Football Tactics Formations - which is which (1-4-4-2)?

At PositionSpecific, we believe there are 10 tactical formations/systems in football. 5 systems with 4 players on the defensive line and 5 systems with 3 players on the defensive line. Each system has a defensive unit and an attacking unit.

Over the next 10 blogs we will discuss each system in depth. In this particular blog we will be talking about the 1-4-4-2 system.

The system that will suit your team the most will depend a lot on your players and their profiles. For example you might have more midfield players suited to playing centrally in your squad so a system with 3 players in midfield might be more suitable, or you might have 2 out and out centre forwards so a system that has 2 players on the highest attacking line may be a better fit.

History

1-4-4-2 is one of the most popular formations in the late 1980’s and 1990’s. The formation has 4 players on the defensive line, 4 players across the midfield and 2 centre forwards. Midfielders are expected to support in defence and in attack. Usually one central midfielder will support the 2 centre forwards while the other will stay a little deeper to shield the 2 centre backs. The wider midfielders also have to work hard moving forward to provide width in attacks and drop to protect the full backs when defending.

In Europe AC Milan using the 1-4-4-2 formation first under Arrigo Sacchi and later under Fabio Capello experienced huge success winning 5 Serie ‘A’ titles, 3 European Cups, 2 Intercontinental Cups and 3 UEFA Cups between 1988 and 1995 paving the way for many more teams to follow suit. When the Premier League started in England in 1992 every team that won the league until the ned of the decade played a 1-4-4-2 system. Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson were the most successful team in that period winning 6 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups and the European Champions League in the historic 1998/99 treble winning season.

Strengths

From a defensive point of view the 1-4-4-2 is excellent to be able to protect the full width of the pitch while posing a difficult task for the opposition to break down two banks of 4. In attack this formation gives a team the opportunity to dominate the wide areas and supply lots of crosses for the centre forwards who will be 2v2 with centre backs when playing against another formation with 4 players on the defensive line.

Weaknesses

In defence having only 2 central midfielders can cause an outnumbered situation when playing a system that has 3/4 midfielders in central areas, which can also cause problems in attack when trying to control possession.

The Fall and Revival

In 2010, none of the Spanish, English, Italian league and the Champions League winners used the 1-4-4-2 system. England's elimination at the 2010 World Cup by a Germany side playing 1-4-2-3-1 created a huge stir with many analysts calling the formation outdated.

However in recent years the 1-4–4–2 has made a come back having recently contributed to the success of Diego Simeone's Atlético Madrid and Claudio Ranieri's Leicester City.

System Flexibility

Each system we will discuss in this series of blogs naturally drifts into another system in possession. In this case 1-4-4-2 naturally drifts into a 1-3-3-4 system when one of the full backs moves forward into midfield and the two wide midfield players move forward to support attacking play. Please use the link below to see the video of this system flexibility:

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