Football strategies can vary considerably from match to match and even within the very same match. More about this listed below.

At present, there are numerous football tactics and formations out there to pick from but managers invest a great deal of time adapting and tweaking timeless formations to fit the particularities of their teams. The reality is, there are lots of parameters that influence this choice, and not all of which are strictly technical. For example, the quality of footballers available can make coaches reconsider what strategy to utilise. In the absence of quality players in attack, some managers prefer to use a more midfield-dense technique in an effort to control ownership of the ball. In the attacking stance, midfielders and wingers will try to send through balls or shoot from outside area 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 influence tactical and technical choices.

Commonly deemed among the most flexible football formations, the 4-4-2 is a tactic that can be tweaked 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 tournaments. If the coach wishes to use an offensive 4-4-2, they can introduce some key changes to enable increased fluidity in passing and play building. For instance, they can make a lozenge in the midfield that consists of one defensive midfielder, 2 playmakers on the sides, and one attacking midfielder. This lozenge would provide 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 coach can form an arch made up of 4 midfielders that acts as a barrier that keeps the opponent from reaching the defense line.

While you can always read a football tactics book to get great insights into playmaking, there is no better teacher than experience and history. Over the past 50 years, football has been graced with some of the most enjoyable formations in the history of the game, and some of which are still utilised to this day. Nevertheless, the 2010s saw an obvious shift in football tactics with the emergence of a more attacking design of play and a more structured technique to playmaking. Modern football has actually leveraged both ability and tech to develop some of the most successful tactics that have managed to win top sides many prizes. In this context, the modified 4-3-3 tactic has actually become among the more popular modern football tactics due to its efficient attack and balanced defense. The minority shareholder of Liverpool FC will agree that technical ability and speed make this strategy really difficult to defend against.