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Formations

The success of your team not only depends on the skills of individuals, but also on their ability to read the game, make quick decisions, and communicate with their team mates – it all boils down to an understanding of strategy.
Central to this strategy is the shape in which you set the team up – how you position your players on the pitch and how you tell them to play.
For example, how many defenders are you going to have? Who’s playing in midfield? Do you want to push wide players forward? Will you have one attacker or two? Or maybe three?
All these decisions go into deciding the formation that your team will play in. As coaches, we are unable to get on the pitch, so the formation is a vital way for us to enforce our vision on the players.
The type of formation we choose reflects the sort of football we want our team to play. The formation we decide on can be the reason the team is not as successful as it should be or the reason it wins every week.
We also take a deep dive into the variety of soccer formations available at every age group. We discuss and rate all of the most popular formations and tactics for 5v5 7v7 9v9 and 11v11.

9v9 formations: 3-2-1-2

in Formations

Coaching a team who are about to step up into 9v9? In part five of this study of shapes and tactics for this team size, DAVE CLARKE looks at 3-2-1-2… MORE

Preparing players for the jump to 11-a-side

in Formations

As we head into a new season in the UK, many grassroots teams will be making the leap from 9-a-side to 11-a-side. Typically for boys, this will be at under- 13s and for girls at under-14s. For coaches leading that transition, it can be quite a daunting prospect – but it needn’t be. MORE

The best attacking system

in Email newsletters, Formations

The 4-3-3 is a great system to study if you are looking for a system of play for your team. No matter the age or the numbers of players involved the principles are the same. Good width, good support play, and fantastic attacking moves. MORE

Tactics and formations

How to choose a formation

in Email newsletters, Formations

What kind of shape does your team have on match day? Getting players to fit a formation can be a tricky business especially at the younger age groups, it's all about getting the players to understand how the formation works and their role in it. MORE

7v7 formation 1-3-2

in Formations, Tactics

Here we look at the 7v7 1-3-2 formation and how it fits in with the players you have in your team. A great attacking formation and one players will learn positional play from. MORE

How to coach 4-3-3

in Email newsletters, Formations, Tactics

England destroyed Spain playing 4-3-3 in the Nations League earlier this month and with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Leeds playing the formation it could be the dream formation for your team this season. MORE

Positions and formations

Formations

in Attacking, Formations

Good players can understand and play in a lot of different positions and formations. This session gives players a chance to see how overloads and changing numbers work in different positions. MORE

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