4. Developing out of a 4-4-2

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Quentin Grant
5 years ago
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1 4. Developing out of a In its basic form, the has four back players, two centre backs, and two outside backs, four midfield players two centrally positioned and with the other two out towards the flanks, one on the left, and one on the right. And normally, a twin striker situation is employed up front. Stereotypical Now this is where the fun begins. There are many ways of using the system. Let s look at the Back 4.

2 A team using a Zonal Defending system will play a Back 4 very differently than a team employing a Man-Marking System with a Sweeper. As you see, with the Sweeper, he/she is always providing cover and support as the 2 nd or 3 rd Defender. Only if the 1st Defender, the pressurizing player, is beaten, or one or more of the back defenders are caught out of position, will the Sweeper step up and move in to become the 1 st Defender. Man Marking System with a Sweeper in a 4-4-2

3 In the Zonal System, the Back 4 mark zones and players that come into their zone. For instance, if the attacking player O1 makes an inside run, the zone defending centre-back (X1) won't go with that player if he/she receives a shout from the other centre-back, "Let him run! Instead, the player will continue to mark the zone and the attacker is what is termed, "passed on." Of course, if X1 does not get a shout from X2 there is a dilemma and most times X1 will stay with the running player. Passing players on in a Zonal System It doesn t take much to realize that a Zonal Defending system is going to be much more difficult for players to adapt to than a strict Man Marking/Sweeper system, but there are some enormous bonuses for a Zonal system. You might want to take a look at the Zonal Defending segment right now. One of the major advantages of Zonal Defending is that it keeps players in their best positions and keeps the Back 4 (or Back 3) better balanced. Most of the top teams in the world are now using some kind of Zonal System. Nevertheless, with a group of willing markers, and a player who can read the game well and/or is a true organizer at the back, the Sweeper/Man-Marking System can be very effective and has won many world championships.

4 What happens if the Back 4 is confronted by only 2 players? That's why we've used a as the demonstration system. Holding a Back 4 against just two strikers means the team is going to be outnumbered in other areas of the field If the team keeps the Back 4, then there is not just one covering player, but 2. And the team must be outnumbered further upfield.

5 3-5-2 formed by pushing up one of the Back 4 If we push the extra back player whether that is one of the center backs or one of the wide back defenders into the midfield, we have immediately created a system. If we push another mid-field player forward, we have a system.

6 3-4-3 created by pushing a player forward from the back and the midfield of a But, for the moment, let s stay with the and look at the midfield to see how they can organize themselves differently.

7 Midfield responsibility with opponents making forward runs If we continue with a Back 4 Zonal System and have four midfield players in the stereotypical spaces across the midfield, we still have a problem if an opposing player runs forward. Do they hold their zones? Or do they go with the opponent? The golden rule here is for the nearest mid-fielder to stay with the forward running opponent unless he/she gets a shout from a back-player, "Let him run!" In which case, the mid-field player holds the zone and the back player accepts the marking of the opponent coming into his/her back zone (see Zonal Defending in the Appendix). There are many different ways of arranging the mid-field 4.

8 Nowadays, many teams play a defensive central mid-field player in front of the Back 4 who is a good ball winner and a good passer of the ball. This player used to be called "the windshield wiper" as he/she cleans up in front of the Back 4. Nowadays they are more referred to as the holding midfield player. Midfield 4 of a in a diamond shape At the top of the mid-field, a more forward central mid-field player can support the front 2 strikers, and also make forward runs, and concentrate more on an attacking role. As we said earlier, in the old days they called this player a Deep Lying Center Forward and to this day the Italians use the term, the Mezza Punta. The wide midfield players on the principle of mobility and interchange of positions can go forward, but can also be overlapped by the back-wide defending players. The basic shape of the midfield described above is that of a diamond.

9 The potential danger with 2 wide mid-field players is if both go into advanced positions, they may be caught on the wrong side of the ball if the ball is intercepted or turned over to the opposition leaving only two midfield players to police the large midfield area. Without being negative, Balance in Defence kicks in even when the team is on the attack. The Balance and Team Shape are retained to prevent being punished on a turn-over and the subsequent counterattack. The general rule of thumb is if one wide mid-field player goes forward, the other wide mid-field player tucks in and stays goal-side of the ball. With the 4-4-2, the front two strikers will usually work as a duo (but not always). It would be important for the front two to complement and compensate for one-another. For instance, a big target man, who is good in the air and good playing with his/her back to goal, would be complemented by a quicker, smaller player who can look for flick-ons, one-twos, and near post runs. Let s get away from numbers and systems for the moment. We said how important are the Principles of Play, but so is an attacking and defending team philosophy.

2. Evolution and Revolution of Systems

2. Evolution and Revolution of Systems Inevitably, winning teams become the standard for lesser teams. World Champions often set the trend. Through the years the game has changed, with rule changes bringing