 2003/04 and 2011/12.
They put such a magnificient XI on the pitch with a shoestring budget, it's ridiculous. This was their team in 2010/11:
Rossi, Nilmar (Altidore)
Cazorla, Bruno (Senna), Valero, Cani
Capdevila, Musacchio (Marchena), G. Rodríguez, Ángel (Mário)
Diego López
Montpellier too when they won. 2 wingers to cross to Giroud
@@ashtonalmond9024 Montpellier didn't use a 4-4-2 that season? In fact, the #10 in-front of their midfield pivot was one of the key components of their title win.
sounds incredibly similar to the monaco team that beat city in the champions league and won ligue 1. bernardo and lemar both cut inside while mbappe and falcao could both drop into the middle or push wide.
Jonathan Wilson's "Inverting the Pyramid" is essential reading for anyone interested in the evolution of football tactics.
There's an immense part of the book based on Valeriy Lobanovskyi's (of FC Dynamo Kyiv fame) formations and tactics.
Would be a really good secret santa/stocking filler for someone 👌
Couldn't agree more- absolutely loved the chapter about Bela Gutmann, the Mourinho of his era!
i just bought a copy for a friend for Christmas, so I heartily agree!
@@XxEpIcFrOzEnzZxxx ohhh that chapter is elite!!
If you buy the audiobook the gusto in which he pronounces non-english names is worth the purchase alone.
Loved that book
The return of the 4-4-2 as a specifically in-possession formation seems to be part of a more general transition towards what could be called phase-specific formations. In other words, I think it's become more widely accepted to no longer see starting line-ups as having a single-set formation, but different set-ups to occupy given the state-of-play (e.g. attacking, defensive transition etc.). Something similar has happened with how common it is to see teams adopt the W-M or 2-3-5 as an in-possession set-up.
Great observation. I’ve been noticing how the shape of the team changes depending on the situation, so it’s definitely how the game’s going to evolve
@@titaninsane Thanks. And perhaps the culmination of that (or at least the next phase) would be to denote players in terms of their "roles" rather "position". So, for example, no longer calling Trent, Cancelo and Wan-Bissaka "full-backs" just because that tends to be their nominal starting position. I remember HITC Sevens made a video arguing basically that same point.
@@fadhilideche2831 Your definitely onto something. Players need to be so versatile in the modern game, simple labeling them by their holding positions definitely doesn't reflect their contributions to the game.
@@titaninsane It has already evolved like that. The future is here and now.
It's more like a WW as the mezzalas don't usually overlap the forwards but I see what you mean
I hope the 4-3-1-2 makes a comeback. Being Brazilian I grew up watching strikers duos and attackings fullbacks, really miss those days.
especially with the "diamond" format that Wanderley used.
Dont you have that in a 3412 too?
It was 4-2-2-2. The diamond was more common in Argentina.
However, in Brazil, the 2’s weren’t never equal. Even the forward 2. It was never 2 #9.
Think of Brazil 1994. Mauro Silva e Dunga were very different players. So were Mazinho e Zinho. Also, Romário and Bebeto. There was flexibility in the Brazilian 4-4-2, which would count with the attacking fullbacks as well.
@@prsancho In 2006 we also played like this, taking out Juninho Pernambuco, who was on the right in the diamond formation, for Adriano to enter, setting Zé Roberto next to Emerson and Gaúcho next to Kaká
@@prsancho I was thinking more of the Wanderley Luxemburgo diamond midfield, that @fmac6441 said. But the 4-2-2-2 was awesome too because you have the balance between players that defend and create, with two midfielders that created a lot. And people tend to forget players like Cesar Sampaio, Rincon and others, that were defensive midfielders but were huge forces going forward. We had players capable of doing the box to box needed today.
I think we have had a decline in quality at the fullback position because they don’t attack was often as they did in the past. Also the wingers were turn in to fullbacks in the past (like Cafu and Serginho). Nowadays they stay as wingers.
But I think today teams have a huge difficulty facing closed defense because they use only one striker and this is showing in this World Cup. I think a second striker (not a second poacher), a faster striker, that can dribble and pass as Edmundo and Paulo Nunes were back in the 90s would help this. One, because they would give a partner to the striker and another thing to defenders to worry. Two, because they would open space to fullback to go further upfield.
We have players that have that characteristics like Lautaro, Gabriel Jesus and Joao Felix, but they are obligated to play as strikers or wingers because every scheme in today’s game uses only one striker.
Morocco has been using this formation out of postion extremely well in the world cup, only conceded three goals in the whole tournament and two of them came in the semifinals.
One of those was an own goal
4-4-2. The formation that I first know back when I started watching football. I was still at Elementary school that time. Seeing tifo made a video about this somehow kicks some memories in my brain
The modern 4-2-2-2 is my go to formation
It's interesting to see 4-4-2 being so prevalent it's nearly the perfect defensive structure
Arrigo Sacchi loved the 4-4-2 because it's the best in terms of covering the space.
Wherever the opponent passes the ball, you always have at least 2 players nearby.
I would add that its simplicity makes it easier to build a team, you don't need many positions to sign players.
442 always well adapted to international football since there isn’t as much time to develop true gameplan philosophy, and it forces horse shoe offense from opposition by pushing them wide, and a good strike partnership can never fail.
Senegal, Croatia, France, and Portugal have had their national team coaches for over 5yrs. Are you saying these managers don't have your so-called true game plan philosophy because they are international coaches? The disrespect!
That’s not true at all. Tite has been with Brazil for six years, with a pretty consistent squad, and the way the South American qualifiers are structured it means playing everyone in home-away games. Tite didn’t deploy the 4-4-2 structure until late in the process. We attack in a 4-2-1-3 or 4-2-4 and defend in 4-4-2 with Neymar dropping deep looking to unleash Richarlison or one of the wingers. 4-4-2 works very well with our trigger based press, and it’s -effect for launching counter attacks.
@@Victor-kh5rh Talk to that man, mate. Tell him
@@abstraqtphilosophy7357 it’s not disrespectful. Didier Deschamps is a great coach and he’s done a great job, but tactics are definitely not a skill of his. His skills are man management and player selection, substitutes, but not tactical intelligence. And even if you have a coach that can do that (such as Enrique for Spain), you must understand that it’s simply just much harder to develop a stable possession based gameplan due to international teams not being able to play together nearly as often as club teams. That’s why international football is often more back and forth and there’s much less intricate buildup like you might see in top tier clubs
@@Victor-kh5rh I never said every single team had to use it 😂😂 Argentina does tho and so do most other teams out of possession. I’m just saying it’s always a solid option
The original 4-4-2 had a sweeper. So defensively it’s not quite the same.
It's interesting how the covering man has moved from being a centre half to being one of the midfield two
Leicester miracle season was a 4-4-2 w Vardy and Okazaki/Ulloa up front and was, evidently, very successful!
It's used a lot by Ancelotti at Real Madrid with Valverde on the right
Really effective and imo one of the main reasons they won the CL last season
true.. vini and benzema on top
There is also the addition of the sweeper keeper or keeper playmaker; teams like Arsenal or Man City plays these vigorously with either Ederson playing further upfront as an additional defender or Ramsdale playing the quick over the top or a fast ball through the mid and being crucial to the transition phase.
They allow their teammates to maintain a better defensive shape while having the potential for quick turnovers. In attack, Arsenal moves forward ala 2-3-4-1 shape while defending as a 4-4-2 with Xhaka as that box to box player and Odegaard as a second striker / No 10 role.
And while opposing coaches can understand and even play against these teams, the sheer amount of control and possession socks the life out of the opposing team and constant threat all over the pitch highlights it.
Arrigo Sacchi loved the 4-4-2 because it's the best in terms of covering the space.
Wherever the opponent passes the ball, you always have at least 2 players nearby.
I would add that its simplicity makes it easier to build a team, you don't need many positions.
What goes around comes around. Like fashion, things come in cycles and with formations having only a limited number of combinations and the ever evolving, never ending, tactical duels between clubs, the 4-4-2 was bound to return with some twists. Love the content
Speaking of evolving tactics, I would say that an effective formation could sometimes depend upon the popularity of formations. 442 may be effective when out of possession, but I believe it to be so only when most team plays (for instance) 4231 when attacking. One day when most people opt for some other in-possession formation, maybe a 352 would return as the best formation too, just hypothesising. These kind of things called formation actually counter one another in some ways and it also depends on whether or not you have the players to make the best out of a certain formation.
Leonardo Jardim's 442 at Monaco (16/17) was something else.
Can you do a documentary on the San Marino national team (football's biggest underdogs) and their never-ending struggle in international football. Loving the content ❤
Why are they an underdog when they always always always and I mean always lose minimum of 4-0
@@LoyalFan9383 lol maybe he meant underdog as in a team who’s not expecting to win
@@LoyalFan9383 😂do you know what underdog means?
Extremely good idea
Can you stop spamming bro? You've been commenting the exact same comment everytime. If they're interested they would've done it already. Or maybe they're working on it. Seeing your spam everytime i watch tifo videos just become annoying now.
Sérgio Conceição has been using the 4-4-2 ever since he took charge of FC Porto, it's the flexibility and adaptability that matters. Having Evanilson and Taremi, he has a striker that can push deep and another striker who has more freedom on the pitch. He did this with Aboubakar and Marega. It's all about the input you try to give your team when attacking and defending,
Sergio Conceição's FC Porto is using 442 for the 6th consecutive season. One striker dropping a bit but roughly maintaining two lines of 4 players. The RM usually joins the CMs when in possession. A 622 was used a couple of times when defending against stronger teams.
A couple of games in the CL this season where, while defending attacks from the left side, Zaidu would close in with the CBs and Galeno would drop to the LW position. Weird but it worked great against oponents with fast players on the wing.
Tifo u dey always burst my head...God bless keep the good work going..genuine fan
My favorite formation is the “Christmas tree” 4-3-2-1 and its cousin the 4-3-1-2, which is a 4-4-2 variant, as exemplified by AC Milan in the mid 2000s
Before the World Cup break, we(Liverpool) were playing in that formation. The 4-3-1-2
4321 is one of the worst positions available imo
@@JJ_Forzawell Milan win champions league with this formation back in 2007
In Portugal, since the beginning of Sérgio Conceição's era, FC Porto has been playing in 4-4-2, sometimes looking like a 4-2-3-1 (for example, now Taremi plays as Second Forward) in a very high pressing style (usually with quick counter). Benfica, this season, with Schmidt, has been doing something similar, but with more possession style, with a formation that sits between a 4-4-2 and a 4-2-3-1 (with Rafa Silva playing as kind of a #10 or a Second Forward)
My favorite formation, brought me many career victories in Manager Mode on FIFA 15. The last great FIFA game. That first champions league with Sheffield United felt so sweet and brought to me all by the usage of the 4-4-2.
The most popular formation in the late 80s and for most of the 90s was the 442 diamond. There usually was a central midfielder (Rijkaard, Albertini, Redondo, Guardiola...); there were two midfielders on the sides that could be more like wings or more like extra central midfielders; and an offensive midfielder that could be kind of a predecessor of the box to box (Gullit for Milan or Bakero for Barcelona) or a playmaker (Baggio, Laudrup, Schuster..). Some teams would use the 442 with two central midfielders (holding and box-to-box) and no actual playmaker and two more offensive midfielders, forming a square shape. In the late 90s and early 2000s some teams began to use only one striker, bring back the playmaker and turn the offensive midfielders almost into wings. Then the Spanish teams found success with the 433 formation and the 442 and 4231 kinda went away for a while. And now what was old is new again.
Excellent information and awesome trip through memory lane. Only nitpick, the box to box is a much older concept that made a comeback in the early-mid 2000s (Lampard, Scholes and Gerard at different points in their careers, and Michael Ballack)
@@croskoal Gerrard was half playmaker and half box-to-box. He could do both very well. Ballack and Lampard were better as the box-to-box type but he was more creative than either of them. I get your point though.
@@anxofernandez3344 oh yeah, what a complete midfielder. Good times
United usually played with a link man like Sheringham, Cantona or even Yorke to an extent- even Scholes occasionally played there originally
Formation are more often than not effected by the tools at hand. For example, the 4-3-3 worked in Guardiola's Barcelona because that was the most effective formation for the players he had. Many coaches who tried to copy it failed because they didn't have the same tools.
Victor Maslov was intelligent and insightful enough to realise the footballers were becoming fitter, stronger, and with higher endurance, which allowed to drop some of his forwards back and control the midfield better while maintaining their attacking functions.
His Torpedo Moscow was one of the best teams in Europe, and had the Soviet bureaucrats not been so dumb and allowed Soviet Teams to join the European Cup earlier, who knows? Maybe Russia would've had a finalist, or even a winner, already back then.
Also, while Dynamo Kiev had won one title before his arrival, it was he who really created the "great Dynamo" and paved the way for the great Lobanovsky.
All sports tactics are cyclical
I’m looking forward to the big man little man strike force and hard as nails cb making their comeback
Can see the big man little man being moreso a "striker" and a "winger" where the little man is always taking up a wider position on either side.
In 30 years the expected football IQ of top flight players will be so high we'll have gone back and retried total football
@@munmunyee how do you know this ? I don’t understand why you say this
How do you know this will happen I am curious to know your point of view on how all sports tactics are cyclical
can't wait to see 424 back then
The 4-4-2 is like Rock music. People always seem to want to claim that it's dead, so that they can bring it back to life. Yet, like Rock music always in some form being on the radio, every year we see 4-4-2 being played at all levels of the men's and women's game.
My local side actually still plays a 4-2-4 and has done since the 70's, though with the pace of the left-back and right-winger we've got it does often become more of a 3-3-4 or a 3-2-5 on attack. Going fairly well for them now, winning most games by at least 4 goals minus the odd dodgy lino.
Sir Alex Ferguson favourite formations even in his last season with Manchester United he used this formation to win the league with aging players and average squad plus Van Persey and Rooney partnership is one deadly duo shame we could only see it for one season tho
Brazil and Portugal played their last matches with 442 out of possession.
Brasil looked more as 4-1-4-1 last game.
Poland defended in a 4-4-2 formation today and only conceded when they where out of it... I noticed this too in some games over the WC. This formation never really died..
These new formations were created to counter the 4-4-2 , but this also means that the 4-4-2 can counter them.
As we see with how high pressing can be countered by counter attacking and sometimes counter attacking can be countered by pressing high to stop the attacks from starting in the first place.
I think it comes down to which teams can execute their plan in the best way and that's why there isnt really a "right" way to play football
Something about 442 just makes me love it
It's a sexy and symmetrical structure.🥰
@SeanL94 perfectly described lad
It seems like such an aggressive formation by modern standards. It surrenders control for sheer firepower.
The history and tactics (mentioning the dwight yorke part was a plus) really respect this video, it was worth watching 🙏🏽
Viktor Maslov deserves a lot more recognition than he gets. The price for being part of the Soviet bloc I guess. One of the greatest pioneers in Football. There is something distinctly Soviet about the way he developed the game. The idea that individual skill can be nullified by teamwork, discipline and fitness.
4-2-2 is so popular in Inazuma town, the crown champion of Football Frontier, Raimon starts using it. Although in Glodelania, the formation 4-3-3 is the most prepared one although the national team uses 3-4-1-2 instead.
it always depends on the situation on the pitch, it's rare to see teams play a rigid 442 or 433 in the modern game
I've not seen a 4-4-2 as a pressing system - only a mid-block. Occasionally they might initiate a press by mostly it's preventing space. A full-press where traps are set is usually a 4-3-3 with the a midfielder joining the front 3 and the full-backs joining the midfield, I never see that happen in a 4-4-2
In Argentina, the 4-4-2 had a diamond in midfield (4-1-2-1-2). In Brazil, it was a square (4-2-2-2). In both countries, one would RARELY see the midfield in line. I was expecting to see those formations, but they weren’t mentioned.
Excellent analysis as always.
USMNT switching from 4 4 2 to
4 3 3 in possession is working a charm.
I’m still in love with Johan Cruyff’s 343 Diamond tactic.
Very attacking and very defensive depending on the situation.
most high pressing teams now look like inverted 4-4-2 when off the ball - they are positioned as 2-4-4
Was thinking about this since the start of this world cup cause every tactico the 442 was finished and outdated cause of the midfield inferiority but it still works on an international level a lot of teams use it. Even Bayern adopt a form of it sometimes
These formations feels like a cycle to me . 442
Teams switched to 352 when Conte's success at Chelsea also.
3-5-2/3-4-2-1*
Thnx for reminding 👍
Mourinho brought in the 433
442 is the most balanced formation.. you can evolve it to 424 if your on super attacking mode, 4411 if you want to hold the line upfront if you have a target man or a 451 if you want to win a midfield battle and even a 4231 is a form of 442 if you want to put 2 DM's in defending mode
That eponymous magazine will be happy to hear this, I imagine.
This is really interesting as I feel like Guardiola’s 433 would which all the time to maintain his strict positional play.
3:46 I was excited to watch this video because I started seeing it with Arsenal this season where Odegaard moves up and presses with Gabriel Jesus, and Saka and Martinelli drop in with Xhaka and Partey
every time a big global tourney comes around, the 4-4-2 always comes into fashion again.
It's more common at international level because it's easier a slightly safer system, and international coaches to tend to adopt conservative strategies overall.
the 4-4-2 by argentina is closer to a 4-3-2-1 formation
messi roams into the middle making this a 4-3-2-1 with Alvarez running front
an organized press, overloading the wings and utilizing partnerships at forward, midfield, and defense all are fundamental in the modern game. a 442 structure accomplishes these goals well and allows flexibility in selection in attacking areas.
I used to play with 4-3-1-2, easily the best formation in playing with Milan in any game platform (FIFA, PES, & WE)
4:52 VfB Stuttgart played most of the last Season in a 4-4-2 Formation. Runners-up in the Bundesliga
It’s coming back, it’s the best way to beat the 4-3-3 because of the quicker transition from defense to attack, especially when playing against a team that wants to keep possession and pushes wing backs high. But you need very strong box to box midfielders to keep up with the pace, Everton have the players for this type of midfield.
Even the 4-2-4 is making a small comeback with its ability to transform into a 4-4-2 off possesion
Very good information..
I love the 4-4-2 much better than the 5-4-1.
This formation was first used by England in the 1970 WC.
4 diamond 2 is one of my favorite formations
carrick currently doin a 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 press for boro
Barcelona’s 4-4-2 under Valverde when they almost went the whole season unbeaten 😢
Nagelsmann tried a 442 press with Bayern no?
I propose the 1-1-8 formation. I've never heard anything bad about that, so it must be good.
Can u do an explanation on how the coaches get along with tactics when they have players like Mbappe or others that don't take part in pressing.
I agree with the analysis. The only thing I can add is Sean Dyche has used 442 successfully at Burnley.
The issue with the 442 (flat) in the modern era has been the lack of numbers in the centre of the pitch. That can be compensated for if you have a strong defence , two extremely hardworking midfielders in the middle and enough pace to hit on the break effectively (leicester 2015, vintage Atletico under Simeone) these examples though are rare. In general games are dedided by the midfield and having 2 v 3's is just a tough ask.
What's up with Greenland? It's not that big...
Creating a mid-block is something Brendan Rodgers half did briefly when he was at Liverpool fc, unless pressing for 5 seconds as a team inside your own half is not creating a mid-block (?).
The 8 pushing up to the centre-forward is what I'm into, Gerrard and Torres was one of the best attacking partnerships in football, literally everyone played well around them. Balance is key imo, if Liverpool hadn't had Suarez as a right forward then interchanging with the front three would not of been as effective. Leicester's back 4 when they won the title was a formation with good defensive structure that Claudio Ranieri created.
I doubt big clubs would implement 4-4-2 regularly. Maybe for certain matches, but not regularly. With the introduction of attacking fullbacks, we dont need more wide wingers.
The issue with this is that it's difficult to find the necessary quality of attack in a full back. Full backs are asked to do these things when they aren't skilled in doing so, and sometimes your full backs are injured and you have to use centre backs as makeshift full backs.
@@SGProductions87 thats why I said big clubs
Didnt they make this video for the last World Cup too?
2-3-5 in possession is something of a trend as well but yeah most teams defend in a 4-4-2 shape.
This needs to be understood with respect to the change in the offside rule in 2005.
The rule change allowed players to be in an "offside" position but not interfering with play. This forced defensive lines deeper creating more space in the middle. Two men simply cannot cover that space anymore hence the need for three in midfield. And only on one striker. Look at any games from the 90s and the defences played much higher up with strikers looking to get in behind much more often.
I wonder if we'll see a resurgence of a 10 between the lines as teams move away from having a 6 in favor of two blocks of 4
"Time is a flat circle" - Some German guy (probably Seb).
love 442😍
great content!
Totally true, Southampton used it against city last season for example and pep talked about it
I have noticed a number of teams favouring the 4-1-4-1 in this world cup i.e Brazil, Australia, Morocco, Tunisia. What are advantages of this system, especially in the context of international tournament football and what are it's potential pitfalls in defence.
I love to see Premier League start again with 4-4-2, we need to see more deadly striker on fild.
It's possible to get 3 deadly forward on in a 433
@@joebarnes100 only Liverpool when Mane was there. The rest they just pass the ball to the main striker.
@@joebarnes100 firmino not a deadly forward he was attacking midfielder turned false 9
@@fajarbudiman9979 with firmino it's like a 442 with the wingers being striker's and him being an attacking midfielder. It's like a 442 diamond with the full backs giving the width. If a team had Salah Mbappe and halland it would be 3 deadly forwards on the pitch at the same time.
@@ankaramesi3824 the thing about the false 9 is, if its done well the wingers become false wingers and become the striker's.
Argentine just dominated Croatia's 4 3 3 with that
except messi roamed so much, the formation shifted him into the mid field with alvarez being the center forward
it's a 4-4-2 on paper but in real play it is closer to a 4-3-2-1
I'm no tactical genius but I can't work out a system that covers the space better than the 4-4-2 and is the most balanced and logical system whereby players can adjust to other formations easily. Among others Arsene Wenger favoured this formation before moving to the 4-5-1.
Tactical formations are of course subject to fashion.
The adoption of 4-4-2 by arrigo sacchi at AC Milan was influential in making it respectable and orthodox again against the trend away from it in Europe. its success in 90s serie A, the most prestigious league in the world then.
The trend away from 4-4-2 to 4--3-3 had much to do with the success of Barcelona who adopted this Dutch style structure to build tiki taka.
There is nothing wrong with 4-4-2 it will always make a comeback.
Even mike Bassett knew this.
Till today, I thought Segue was spelt as Segway 😄
Segue is the word meaning "to transition", Segway is the two wheeled transporter thing hippies like
Yesterday Senegal made it impossible for equador to play forward using their wing backs, whenever they tried to use the WBS senegal regained position and took advantage
Don't forget about Australia's 4-4-2 that broke us out of the group stage :D
I think the 442 as an out of possession formation has long been popular ever since Someone took charge of Atletico.
The big point of focus in tha last few years is how teams playing in a 433/4231 attacking formation switch in between that and the 442 when defending. And how that is part a consequence of trying to accommodate number 10's like Neymar, Messi, Ødgaard and even Muller at Bayern.
Players who fulfill the same role as The CM when attacking(with higher impact) but dont really (or can't) defend like a standard CM.
442 is one of my favorites because you can keep the system but change individual roles to exploit weaknesses in the opponents gameplan.
Here in Ireland our idea of football is the 442 and long ball has been for 50+ years although it’s old and not great to watch it’s what we know so good to see the mainstream return
This formation is the goat. Perfection
Argentina played a 4-4-2 against Mexico recently.
I can’t understand why, as it’s yet another formation that doesn’t play to Messi’s strengths.
Perhaps it’s illegal to play 4-3-3 in Argentina.
Haha, Scaloni must have read my comment.
Can you guys recommend me some books to learn football tactics
liverpool doesn’t push an 8 up with the striker, one winger drops and another presses with the central striker
*Sam Allardyce winks at the FA*
Brazil national team was pressing in a 4-4-2
I think it was because of Atlético Madrid that it became mainstream again. I think it's the best defensive formation beating the defensive formation of the 4-3-3 which is 5-2-3.
Are their any teams that utilise a triple striker set up? Like a 523 but with just wing backs?
Well that depends on how you classify a pure winger. Arguably Pep's first Barça team and Rijkaard's 2005-06 team were playing with pure wingers or playmakers in the front three. See also Pyramid was classified as five forwards but there was only one true center forward in the formation. Arguably the inside forwards were playmaker or supporting striker types, and the outside forwards were wingers.
portugal kinda rotates into a formation like that with ronaldo on the pitch
they get 3 forwards with ronaldo not playing defense forcing someone in the mid field to drop back instead
kinda ridiculous how a walking messi actually gets more defensive plays than a cr7
Hang on, 4231 is identical to 442 if one of the attackers drops back a bit to help the build up, and 4231 has been very popular for years.