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Why 4-4-2 is the Way Forward For Our Current Squad

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I am writing a piece I have been thinking about since the cup final but in a slightly happier mood after watching our wonderful 4-1 triumph that goes some way to support the point that I am wanting to make.

But quickly Tuesday saw a better approach, performance and attitude, with some quality performances from a lot of individuals. Doff of the cap to Shelvey for a well taken first in the league and that really was Terry’s best game in a long while, Bayern will certainly miss his presence! Ahem!

This is a subject that I have thought about for a long time, dating back to Rafa’s days and is a debate that has caused us headaches in more ways than one. We all know that there is not one perfect formation that trumps all others and different teams will respond to different formations in different ways.

These 2 formations I have identified have predominantly been the ones Liverpool have deployed in recent years and I will now look at the pros and cons of each.

4-2-3-1

The perfect example of how this formation can be used and how effective it can be is the 2008/09 season where we finished second. You just have to look at the personnel at our disposal to see why we played so well. The deep lying pair of Alonso and Mascherano complimented each perfectly with Masch allowed to do what he does best, disrupting and tackling with Xabi on hand to orchestrate from a deep role and run things. The assurance these two provided to the team was no more evident in what it allowed Gerrard to do. Stevie was able to set up in a free role behind Torres and roam the pitch safe in the knowledge he had cover behind him. His movement and freedom given to him by Rafa caused chaos in opposition ranks allowing a glorious partnership with Nando. As for Nando, the player he is and the form he was in was the perfect player for the solo striker role. He could hold the ball up, run at defences, harry, press, was good in the air or to his feet and intelligent enough to link up well with the skipper. Playing this way allowed Liverpool to clear the lines and move out of defence easier, and with such an immaculate goalscorer in the side always knew there was a possibility that no matter how the game or the performance was Torres could pop up with a goal. Not unlike RVP at Arsenal this year.

The problem this created was that there was only room for one established centre forward at the club. With Torres playing, playing well and staying fit people like Crouch and Bellamy for example were not getting a sniff and consequently moved on. This left Liverpool with only Ngog as a second striker. I always thought Ngog had potential and needed to be nurtured and brought in slowly, however, with the injury problems Torres suffered he was thrust in far too early and struggled. Coupling this with the loss of a lynchpin in the team and the formation as Alonso was we were setup to play a system our squad did not suit. This for me was a similar problem we had in the first half of the FA Cup on Saturday. With all due respect and as good a players as they are and the potential they have (and I think Henderson has a lot) Henderson and Spearing are not Masch and Alonso. This can be seen in Stevie’s performance as he was dropping too deep as the same trust he showed Alonso and Masch wasn’t there. Also, the type of striker Suarez is, doesn’t suit that lone striker role so Liverpool were not able to relieve the defence and the pressure that Chelsea were building.

4-4-2

Back in 2008/09, if we are using this as the example, the use of a 4-4-2 system was a case of using players to fit a system rather than the way it should be, in that a system is used to promote the best from the players. It was clear in the failed Keane experiment that Torres was not as effective playing up top with a second forward and a distinct lack of two out an out wingers resulted in people playing out of position, the very current problem of square peg round hole. In this system, the offensive combinations that worked so well in the 4-2-3-1 system did not suit, Masch and Alonso while still as solid were not as effective and Stevie, although many will argue some of his most successful seasons have been wide right, we all know he was built for the middle of the park so his talents were not fully utilised.
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Wind forward to our current campaign and our squad now is seemingly more suitable for the 4-4-2 system with the FA Cup Final being the prime example. The first 60 minutes or so in our 4-3-2-1 formation we struggled with the gap between defence and Suarez being too much and crucially the gap between Suarez and Gerrard being too much. It presented a very hesitant and defensive approach that worried more about Chelsea and how to contain them which essentially invited them on to us more, forcing the errors which resulted in the goals. The introduction of Carroll for Spearing not only brought on a player hungry and in form but more importantly brought a formation change.

Carroll dominated the Chelsea centre backs and clearly showed in many eyes what this man can become with patience and belief, and as a result brought Suarez into the game. With Carroll providing an outlet and a focal point it distracted the centre backs freeing Suarez more who increasingly found more space and hurt Chelsea more. I fully believe when Suarez and Carroll get on the same page (not far off in my book) then we are looking at a modern day Keegan and Toshack. We are starting to see the best of Carroll and the publicly praised performances at Wembley this last month are just an insight into what he offers and the beast he can truly be. Carroll’s introduction also saw Gerrard pushed back into the middle where he was able to have more influence, and him dropping deep in search of the ball was not creating the same repercussions it was having the first half. Likewise tonight, the 4-4-2 system saw a forward partnership that was dangerous and offered attacking options on many fronts, whether the raw strength of Carroll to hold up or the ludicrous skill of Suarez to embarrass players (Terry). The system also saw us get the best out of Henderson and Shelvey (the next Gerrard?) as each had a certain amount of freedom to get forward and attack, with both making some lovely runs and capping off fine performances with well taken goals.

In conclusion it is my belief that our current squad are more suited to the 4-4-2 setup and the addition of at the very least an out and out right winger is the way forward. Although not perfect, 4-4-2 has been a reliable formation to bring success to the red half of Manchester for many years and whilst we no longer (sadly) have the talents of an Alonso, of a Mascherano our current squad looks more comfortable playing 4-4-2. In terms of the squad, the 4-4-2 system as a plan A does offer more first team opportunities in a number of areas, specifically up front. It has often been said that to be successful you need 4 top centre forwards, so with 2 places to fight for in the starting line up it is reasonable to have 4 top strikers involved, whereas if there is only 1 as in a 4-2-3-1 formation then you will struggle to please players. I do believe however, that should Carroll’s form progress and his confidence grow that we will be looking at a man that can offer Liverpool what Drogba offers Chelsea and allow us the option of the 4-2-3-1, but for me the key to that formation is Lucas as he instils confidence in the rest of the team and allow them to fully express themselves.

As always I welcome chat and debate and can be found on twitter @timdibs and love chatting Liverpool and football in general!  Come find me and say hi.

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20 comments

  • lee says:

    4-4-2 is 1966 …We should play 3-6-1…Then you will win the midfield!

  • Rory says:

    4-4-2 is the way forward for our current squad because you don’t understand a thing about football.

    • Tim Williams says:

      constructive! short term example the last 2 chelsea games! which formation brought the better performance?

      Im not saying that 442 is my favourite formation, personally speaking I prefer the 4231 or 352 formations but this article is seeking to see what I believe would suit our squad best. 442 doesnt have to be as rigid as it historically is, for example shelvey and henderson in the last match were able to work well and both be attacking threats. someone like lucas back in frees up a central mibdfield partner too

  • M. says:

    442 is the easiest formation, which probably was introduced in 60s. I think, this is the best formation for mid table clubs or relegation battlers. Average teams with long pass – sky hoof game suits the 442.

    I believe, our best formation should be 4231. We have spent enough on Carroll & recently as the CF he has started to dominate the box. Suarez is as good as any one in forward line – just like CRod, he can be as effective at wings, may be at right-wing. We badly need a top class winger, as Downing proved to be a garbage may be Adam Johnson.

    For next 1/2 years at least SG can be the central mid-fielder, but we should definitely look for his successor, Henderson is growing, so is Shelvy, but we should for someone more dynamic, may be C Erikssen. Lucas is perfect as CM, but badly need a partner, which unfortunately is not CAdam or Spearing. I would have gone badly for Nigel De Jong.

    • Rory says:

      Thank god a good post, i just think that having Lucas, Nigel is useless, better have a playmaker similar to Xabi like Luis Gustavo or a balanced but more offensive midfielder like Schweinsteiger

    • Tim Williams says:

      i agree to some extent, i think the future for carroll is to play that drogba style role and i believe we have seen glimpses that he can do this but to help support him and his development i think the best tactic is to provide him with a partner

    • Maggs says:

      I agree with M.

      4-4-2 is outdated for a top class team with real ambitions. It’s fine for hoof & hope team aiming to stay in the PL (read Hodgson) but will not get LFC closer to the CL-places, let alone winning the league.

      4-4-2 for a top team depends on three things:

      1) Telepathic partnership of the front two.
      2) Dynamic passing & tackling midfield.
      3) Fantastic wingplay to provide width and creation.

      Components 1 and 2 might be at LFC but a counter acting measure of 3 midfielders by the opposition easily stiffles the midfield and cuts supply to the front two. We can´t always count on winning the battle of 2 against 3 in the centre, like against a hungover Chelski team. Lower teams have been able to stop us with using 4-5-1 or even 4-6-0 (Stoke).

      Furthermore we have only one real orthodox winger to complement a 4-4-2. That’s Downing and he has been playing poorly and can’t beat his man. Others are either wingforwards (Kuyt or Maxi) or midfielders (Henderson) and don’t work properly as wingers. You need a Giggs/Beckham or a Pires/Ljungberg to make 4-4-2 work for a top team.

      Sometimes ManYoo or Spurs have used 4-4-2 this season and the last. But they also have fantastic wingers in Nani/Valencia/Young or Bale/Lennon. We only have Downing and he’s not good enough. He might look better and the system more balanced with a good winger on the other side (Krasic) but that is a big if.

      All in all, 4-4-2 is an outdated tactic for a reason. If LFC will bet on using it then going above 5th place will be very difficult.

      • Tim Williams says:

        is any tactic actually outdated?? I would suggest that the formation Ferguson has used throughout his tenure has been akin to 442 with a ream of quality wingers having plyed their trade and unfortunately they havent done too badly!

        Setting up with our current squad in a 4231 has been far too negative, and with suarez as a lone striker has suffered at times, the cup final for one. He is much much better with someone playing up top with him in Carroll or just off him in Gerrard, and as I suggested in the article, certainly without lucas to shore things up Gerrard drops far too deep and islotes Suarez. The last 6 or 7 games we have seen the best of Carroll and seen him and Suarez link up well, so certainly when we dont have Lucas available and even then with the lack of an alonso-esque (adam showed promise of a partnership with lucas before the latters injury) we are easier to contain. My suggestion in the article is that with the current squad the 442/4411 formation has suited the players at our disposal, and with an onsong Carroll allows an outlet whilst also giving suarez more time and space.
        to argue against it in the belief that is outdated would be foolish for me and to dismiss the Chelsea 4-1 game as them having a hangover is a poor view for me, they had Terry, Ivanovic, Ramires, Torres, malouda, Sturridge, essien all starting for example, and with something to play for! Im not proclaiming that it was defining or anything like that but the input, effort and pace the side played out settling comfortably into the 442 was a world away from the negative 4231 setup from the final.
        Also, 442 does not relate automatically to hoof and hope style. 2 out and out wingers who hug each touchline can actually stretch the game giving those in the centre of the park more time and space when on the ball, and when not in possession can move in to crowd out the opposition.

        What am I trying to say here and in the article is that throughout the season I am of the opinion that the side has settled better with the 442 than the 4231 as our squad suits it more and is more comfortable with it. Is it my favourite formation? not especially, in recent years as I have mentioned the side with torres, gerrard, masch and alonso played football out of this world at times. but we dont have those players in those roles anymore. and lets not forget, in this quick to judge and condemn society we are in, that at times our football this year has been excellent (far better than last year) and that in quite a number of games we have not got the result our performance merited.

        • Rory says:

          I don’t think 4-4-2 is outdated, but modern football is based more on 4-3-3 or a similar 4-5-1, i think that a good formation for us could be something like this

          Reina
          Johnson Skrtel Agger Abala
          Gerrard Lucas Luis Gustavo/Schweinsteiger Tevez/Higuain/Robben/Ribery/Bale Carroll Suarez

  • soto says:

    We continue with the 4-2-2-2 which is what we played in our last game against Chelsea. City also use this formaton to great effect and its suits all our younger players like Hendo Shelvey and Suarez/Carroll. Sterling would be great on the left of the second 2 we just need Muniain or Suso on the other side and we would play impressive attacking dominating football.

  • Scottypool says:

    What about a 3-5-2? We are strongest at the back presently. Back three of Agger/Coates/Skrtel. Wing backs of Johnson and Enrique. Middle 3 of Lucas/Gerrard/Hendo(Shelvey)in a triangle with Gerrard up top. Then Suarez/Carroll up top. It gives us width with plenty of cover in the back. If we bring in better wingers, then we can adjust.

    • Tim Williams says:

      I must admit I do like 3-5-2 formation and if Coates progression continues then possibly a future way for us. I think it is important for us to have 2 up front to best utilise what we have and with 5 in the middle it would allow someone like Gerrard a whole world of freedom. We would need two world class wing backs though. Could Kelly do it on the right? certainly has the talent

    • Rory says:

      No, i think it’s impossible, we could have a good 3 defence and Glen is perfect to play in that position but Jose no, he lacks a bit too much in both, defence and offence, it’ll be too risky i think and there’s also not a single top team in the world that plays with 3 defenders, the better team with that type of formation today is Napoli

      • Tim Williams says:

        That was my point, we would need 2 world class wing backs. I think the 3 centre backs we have in coates, skrtel and agger would adapt well. The problem is that the formation is reliant on the whole team understanding and performing and would struggle against top class wingers, but if it could be pulled off it would be awesome!

  • david says:

    This team isn’t good enough for any formation ! We need top players or at least one of the following rather than 4 with the potental. Ribery, Schweinsteiger, Sneijder, Robben, Bale. Unfortunately I doubt we can tempt them

    • Rory says:

      That’s for sure, we are too weak with our players right now, Snejder is available but is always injured…

  • Akash says:

    ………….Reina…………….
    .
    ….Coates…Skrtel….Agger…..
    .
    ………….Biglia…………..
    .
    Affelay……Gerrard……Sterling
    .
    …….Hazard……..Suarez…….
    .
    …………..Higuain………….

  • The calculation of any formation must be equivalent to the power of the 11 players to resist of that of the opponents for Liverpool i prefer 3-2-3-2 it’s can be counted 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 i.e Johnson, Skertel,Coates defence Agger,Enrique Md Downing Gerrard ,Henderson Mo and forward Carroll and Suarez

  • ChriS says:

    the best teams can switch between systems ..

Comments are closed.