Attacking & Defensive Formations

By Ethan Keogh

Modern Soccer has evolved from a game of systems to a game of space exploitation and as a result of this, most peoples interpretation on the concept of formations is wrong. Teams no longer have one formation, they have a defensive organizational structure and an attacking organizational structure. Some teams can have the same defensive and attacking structures, however if you look at the top teams in the world there are transitions that they implement to exploit the spaces left by the opposition.

In the past, fans and managers even would speak about teams playing in a specific formation. For example, England's Golden Generation were criticized for not reaching their potential and one of the main reasons put forward for their lack of success was their rigid 4-4-2 formation that they played. If you watch the top teams today you would rarely see the players set up in the same formation when they attack versus when they defend. Man City and Arsenal are perfect example of this concept. When defending both teams are in a 4-4-2 0r 4-3-3 shape, however once they regain possession they shift to a back three, one of the full-backs either push really high or invert as a center midfielder. These attacking transitional movements in modern soccer means that you can no longer say your team is playing one formation, they have an attacking formation and a defensive formation.

"“Systems no longer exist in football, it’s all about the spaces left by the opposition. You must be quick to spot them and know the right moment to strike, have the courage to start the move even when pressed." - Luciano Spalletti

The concept of attacking and defensive formations is not talked about enough. Players need to understand that although the team defends in a particular formation, when they attack their role can change and their position can change. I will outline some examples below.

4-3-3 Transitions to 3-2-5

One of the most widely known examples of these formation transitions is Manchester City's & Arsenal's transition from a defensive 4-3-3 formation to an attacking 3-2-5 formation. As these team's gain possession one of the full backs inverts to make a double pivot, while the two 8's push higher creating a front 5 with the striker and two wingers. This structural decision allows the team to defend with a back four and one pivot while building with a back 3 and 2 pivots.

5-2-3 Transitions to 3-5-2

Another example of transitions from defensive to attacking formation is 5-2-3 when defending to 3-5-2 when attacking. The main movement that occurs here is the central striker drops into midfield to make a three, while both wingers move centrally and wing backs push high and wide.