The coach's vision together with the group's objective for the season dictate the strategies utilised. Here is why.
While you can constantly read a football tactics book to get excellent insights into playmaking, there is no better instructor than experience and history. Over the past 50 years, football has been enhanced with some of the most pleasurable formations in the history of the sport, and some of which are still utilised to this day. However, the 2010s saw a visible shift in football formations with the emergence of a more offensive design of play and a more structured technique to playmaking. Modern football has leveraged both ability and tech to formulate some of the most effective tactics that have managed to win clubs many trophies. In this context, the modified 4-3-3 formation has ended up being among the more popular modern football tactics owing to its effective attack and balanced defense. The minority shareholder of Liverpool FC will concur that technical ability and speed make this tactic extremely tough to defend against.
Today, there are lots of football tactics and formations out there to choose from however coaches spend a lot of time adapting and tweaking timeless formations to fit the particularities of their teams. The fact is, there are many specifications that affect this choice, and not all of which are strictly technical. For instance, the quality of footballers in the squad can make coaches think twice about what strategy to utilise. In the lack of quality players in attack, some managers choose to utilise a more midfield-dense strategy in an attempt to control ownership of the ball. In the attacking position, midfielders and wingers will attempt to send through balls or shoot from outside the box in order to destabilise the defenses of the other team. The AC Milan former US owner would likely agree that other aspects like player injury and managing a busy calendar also affect tactical and technical choices.
Widely considered one of the most versatile football tactics, the 4-4-2 is a strategy that can be fine-tuned to be more offensive or leaning more to the defensive side. It is for these reasons that this formation is amongst the most common football tactics throughout various leagues and competitions. If the manager wishes to use an offensive 4-4-2, they can introduce some essential modifications to permit increased fluidity in passing and play making. For example, they can create a lozenge in the midfield that comprises of one defensive midfielder, two playmakers on the sides, and one attacking midfielder. This lozenge would supply balls to the wingers and a false nine that periodically drops to a lower position. In a more defense-forward 4-4-2, the former owner of Aston Villa would inform you that the manager can create an arch composed of 4 players that serves as a barrier that keeps the opponent from reaching the defense line.