@@michaelandersonjr.soccer9975well that 5 4 1 is very versatile. Defensive plays are 5 4 1 but when they switch to offensive plays, they can move to 3 4 2 1 or 3 2 4 1 for offensive plays. The only downside to that is you full back have to be very-very fit as you will be runing from half to half to bring make plays. That was how saudi managed a win on argentina in the world cup.
@@bennybackx3193 no they are not. If i were Burnley i would sack company and bring him back . He is much more loved there than company. And also if things went wrong after that decision i would use him as a scapegoat.
@@marioskapetanakis i am a burnley fan and you haven't got a clue, nobody in this town would sack kompany and bring back dyche. It was his time to go.
I’ll always love the 4-4-2. Growing up it’s pretty much all I saw Wolves play through the 90’s and 99% of the 2000’s. As mentioned, the flexibility of it is one of the things I love about it, and think that flexibility can counteract a 4-3-3, if used correctly. If your second striker is more versatile, then they can drop back to create a 4-2-3-1 and provide some extra support for the midfield. Equally, riskier though it may be, you could push the wingers up to support the strikers, and then push the full backs up to support the midfield, creating a 2-4-4 of sorts. Naturally it’s a risky setup that relies on successful pressing, so it wouldn’t be for everyone necessarily, but with the right personnel, the 4-4-2 is remains flexible enough to still be a viable and successful option.
You do make some decent points, but the problem is that if you are going to have a striker drop back to make a 4-2-3-1 anyways, why not just start with that rather than switching from a 4-4-2? every other positive you mentioned about the 4-4-2 also applies to the 4-2-3-1.
I think either could work just as well if you use them right, as 4-2-3-1 is essentially a 4-4-2 variant anyway. For me, I like having 4-4-2 as a base formation, and then use its flexibility to adapt based on what that particular game requires. If you have versatile players in certain positions, then you can temporarily shift to several different formations from a 4-4-2 to either deal with pressure or create an overload. I’ll always love the 4-4-2, partly for it’s flexibility, but also aided by a significant helping of nostalgia and rose coloured glasses. It takes me back to watching the Wolves teams of 2001/02 and 2008/09 bomb down the wings and feed the strikers. It’s time has probably passed, but life tends to be cyclical, so it could come back into fashion again, but 4-3-3 is the system of the day, and its efficacy can’t be denied. When it comes to it, the implementation of a shape is perhaps just as important as the shape itself.
I've always believed that the task problem with the 4-4-2 is with it's wingers... they often don't aid the midfield enough... we talk a lot about the 4-4-2 switching to a 4-2-3-1... but with more adaptive wingers and forwards... it could easily become a 4-3-3... where one winger drops deep... and the rest of the forwards spread out accordingly... coupled with a versatile 10... the 4-4-2 would adapt to any opposition better than most other formations... it only requires it's wingers and attacking midfielder to be highly versatile...
I like to think of the current 4-2-3-1 as being a much more modernized 442 that is much more flexible (there are more improvisable diamond configurations, and having an alternate perspective of being a 433 variation) as well as being much more rewarding for high-work rate players, especially at the wings. This makes the 4-2-3-1 much comparatively much more devastating on the counter, and with wing overloads being that much more of a force multiplier. This is an extremely unpopular opinion and the stats are speaking against me, but I honestly believe that Utd's main fullback pairing/double wingback pairing of AWB and Shaw can be one of the most deadliest in current club football (in terms of offensive benefit/output, overlooking their rather moderate performance as defenders on defensive duty). Both have the ability and prowess to significantly overpower a wing on offense, both can overlap the winger and can cut in to manipulate space inside the box. But this potential is not used. (Similar to McTominay having unexplored sniper potential outside of the box) The inherent weaknesses of the 4-2-3-1 as demonstrated by Utd (esp compared to 442 and 433) is that 1) the formation demands that the team have high iq midfield and center-field vision 2) the most obvious weak link(s) within the 10 men is whoever cannot keep up with the pace and tempo of high-work rate assignments. With Utd, and the team that Ten Hag inherited, he has chosen to employ a direct route-one strategy, especially on the counters. This is a choice I can respect given the expectations of his post as well as the roster he's given. I think Antony is the pivotal man for this decision. 9 times out of 10 he will cut in and make a move when the ball is brought to his feet, rather than exploiting the full length of the pitch. As a result, both Pellestri and Garnacho alike both go direct if they are the firstmost man when the ball comes to them. However, to reiterate - this approach of direct counter overlooks the tactical depth that is possible with smartly positioned wingbacks helping overload a wing.
To be honest I think the strikers would run into space and the full backs would overlap the wingers the cdms would probably hold position and wait outside the box for cut backs so it’s not that bad.
The best 442 formation played by a team in recent times was Uruguay in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. What an amazing team it was! They were the only team to not concede a goal in the group stages.
Yes, Jose 433 killed 442 basically when he arrived in England lmao. However, a correction though.. Those occupying the flanks are known as wide / side midfielders in a classic 442, not wingers, as wingers are part of the forward lines, not midfield.
@@vince7207 I did not say that.. But if you ask me, even modern wingbacks are operating closer as wide midfielders. Wingers are part of the forward lines, not midfield. It depends whether you play in 442, 433, 343, 334. The interesting one would be 4231 (the players covering both flanks can be termed as wide midfielders or even auxiliary wingers)
@@vince7207 not true. Try again, in case you can't tell the difference, it's in Google. Wide Midfielders contribute both offensively and defensively, hence I mentioned modern wingbacks are closer to wide midfielders role. Traditional Wingers provide extra in final 3rd, and we also have inverted wingers or inside forwards these days.
It's really nothing more tha. 4-3-3 with extra steps of allowing a RB or CB to push slightly higher and give an extra option for holding the ball just every so slightly higher. And then allow one of the 3 CMs to push into making it a 4-1 leaving haalnd either isolated Or in a sort of 3-2-2-3 with silva and grealish playing as wingers and haaland and alvarez or foden as strikers to catch stray balls haaland misses. With KDB as the guy sending it back out to grealish or silva if that attack fails and they have to reset the final 3rd attack
4 4 2 os the basics of football. There are many atyles of play made by that formation. Argentina, uruguay and atheleti plays this simply because it does not tax the players too much and every single one of them have a clear idea of what their roles meant. The striker is up front with a second striker, the 2 centre midfields plays as a box to box, which later changed to a nimber 10 who focus on attack and a defensive mid who focus on supporting defence, which we know as diamond. Next they came out with 4 2 2 2 from this and made the left and right midfielders play deep and gives them the ability to roam more. Soo many playstyle can be made from a simple 4 4 2.
Thanks for noting the weakness of the midield. Its always coming up whenever my team plays. We employ the 442 in amateur division alot, but we concede a lot of goals due to there just being a massive gap in the midfield. I also noticed that everytime we were ahead of the opponent, we just drop our responsibilities and take it easy, and we can't do that because our midfield is just a mess due to this formation. Everytime we played 433 we instantly were more on the opponents side.
Seems like an easy counter to this is having it push more into a 2-4-2-2 which gives the CMs cover and allows the wingers to push into attacking positions when attacking. But also on defence allows a safe drop into a back 4 with 2 strong clear lines attackers will struggle to break down Inter used it effectively against city. On attacking in a 3-4-2-1 In defence a 5-4-1 /4-4-2 And during transition a sort of 4-3-4 Another would be Morocco and Sevilla who all but sit back with 2 incredibly tight lines allows for a clear presence in the box but a disadvantage when attacking as its mainly counter attacks
There is also the cost of buying more wingers and fullbacks. In this system, you need at least 8 with the substitutes. These positions cost more and are less versatile than center positions.
4-4-2 is good when there are no wingers but instead there are players on the wings that come inside and make 3 or players inside. And is a good tactic to pressure also.
Also the full backs focus more on defense over playing as a second winger or some cases, wingers themselves. 4 4 2 allows more creative players to control the game between the midfield and the strikers.
Atletico mostly plays some variant of 4-4-2 right now, with Griezmann dropping a little to act as a second striker (though he covers most of the pitch anyway 😅) However, alternating between 4-4-2 and 5-3-2 is what got us the 2021 LaLiga, so having a more fluid formation is beneficial. I don't believe that can be the case if Carrasco leaves tho, since he's one of the few players with the flexibility to play anywhere from second striker to full back in the left wing
It’s not that it’s out of fashion it’s because it’s a formation that needs 2 powerful CM and a solid back line. The reason why it’s not played is because teams don’t have the right type of players to play it. Back in the day teams like United and Arsenal could play it because of the types of players they had.
I still think it's down to the players within it, and the coaches setting it up. You can combat the issue in midfield by getting wingers to tuck in, with overlapping full backs ready to go and exploit space behind. What a 442 needs is the big man up front to hold the ball up for transitional play, whereas it seems to get used for wing play which I think is more redundant in the past decade or more.
The biggest issue with the 4-4-2 is that there isn't really a big striker-little striker combination. One of the two strikers will drop deep to facilitate their partner, which creates a lone forward scenario. Add in the wingers pushing up to take advantage of the width and lo and behold, it's now a 4-2-3-1.
@@mcbrodz1663 you could simply play 343 to avoid having one fullback run the channel everytime. I believe it's the biggest reason he got heart issues now + he was never rotated
@@mcbrodz1663yeah, thats kind of what Atletico's been doing since 2020-21, alternating between 5-3-2 and 4-4-2 thanks to Carrasco's mobility and Hermoso/Reinildo versatility on the left wing. The drawback is, of course, that the right winger has to cover the whole wing at all times, and Trippier exceled in that, although Molina seems to be picking up the pace pretty nicely
Yes you can. To put it simple you have a square midfield instead of a line. In this case you have 2 defensive and 2 offensive midfielders and the width is given by the full backs. If one forward drop off you have a trio behind the striker and his pretty like a 4-2-3-1. Rigid tactics are outdated and I still see so many people talking about them. The younger lads think tactics are just like in a videogame and the older people think in tactics where the players have no fluidity. It's way more than that lads.
Technically, a 2-4-4 could work. Think about it, the two wingers could drop back to a defensive position if needed, and the other wingers can take over that spot and form a 3 central midfield, plus add a CAM, and that CAM can assist the would-be isolated striker. Also, the 2 central wingers can add additional pressure to a counter attack.
If there's a quick turnover, the wide area of the backline is left vacated and a quick long ball from opp. defense to wingers can take 8 players out of the play.
Formations are secondary units to play style. Some teams like to play from the wings in, so having a formation with one striker, supported by WF's and ATM's. Formations like a 4-3-3, or a 4-2-3-1. If a team prefers down the middle, a formation with a strong central core, and multiple striker options, might work better, like a 4-4-2, or a 4-2-2-2.
In my Football Manager careers 4-4-2 (or 4-4-1-1) always worked the best, just with a bit difference, right and left wingers were swapping, and one central midfielder placed lower in the field ( like Pirlo) plus low tempo. For my Lazio champions league and Serie A was an easy walk, my favorite squad was with Ledesma as deep playmaker and Brocchi as destroyer, Klose and Zarate as strikers.
as one of managers using it in FM, u need to be creative on ur CM... that is the crucial part of 4-4-2 evolvement, never play with fullback, play with wingback, and with winger at mid, deploy a monster 9 at one side of CF, an very fast Advance Forward at the other part of CF. and play fluid tactical... i still using it in FM 2023, not that much of a competition since i have a complete mastery of this particular formation.
I always using 3-4-3 on e-football, love this formation because you can go from defense to counter attack and vice versa. If going defense, at least 5 defender from 3 CB's and your 2 CDM's.
The 4-4-2 diamond was always my go to when playing PES back in the day. Still prefer it than 4-3-3 bc i controls better the midfield when you have possession, and if you have a midfied that can change to a 4-3-3 midmatch to attack, can be good as soon as you find a weakness.
442 is known primarily for its flexibility today. One of your strikers are most definitely going to either go wide or drop deep. Which means one of the wingers will do the opposite. Which means one of the fullback has to change his role as well
Football is fluid there is fixed 442 or 433, whoever has more dominant players can dictate the game more, of certain players might be suited for certain formations. There is no perfect and sure win formation.
Real Madrid of all the clubs out there play 442 now. Started out with Jude as diamond, but this left wide areas open. Now Jude and Fede play wide in the traditional, flatbed 442.
I Said this to my coach in october aswell i Said we miss a midfielder but he refused and wanted to have the wings mark the midfielders which created to much space for the backs and we got relegated by december with 3 points and in the last half year we became midtable in a lower division What a genius 😂
That flaw of the British style 442 is less of an issue in continental 442s, which would simply line up four midfielders in the middle 4, instead of tasking the wide men with running. That helped teams with inferiour talent levels to resist with solidity in front of teams better "on paper", but it did take the sting out of their potential threat, which is why coaches minded on this sort of approach gradually moved on to the 4231.
This explains England's woeful performances at every major finals I watched as a kid from world cup 82 and right up to and until 2018. Not that I'm suggesting that Gareth Southgate is any better he has had a lot of luck in the draw despite his complete lack of bottle. But growing up watching England they were consistently out played in midfield despite having on paper some world class midfielders it has been in this area that has done for the three lions.
Got to keep the midfield 4 tight/narrow when they don’t have the ball. Not suitable for a team looking to play tiki taka football with a slow build up. Only works for teams who are happy to concede possession. But when they do win the ball push up the pitch quickly and move the ball into the final third quickly. Effectively counter attacking football. Also another thing which I think has put 442 out of fashion is the lack of the traditional wingers these days. In the old days most wingers could look to go outside rather than cut inside. Normally have right footed RWs and left footed LWs who could put in a good ball into the box.
But don’t forget, with the new inverted full back role, the fullbacks can invert more central creating a more attacking environment for the midfield which can also easily access into a 3 back with 2 defensive midfielder Please don’t argue with me anyone, this is my opinion
According to fans of a Particular GoAT in 4-4-2 the Wide Midfielders or Wingers play exclusively in the Midfield and never go into the final third to attack. So if someone scores a lot of Goals that means they are the best
I’ve always liked 4-4-2. It gives the most balance across the pitch. Obviously over the years, it’s not really been a viable formation in general, as most teams switched to the one up front and 3 in midfield.
No. In Argentina there are 3 popular formations: 4312(diamond), 433 with MC and 532(or 352 wich is the same). We only use the classic 442 as a defensive phase, for example the national team (La seleccion) usually plays 433 in possesion, but 442 when defending. Also here in southamerica the football is more fluid and expressive so the formations are not usually static or rigid (Mostly Argentina/Brasil/Colombia).
Which system won the most trophies? (In Spain, England, Italy, France, Netherlands, Portugal for example.) What system Brazil. France, Italy, Argentina, Spain used in the World Cup when they won the Cup? What system lost the most?
The 4-4-2 doesn’t lay well rn cause teams forgot how to spread the damn field. Every winger wants to play inside and no one can hit a cross field switch. It’s still viable if used right
@@edwardking9359it was predominantly Barca and Real Madrid that changed it with MSN and BBC. The formation worked as both sides absolutely dominated football. I was actually thinking about it the other day as I only ever see 433 or a variant of it.
@@smartsquirrel1 Makes sense. Attacking has steadily been getting better and better, meaning you don't need quite as many attacking players and would benefit more from a little more defensive solidity.
@@smartsquirrel1Sir Alex’s Man United team played a 4-3-3 with 3 fluid forwards in Rooney Ronaldo Tevez. Madrid with BBC and Barcelona with Eto’o Messi Henry (or MSN) copied this after that great United side from 2007-2009.
The Ronaldo-Messi era, which led to the end of two number nines being religiously served by the wingers, made 4-4-2 obsolete. Prior to the duo's domination, it was unconventional for wingers and/attacking midfielders to stack up goals. That was the role of the nines.
Hey Tifo can you please make these type of animated videos with your voice overs for People who don't know anything about football. May Indians and the people from the Indian subcontinent would love to Watch them.
And other problems : 2 st' is two much Bit it's the beat formation for defending And it need players that u can't find easily any more . Like ancellottis ac milan and fergusens man united and wengers arsenal .
442 has fallen out of fashion as it leaves too many “pockets”. Particularly in the attacking mid and defensive mid positions. Opposing False 9s confuse the 2 centre backs and 2 centre mids. And who marks a player like Andrea Pirlo? The 2 strikers or 2 centre mids? 442 doesn’t cover each row and column of the field. Vertically, it only has 4 lines/zones. (Left, centre-left, centre-right and right) and horizontally, 3 lines/zones (defensive line of 4, midfield line of 4 and 2 strikers. Whereas 4231 has 4 vertical lines/zones and 5 horizontal lines/zones. Essentially, the half spaces where players like Kevin De Bruyne flourish.
Guys I smh prefer 4-1-2-1-2 (wide) formation and I think it is quite balanced offensively and defensively leaving the Central Midfield totally open, how vulnerable is that ?
The way Tifo explains stuff it’s so satisfying
Does Joe Devine do the voiceovers?
@@AttainTheGrainyer silky smooth
Joe's voiceovers are so good
Facts. The same script with another VO artist doesn’t hit the same
Top notch.
4-4-2 will never completely die out. It always finds its way back to prominence.
Almost every team use it as their defensive stucture.
@@kjelvin4593yup
Or 5-4-1
@@kjelvin45934-5-1*
@@michaelandersonjr.soccer9975well that 5 4 1 is very versatile. Defensive plays are 5 4 1 but when they switch to offensive plays, they can move to 3 4 2 1 or 3 2 4 1 for offensive plays. The only downside to that is you full back have to be very-very fit as you will be runing from half to half to bring make plays. That was how saudi managed a win on argentina in the world cup.
I understand how it works completely after watching Burnley under Sean Dyche for 2 years 😂🤦🏾♀️
Bruh 😂
To a tee 😂
Yep! 🤣
My condolences 😢
Watched him in Coaches' Voice explaining his tactics. So outdated yet so formidable! Amazing football
I really recommend the video of Sean Dyche explaining his tactical 442 style at Burnley.
he's a lot smarter than a lot of people give him credit for
I always said that Burnley shouldn't had sacked sean.
@@marioskapetanakiswell they’re better of with kompany, so not really
@@bennybackx3193 no they are not. If i were Burnley i would sack company and bring him back . He is much more loved there than company. And also if things went wrong after that decision i would use him as a scapegoat.
@@marioskapetanakis i am a burnley fan and you haven't got a clue, nobody in this town would sack kompany and bring back dyche. It was his time to go.
@@Jaqueese i know . But the question is : would you use duche as a scapegoat?
I’ll always love the 4-4-2. Growing up it’s pretty much all I saw Wolves play through the 90’s and 99% of the 2000’s. As mentioned, the flexibility of it is one of the things I love about it, and think that flexibility can counteract a 4-3-3, if used correctly. If your second striker is more versatile, then they can drop back to create a 4-2-3-1 and provide some extra support for the midfield. Equally, riskier though it may be, you could push the wingers up to support the strikers, and then push the full backs up to support the midfield, creating a 2-4-4 of sorts. Naturally it’s a risky setup that relies on successful pressing, so it wouldn’t be for everyone necessarily, but with the right personnel, the 4-4-2 is remains flexible enough to still be a viable and successful option.
You do make some decent points, but the problem is that if you are going to have a striker drop back to make a 4-2-3-1 anyways, why not just start with that rather than switching from a 4-4-2? every other positive you mentioned about the 4-4-2 also applies to the 4-2-3-1.
I think either could work just as well if you use them right, as 4-2-3-1 is essentially a 4-4-2 variant anyway. For me, I like having 4-4-2 as a base formation, and then use its flexibility to adapt based on what that particular game requires. If you have versatile players in certain positions, then you can temporarily shift to several different formations from a 4-4-2 to either deal with pressure or create an overload. I’ll always love the 4-4-2, partly for it’s flexibility, but also aided by a significant helping of nostalgia and rose coloured glasses. It takes me back to watching the Wolves teams of 2001/02 and 2008/09 bomb down the wings and feed the strikers. It’s time has probably passed, but life tends to be cyclical, so it could come back into fashion again, but 4-3-3 is the system of the day, and its efficacy can’t be denied. When it comes to it, the implementation of a shape is perhaps just as important as the shape itself.
I've always believed that the task problem with the 4-4-2 is with it's wingers... they often don't aid the midfield enough... we talk a lot about the 4-4-2 switching to a 4-2-3-1... but with more adaptive wingers and forwards... it could easily become a 4-3-3... where one winger drops deep... and the rest of the forwards spread out accordingly... coupled with a versatile 10... the 4-4-2 would adapt to any opposition better than most other formations... it only requires it's wingers and attacking midfielder to be highly versatile...
I like to think of the current 4-2-3-1 as being a much more modernized 442 that is much more flexible (there are more improvisable diamond configurations, and having an alternate perspective of being a 433 variation) as well as being much more rewarding for high-work rate players, especially at the wings. This makes the 4-2-3-1 much comparatively much more devastating on the counter, and with wing overloads being that much more of a force multiplier.
This is an extremely unpopular opinion and the stats are speaking against me, but I honestly believe that Utd's main fullback pairing/double wingback pairing of AWB and Shaw can be one of the most deadliest in current club football (in terms of offensive benefit/output, overlooking their rather moderate performance as defenders on defensive duty). Both have the ability and prowess to significantly overpower a wing on offense, both can overlap the winger and can cut in to manipulate space inside the box. But this potential is not used. (Similar to McTominay having unexplored sniper potential outside of the box)
The inherent weaknesses of the 4-2-3-1 as demonstrated by Utd (esp compared to 442 and 433) is that
1) the formation demands that the team have high iq midfield and center-field vision
2) the most obvious weak link(s) within the 10 men is whoever cannot keep up with the pace and tempo of high-work rate assignments.
With Utd, and the team that Ten Hag inherited, he has chosen to employ a direct route-one strategy, especially on the counters. This is a choice I can respect given the expectations of his post as well as the roster he's given. I think Antony is the pivotal man for this decision. 9 times out of 10 he will cut in and make a move when the ball is brought to his feet, rather than exploiting the full length of the pitch. As a result, both Pellestri and Garnacho alike both go direct if they are the firstmost man when the ball comes to them. However, to reiterate - this approach of direct counter overlooks the tactical depth that is possible with smartly positioned wingbacks helping overload a wing.
Are you referring to the McCarthy era 😬
I mean with Kante, Leicester technically played a 452
It also features 6 players running into someone in front of them, so it's pretty static. With a diamond, it's a very good formation.
Essentially don’t all formations result in players running into a corresponding opposition player?
No.
With some tactics players run backwards 😅
To be honest I think the strikers would run into space and the full backs would overlap the wingers the cdms would probably hold position and wait outside the box for cut backs so it’s not that bad.
The best 442 formation played by a team in recent times was Uruguay in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. What an amazing team it was! They were the only team to not concede a goal in the group stages.
That group was a literal joke though.
Yes, Jose 433 killed 442 basically when he arrived in England lmao. However, a correction though.. Those occupying the flanks are known as wide / side midfielders in a classic 442, not wingers, as wingers are part of the forward lines, not midfield.
FIFA doesn't dictate the names of positions.
@@vince7207 I did not say that.. But if you ask me, even modern wingbacks are operating closer as wide midfielders. Wingers are part of the forward lines, not midfield. It depends whether you play in 442, 433, 343, 334. The interesting one would be 4231 (the players covering both flanks can be termed as wide midfielders or even auxiliary wingers)
@@adolphsow607 again, wide players have been called wingers since time immemorial.
@@vince7207 not true. Try again, in case you can't tell the difference, it's in Google. Wide Midfielders contribute both offensively and defensively, hence I mentioned modern wingbacks are closer to wide midfielders role. Traditional Wingers provide extra in final 3rd, and we also have inverted wingers or inside forwards these days.
In Brazil, we almost never used it in that fashion. Our 4-4-2 didn’t have wingers, but 2 DCM and 2 OCM: 4-(2-2)-2.
Gilberto Silva - Ze Reberto. Rivaldo Ronaldinho
I can't get enough of this channel. Seriously I'd spend hours...days even watching this channel
Can you do a video of Mam City's 3-2-4-1 they've been using recently?
It's really nothing more tha. 4-3-3 with extra steps of allowing a RB or CB to push slightly higher and give an extra option for holding the ball just every so slightly higher. And then allow one of the 3 CMs to push into making it a 4-1 leaving haalnd either isolated
Or in a sort of
3-2-2-3 with silva and grealish playing as wingers and haaland and alvarez or foden as strikers to catch stray balls haaland misses. With KDB as the guy sending it back out to grealish or silva if that attack fails and they have to reset the final 3rd attack
4 4 2 was the most reliable formation on sensible soccer.
That’s a throwback. Used to score some bangers with that. Bet no gen zeroes have a clue what it is
Yes takes me back…first played it in 92 on Amiga 600!! Pretty sure I still have the disk somewhere!
4 4 2 os the basics of football. There are many atyles of play made by that formation. Argentina, uruguay and atheleti plays this simply because it does not tax the players too much and every single one of them have a clear idea of what their roles meant. The striker is up front with a second striker, the 2 centre midfields plays as a box to box, which later changed to a nimber 10 who focus on attack and a defensive mid who focus on supporting defence, which we know as diamond. Next they came out with 4 2 2 2 from this and made the left and right midfielders play deep and gives them the ability to roam more. Soo many playstyle can be made from a simple 4 4 2.
Thanks for noting the weakness of the midield. Its always coming up whenever my team plays. We employ the 442 in amateur division alot, but we concede a lot of goals due to there just being a massive gap in the midfield. I also noticed that everytime we were ahead of the opponent, we just drop our responsibilities and take it easy, and we can't do that because our midfield is just a mess due to this formation. Everytime we played 433 we instantly were more on the opponents side.
Alf Ramsey won a world cup using 4-4-2. His _wingless wonders._
Seems like an easy counter to this is having it push more into a
2-4-2-2 which gives the CMs cover and allows the wingers to push into attacking positions when attacking. But also on defence allows a safe drop into a back 4 with 2 strong clear lines attackers will struggle to break down
Inter used it effectively against city.
On attacking in a 3-4-2-1
In defence a 5-4-1 /4-4-2
And during transition a sort of 4-3-4
Another would be Morocco and Sevilla who all but sit back with 2 incredibly tight lines allows for a clear presence in the box but a disadvantage when attacking as its mainly counter attacks
There is also the cost of buying more wingers and fullbacks. In this system, you need at least 8 with the substitutes. These positions cost more and are less versatile than center positions.
4-4-2 meant the old dedicated fullbacks were redundant. Those on tne flanks had to be overlapping wingers as well as defenders.
4-4-2 is good when there are no wingers but instead there are players on the wings that come inside and make 3 or players inside.
And is a good tactic to pressure also.
Also the full backs focus more on defense over playing as a second winger or some cases, wingers themselves. 4 4 2 allows more creative players to control the game between the midfield and the strikers.
I really wish Atletico goes back to the formation
Atletico mostly plays some variant of 4-4-2 right now, with Griezmann dropping a little to act as a second striker (though he covers most of the pitch anyway 😅) However, alternating between 4-4-2 and 5-3-2 is what got us the 2021 LaLiga, so having a more fluid formation is beneficial. I don't believe that can be the case if Carrasco leaves tho, since he's one of the few players with the flexibility to play anywhere from second striker to full back in the left wing
They still do it but it hurts them in European comp
@@javihernandez2755very well explained, carrasco has always been a player going under people's radars, one of the most versatile oat
@@javihernandez2755can't lemar play the role that Carrasco does?
@@alexmax3826 he's much more static and less hard-working defensively, although he's arguably more talented
It still is relevant, considering who and which team plays with it
It’s not that it’s out of fashion it’s because it’s a formation that needs 2 powerful CM and a solid back line. The reason why it’s not played is because teams don’t have the right type of players to play it. Back in the day teams like United and Arsenal could play it because of the types of players they had.
I still think it's down to the players within it, and the coaches setting it up. You can combat the issue in midfield by getting wingers to tuck in, with overlapping full backs ready to go and exploit space behind.
What a 442 needs is the big man up front to hold the ball up for transitional play, whereas it seems to get used for wing play which I think is more redundant in the past decade or more.
last season pep is essentially playing 4-4-2. it's evolved into 3-2-4-1 this season bc of Haaland
The biggest issue with the 4-4-2 is that there isn't really a big striker-little striker combination. One of the two strikers will drop deep to facilitate their partner, which creates a lone forward scenario. Add in the wingers pushing up to take advantage of the width and lo and behold, it's now a 4-2-3-1.
Yes and to compensate for that midfield disadvantage you would have either a center back or the 9 drop in.
442 is for wingers who tracks back and fullbacks who are like AWB , can't play 442 with Trent and Alphonso Davies
You could do as long as you have another defensive Fullback to create a back 3
@@mcbrodz1663 you could simply play 343 to avoid having one fullback run the channel everytime. I believe it's the biggest reason he got heart issues now + he was never rotated
@@mcbrodz1663yeah, thats kind of what Atletico's been doing since 2020-21, alternating between 5-3-2 and 4-4-2 thanks to Carrasco's mobility and Hermoso/Reinildo versatility on the left wing. The drawback is, of course, that the right winger has to cover the whole wing at all times, and Trippier exceled in that, although Molina seems to be picking up the pace pretty nicely
Yes you can. To put it simple you have a square midfield instead of a line.
In this case you have 2 defensive and 2 offensive midfielders and the width is given by the full backs. If one forward drop off you have a trio behind the striker and his pretty like a 4-2-3-1.
Rigid tactics are outdated and I still see so many people talking about them.
The younger lads think tactics are just like in a videogame and the older people think in tactics where the players have no fluidity.
It's way more than that lads.
@@moreece1713Who’s got heart issues, Trent? That’s because of the peds
It's one of the best defensive formation along side 5-3-2 or 5-4-1 and most team still use it when out of possession.
Great video thanks
Technically, a 2-4-4 could work. Think about it, the two wingers could drop back to a defensive position if needed, and the other wingers can take over that spot and form a 3 central midfield, plus add a CAM, and that CAM can assist the would-be isolated striker. Also, the 2 central wingers can add additional pressure to a counter attack.
If there's a quick turnover, the wide area of the backline is left vacated and a quick long ball from opp. defense to wingers can take 8 players out of the play.
Formations are secondary units to play style. Some teams like to play from the wings in, so having a formation with one striker, supported by WF's and ATM's. Formations like a 4-3-3, or a 4-2-3-1. If a team prefers down the middle, a formation with a strong central core, and multiple striker options, might work better, like a 4-4-2, or a 4-2-2-2.
In my Football Manager careers 4-4-2 (or 4-4-1-1) always worked the best, just with a bit difference, right and left wingers were swapping, and one central midfielder placed lower in the field ( like Pirlo) plus low tempo. For my Lazio champions league and Serie A was an easy walk, my favorite squad was with Ledesma as deep playmaker and Brocchi as destroyer, Klose and Zarate as strikers.
I use a 4411 and a 4141 formation and both seem to work equally well
Please make more of these
Got England to the world cup semi finals under Mike Bassett 👍👍
as one of managers using it in FM, u need to be creative on ur CM... that is the crucial part of 4-4-2 evolvement, never play with fullback, play with wingback, and with winger at mid, deploy a monster 9 at one side of CF, an very fast Advance Forward at the other part of CF. and play fluid tactical... i still using it in FM 2023, not that much of a competition since i have a complete mastery of this particular formation.
If you got a strong mid field and defence then its unbeatable
I always using 3-4-3 on e-football, love this formation because you can go from defense to counter attack and vice versa. If going defense, at least 5 defender from 3 CB's and your 2 CDM's.
The 4-4-2 diamond was always my go to when playing PES back in the day. Still prefer it than 4-3-3 bc i controls better the midfield when you have possession, and if you have a midfied that can change to a 4-3-3 midmatch to attack, can be good as soon as you find a weakness.
If you have 1 or 2 inverted wingback you can cover the midfield and add to attack
Amazing explain
SAF built a decades long dynasty with this
Smooth transition👍👍👍
442 is known primarily for its flexibility today. One of your strikers are most definitely going to either go wide or drop deep. Which means one of the wingers will do the opposite. Which means one of the fullback has to change his role as well
This is one of my favourite formation in FIFA I used in case my CAM and CDM can't play due to red card, injury or fatigue.
Football is fluid there is fixed 442 or 433, whoever has more dominant players can dictate the game more, of certain players might be suited for certain formations. There is no perfect and sure win formation.
Sir Alex Ferguson 4-4-2 (2007/08) version was Best i ever seen.
I feel like everyone started off with a team playing 4-4-2 as a kid
Well the 4-4-2 helped my boys win 2 titles this past season and we beat teams using other formations. When you have the talent…
It’s been almost a couple of decades since 4-4-2 has died yet it comes back one way or the other
Real Madrid of all the clubs out there play 442 now. Started out with Jude as diamond, but this left wide areas open. Now Jude and Fede play wide in the traditional, flatbed 442.
The Bruce’s 9-0-1 was ahead of its time … the false 9, the false 10, …
I love a sweeper!
I Said this to my coach in october aswell i Said we miss a midfielder but he refused and wanted to have the wings mark the midfielders which created to much space for the backs and we got relegated by december with 3 points and in the last half year we became midtable in a lower division
What a genius 😂
its probably a safe defensive technique
That flaw of the British style 442 is less of an issue in continental 442s, which would simply line up four midfielders in the middle 4, instead of tasking the wide men with running. That helped teams with inferiour talent levels to resist with solidity in front of teams better "on paper", but it did take the sting out of their potential threat, which is why coaches minded on this sort of approach gradually moved on to the 4231.
The 4-4-2 still very used in Brazil. Last Libertadores champions (2019-2021) used.
then what is the best formation
I prefer 4-3-3 false-9 for those who don’t know what that is it’s a Normal 4-3-3 holding but with a CF (false-9) instead of a ST (striker)
Can u do a vid about 4-5-1
442 is still the best defensive set up.
A lot of teams use a system in attack , but will slip into 442 when defending
4-2-3-1 is the most widely used formation. It ensures compactness and shorter distances between blocks.
This explains England's woeful performances at every major finals I watched as a kid from world cup 82 and right up to and until 2018. Not that I'm suggesting that Gareth Southgate is any better he has had a lot of luck in the draw despite his complete lack of bottle. But growing up watching England they were consistently out played in midfield despite having on paper some world class midfielders it has been in this area that has done for the three lions.
Got to keep the midfield 4 tight/narrow when they don’t have the ball. Not suitable for a team looking to play tiki taka football with a slow build up. Only works for teams who are happy to concede possession. But when they do win the ball push up the pitch quickly and move the ball into the final third quickly. Effectively counter attacking football.
Also another thing which I think has put 442 out of fashion is the lack of the traditional wingers these days. In the old days most wingers could look to go outside rather than cut inside. Normally have right footed RWs and left footed LWs who could put in a good ball into the box.
At my club, we play a 3-5-2 and most players are out of their natural position
But don’t forget, with the new inverted full back role, the fullbacks can invert more central creating a more attacking environment for the midfield which can also easily access into a 3 back with 2 defensive midfielder
Please don’t argue with me anyone, this is my opinion
In my opinion in 4-4-2 the wide players play a winger role but they're still Wide Midfielders, and front 2 are Strikers
For this if you are outnumbered you can have one inverted full back
According to fans of a Particular GoAT in 4-4-2 the Wide Midfielders or Wingers play exclusively in the Midfield and never go into the final third to attack. So if someone scores a lot of Goals that means they are the best
I’ve always liked 4-4-2. It gives the most balance across the pitch. Obviously over the years, it’s not really been a viable formation in general, as most teams switched to the one up front and 3 in midfield.
Perfect opening and ending Fisk 😂❤
I remember always playing 4-2-4 which is a variation of this one
442 has Midfielders left and right NOT wingers 424 has wingers in shorter terms 442 has lm and rm while 424 has lw and rw
If the full backs are inverted I think that would give enough support to the midfield
Almost every formation is a variation of 4-4-2
If I'm not wrong the Argentine National team plays this formation quite a lot ❤.
No. In Argentina there are 3 popular formations: 4312(diamond), 433 with MC and 532(or 352 wich is the same). We only use the classic 442 as a defensive phase, for example the national team (La seleccion) usually plays 433 in possesion, but 442 when defending.
Also here in southamerica the football is more fluid and expressive so the formations are not usually static or rigid (Mostly Argentina/Brasil/Colombia).
Sir Alex's United may one of the successfull 442, I remember how frightening their winger and wing back
It's still my go-to in FIFA
You can make your wingers inverted
Which system won the most trophies? (In Spain, England, Italy, France, Netherlands, Portugal for example.)
What system Brazil. France, Italy, Argentina, Spain used in the World Cup when they won the Cup?
What system lost the most?
4-4-2 really needs strong or box to box midfielder who can cover the entire midfield,,,2 forwards can be so dangerous goal machines and efective
The 4-4-2 doesn’t lay well rn cause teams forgot how to spread the damn field. Every winger wants to play inside and no one can hit a cross field switch. It’s still viable if used right
I grew up playing a 4-3-3
Mad, that. Modern football really has changed stuff.
@@edwardking9359it was predominantly Barca and Real Madrid that changed it with MSN and BBC.
The formation worked as both sides absolutely dominated football.
I was actually thinking about it the other day as I only ever see 433 or a variant of it.
@@smartsquirrel1 Makes sense. Attacking has steadily been getting better and better, meaning you don't need quite as many attacking players and would benefit more from a little more defensive solidity.
@@smartsquirrel1Sir Alex’s Man United team played a 4-3-3 with 3 fluid forwards in Rooney Ronaldo Tevez.
Madrid with BBC and Barcelona with Eto’o Messi Henry (or MSN) copied this after that great United side from 2007-2009.
real madrid nowadays employ 4-4-2 and become absolute beast..
These simple explanations are great for someone who knows next to nothing about football.
The Ronaldo-Messi era, which led to the end of two number nines being religiously served by the wingers, made 4-4-2 obsolete.
Prior to the duo's domination, it was unconventional for wingers and/attacking midfielders to stack up goals. That was the role of the nines.
Yes my favourite position AP
Also those are LM and RM not wingers
Hey Tifo can you please make these type of animated videos with your voice overs for People who don't know anything about football. May Indians and the people from the Indian subcontinent would love to Watch them.
Please EA hire this guy to make cutscenes when choosing formations in EA FC
Formations need to be redefined to 2 categories defensive formation and attack formation.
This is my best formati
And other problems : 2 st' is two much
Bit it's the beat formation for defending
And it need players that u can't find easily any more . Like ancellottis ac milan and fergusens man united and wengers arsenal .
can you explain 4-1-2-1-2 extended?
4-4-2 position is my fifa position
That is why Dyche switched to a 4-5-1 in Everton
4-4-2 is useful when defending without the ball
Can you comeback to the "Tactics explained" series?
442 has fallen out of fashion as it leaves too many “pockets”. Particularly in the attacking mid and defensive mid positions. Opposing False 9s confuse the 2 centre backs and 2 centre mids. And who marks a player like Andrea Pirlo? The 2 strikers or 2 centre mids?
442 doesn’t cover each row and column of the field. Vertically, it only has 4 lines/zones. (Left, centre-left, centre-right and right) and horizontally, 3 lines/zones (defensive line of 4, midfield line of 4 and 2 strikers. Whereas 4231 has 4 vertical lines/zones and 5 horizontal lines/zones. Essentially, the half spaces where players like Kevin De Bruyne flourish.
at early 2000's 19 teams from EPL use this formation, kick n rush
Guys I smh prefer 4-1-2-1-2 (wide) formation and I think it is quite balanced offensively and defensively leaving the Central Midfield totally open, how vulnerable is that ?
This probably a stupid question but does this tactical foil of the 442 translate well into the FIFA video games?
Explain 4-2-4 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I play 1-3-3-3 with 9 midfielders
I won so many Serie A and Champions League with it, but also lost a few ones