Soccer: Is there a "perfect" formation?

[flere-imsaho]

In the various Championship Manager games, of course, there were, but that's not really my question here. Fact is, it's always a good pub argument to debate the merits of an agressive 4-4-2 versus a flexible 5-3-2 with a sweeper and a couple of wingbacks.

Given more-or-less equal competition (for instance, an amateur team isn't going to beat AC Milan, no matter what formation they use), the question may be two-fold:

1. Can, in theory, any formation "cope" with another, or are there some formations that are completely undone by others? For instance, on paper a 5-3-2 stacks up pretty well against a 4-4-2 down the middle, but the wingbacks really have a lot to do, especially if the 4-4-2's fullbacks come up into attack.

2. Is there one formation out there that is well-suited for anything you can throw at it?

[KevinNU7]

3-5-2

[wishbone]

The perfect formation for soccer is lining up to get out the door

[Franklinnoble]

I had good results from the 3-5-2 while playing Hattrick... but they've probably changed the game around since I quit...

[rkmsuf]

hooligan formation

[3ric]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

1. Can, in theory, any formation "cope" with another, or are there some formations that are completely undone by others? For instance, on paper a 5-3-2 stacks up pretty well against a 4-4-2 down the middle, but the wingbacks really have a lot to do, especially if the 4-4-2's fullbacks come up into attack.

2. Is there one formation out there that is well-suited for anything you can throw at it?

No, and no. In the end, the thing that matters most is which squad of eleven players that performs the best - the formation is secondary to how well the players carry out their roles on the pitch/field. Is the game close tactically, then the game is often decided by an individual performance.

[terpkristin]

Thank you 3ric for that.
It is 100% correct and it's usually weird to see new coaches (IRL) try to use a formation not because they have the right players for it but because it worked when they played high school soccer or something equally silly.

To add to what 3ric said, it's really all about your players and what their strengths and weaknesses are...and what positions you have and can add. If you only have 1 good central midfielder, you're not going to get yourself that much better of a team by playing them in a formation that includes 2 central middies. If that makes sense...

/tk

[flere-imsaho]

All things being equal, though, do some formations have inherent advantages over others?

For instance, one could argue that the "Ajax System", let's call it a 3-3-3-1, provided the best balance of coverage and flexibility, and couldn't really be countered.

On the other hand, one could argue that with 4-4-2 you have adequate coverage in all areas of the pitch, giving up nothing while also being able to flood areas to overcome defenders....

[Marc Vaughan]

There isn't a 'perfect' formation simply because each side has different strengths and weaknesses and as such a formation which is perfect for one side won't be for another.

4-4-2 tends to be fairly prevalent at the moment simply because its a balanced formation which has both decent attacking and defensive options (and also its the one formation which nearly all footballers are familiar with).

This hasn't always been the case (and indeed some countries still do favour 5-3-2 formations and other varieties) and indeed in the past there were such oddities as the W formation and suchlike before the offside rule was introduced.

[Blackadar]

In a past version (02-03?), 4-3-1-2 was the "best" formation. I'm sure that's been changed.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

In the various Championship Manager games, of course, there were, but that's not really my question here. Fact is, it's always a good pub argument to debate the merits of an agressive 4-4-2 versus a flexible 5-3-2 with a sweeper and a couple of wingbacks.

Given more-or-less equal competition (for instance, an amateur team isn't going to beat AC Milan, no matter what formation they use), the question may be two-fold:

1. Can, in theory, any formation "cope" with another, or are there some formations that are completely undone by others? For instance, on paper a 5-3-2 stacks up pretty well against a 4-4-2 down the middle, but the wingbacks really have a lot to do, especially if the 4-4-2's fullbacks come up into attack.

2. Is there one formation out there that is well-suited for anything you can throw at it?

In FM, I believe the best formation is a wide 4-1-2-1-2, which could be considered a variant of the flat 4-4-2. IRL, it really depends mostly on talent, but, other things equal, a 4-4-2 provides the most on the fly tactical flexibility, which is why it is used by the most teams.

[Mac Howard]

There is no one formation that stands out against all others. The "best" formation will depend on the skill and positional experience makeup of the team/players and the formation played by the opposition.

One thing that often occurs is that managers will follow that used by recently successful teams (4-3-3 currently). I recall Glenn Hoddle using the wingback formation saying that 4-4-2 would never win anything again. In the subsequent seasons both Brazil and France won World and European Cups playing 4-4-2. Hoddle won nothing

[Dutch]

The Aggressive 4-4-2 is probably the worst formation ever invented. I used it all the time in Championship Manager 3 and could not get my guys to score a goal if their very lives depended on it. Of course, none of the other formations worked either.