July 20, 2010

So much has been said over the past 6 weeks about the death of the 4-4-2, the rise of the 4-2-3-1 and that England would be better to get rid of a formation that has been a stable of its footballing culture for over 30 years. It is also a discussion that even in modern football at the top it has died. But does this mean that the 4-4-2 has no place in Football Manager too?

The 4-4-2 is a not a dead formation, but the way in which the system is implemented which is the main problem and the reason why England have had so many problems. There are many teams such as Aston Villa and Fulham who have put together a 4-4-2 that has been very successfully in the previous season. The latter reaching the final of a European competition.

The formation is a system that relies too much on technical players, which is why it plays into the hands in the type of players produced in England. As a defensive option if your players are organised, the 2 bands can be difficult to break down. As anything the system needs to develop in order to have a place in modern football.

To prove that the 4-4-2 can be a good formation in Football Manager still, I will take the Capello role for South Africa 2010 and prove that it is not the 4-4-2 which is the problem, but the way in which is was implemented against most notably Germany but the other two games we failed to win. Unorganised, under-performing players who were too easily dragged out of position, Barry didn’t track his men properly and Rooney looking too work too much and not intelligently was the reason why we went down. It was difficult to see if any other formation would have really made the difference, lets face it against Algeria our players should have taken that easily.

Therefore too compete in the World Cup I will do so only using a 4-4-2 or variants of it. The ground rules to lay down are;

• Only a 4-4-2 can be used
• That means 4 defenders, 4 midfielder, 2 strikers
• 3 straight lines don’t need to be used.

Therefore, what I will look to do is develop a number of 4-4-2 tactics that are able to cope against the smaller sides, as well as strong and organised against the bigger sides. One that allows for plenty of passing options and to hold the midfield, with a striker coming from the forward line into midfield to help the midfield out number the opposition in that area. Another with 2 close bands of 4 that will make it difficult for a 4-3-3 or a 4-5-1 to break down. Looking to start from Millie’s simple 4-4-2 I will evolve a style that will both suit the players and combat the opposition.

Join the debate: Is the 4-4-2 outmoded?

How would you implement a 4-4-2 with England? Would you have done anything different to Capello or was it the players failing?