This week we talk about the second most important component of the game of football called Tactics.
By Tactics we refer to what a team does with or without the ball with the purpose of dominating and winning the game. Tactics are the difference between teams that dominate not only games but leagues and tournaments. It is the reason some teams win games consistently even with less talented players while other teams lose games even with best players.
A coach who fails to employ the correct tactics for his team will not only sabotage his job but even the careers of his players. Wrong tactics can make even the most talented player look ordinary and make important players look useless. However, correct tactics not only brings the best out of players but can also make ordinary players look really good.
This is the reason why some players excel in one team but fail in another. Whether we like it or not tactics and formation play crucial role in modern game. Therefore let us look at the simple modern formation that can help teams play better football.
Let us start with the 4-4-2 formation because it is basic. With it you can easily switch to most decent formations. How you line up in a 4-4-2 also depends on the kind of tactics employed and your team’s playing style.
In this formation we have four defenders lined up in a flat system. The two centre backs and the two fullbacks. Most teams who line up this way usually prefers the full backs to overlap however it still works very well without it. This kind of defence works well in a zonal marking system. The zonal marking system is not necessarily about marking zones as some people suppose but it is about marking opponents without losing your zone. Unlike in man of man zonal marking does not encourage defenders to follow their opponents everywhere.
When a centre forward makes a run to the flanks he becomes the responsibility of the full back in that zone. As you can see all the four defenders in this system cover each other.
Normally in the midfield we have two Central midfielders who control the centre both in defence and in attack. How they do that depends on the tactics. In this illustration let us assume that the right and left midfielders are wingers. During defence they both join the two central midfielders to protect the midfield and the defenders.
If they are up against a team that plays with three central midfielder then one of the two strikers who is actually a number 10 will join the midfield to form a 4-5-1 formation. This usually happens when playing against a team that plays in a 3-5-2 formation. When in attack the right and left midfielders takes up a more attacking role on the flanks. Their aim is to stretch wide the opposition fullback to create spaces in the centre forward. The number 10 player who in this case is an extra attacking midfielder joins the two central midfielders to form a triangle in the central midfield. At this stage the formation looks like a 4-3-3. The fullbacks will join the midfield on the left or right to give the central midfielders more options. This they do only when it is safe and necessary. The number 10 plays a more crucial role in this formation. He uses the spaces between the defenders to join the centre forward and wingers in attack. This attacking move is called the 4 on 2. When it is Property executed it makes scoring look easy. We will talk about it next week.