Formations, explained

In one lineA formation is a team’s basic shape written as numbers from defence to attack, but most teams use one shape with the ball and another without it.

How to read a formation

A formation lists how many outfield players stand in each line, starting from the back. In a 4-3-3, there are four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards.

The goalkeeper is left out. The Laws of the Game allow a team a maximum of eleven players, one of whom must be the goalkeeper, so the numbers in a formation add up to ten. If they add up to anything else, something is wrong.

A few details make the notation easier to follow:

• More than three numbers means more layers. A 4-2-3-1 splits the midfield into two deeper players and three further forward, behind a single striker.
• A leading 1 is sometimes added for the goalkeeper. UEFA’s technical reports, for example, write shapes such as 1-4-3-3. It means the same thing as 4-3-3.
• The numbers do not show width. A 4-4-2 can have wide midfielders hugging the touchlines or tucked in narrow. You have to watch to know.

Shape with and without the ball

The formation printed on a team sheet is only a starting point. What matters is the shape a team takes in each phase of play.

• With the ball (in possession), teams spread out to make the pitch big and give the passer options. A full-back may push forward or move into midfield, and a midfielder may drop between the centre-backs. One of UEFA’s Champions League technical reports described a team whose 4-3-3 turned into a 2-3-5 with the ball: two players at the back, three in front of them and five across the front line.
• Without the ball (out of possession), teams shrink the space. Players move closer together, both across the pitch and between the lines. That is called compactness. FIFA’s analysts describe a mid-block as a team holding a connected, organised shape with at least eight outfield players in the middle third, or the middle and defensive thirds. A low block is the same idea pushed back into the defensive third.

UEFA’s technical observers, who analyse its competitions, have described teams whose defensive and attacking shapes look almost nothing alike. So when commentators disagree about whether a team is playing 4-3-3 or 4-5-1, they may both be right: one is describing the team with the ball and the other without it.

Five common shapes

4-3-3

Four defenders, three central midfielders and three forwards: usually two wingers and a striker. The midfield is often one holding player (a “6”) with two more advanced central midfielders (two “8s”). It gives natural width through the wingers and puts three players high up the pitch to press the opponents’ defenders.

4-2-3-1

Four defenders, two deeper midfielders side by side (a “double pivot”), a line of three attacking players and one striker. The two deep midfielders give protection in front of the defence. The central player of the three is usually an attacking midfielder (a “10”). Without the ball it often becomes 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1.

4-4-2

Four defenders, four midfielders in a line and two strikers. It is simple to organise and covers the width of the pitch well in two banks of four when defending. The two strikers can press the two opposing centre-backs one against one. The common weakness is the centre of midfield, where two players can be outnumbered by a team with three.

3-5-2

Three centre-backs, two wing-backs, three central midfielders and two strikers. The extra centre-back gives cover, which frees the wing-backs to cover the whole flank. It is strong in the centre of the pitch. The trade-off is that the wing-backs alone provide width, so a lot depends on their running. Without the ball it often becomes 5-3-2.

3-4-3

Three centre-backs, two wing-backs, two central midfielders and three forwards. It is more attacking than 3-5-2, with two wide forwards joining the striker. Without the ball it often drops into 5-4-1. The two central midfielders can be stretched if the wide forwards do not help defend.

Comparing the shapes

What actually changes between them

Switching formation is really about moving a few players and changing a few jobs. Four questions cover most of it.

1. How many at the back? A back three leaves a spare centre-back against one striker, or three against two. A back four frees an extra player for midfield or attack.
2. Who provides width? In a back four, the full-backs and the wingers share the flank. In a back three, the wing-backs usually do it alone.
3. Where is the extra player? A team with three central midfielders against two has an overload, meaning more players than the opponents in that area. The side with fewer players there must find the advantage somewhere else, often out wide.
4. How many can press high? A front three or a front two can close down the opponents’ defenders directly. A single striker usually needs midfielders to step up and help.

The matchups between two formations often explain a game’s pattern. A 4-4-2 against a 4-3-3, for example, tends to create a three-against-two in central midfield and a two-against-two between the strikers and centre-backs. Coaches then adjust roles, rather than the whole formation, to close the gaps.

Where to go next

• Football positions, explained: the jobs inside each line.
• Pressing, explained: how shapes work without the ball.
• Positional play, explained: how teams arrange players with the ball.