Teams may also use different formations for attacking and defending phases of play in the same game. Different formations can be used depending on whether a team wishes to play more attacking or defensive football, and a team may switch formations between or during games for tactical reasons. The choice of formation is normally made by a team's manager or head coach.

For example, the '4–5–1' formation has four defenders, five midfielders, and a single forward. A player's position in a formation typically defines whether a player has a mostly defensive or attacking role, and whether they tend to play centrally or towards one side of the pitch.įormations are described by three or more numbers in order to denote how many players are in each row of the formation, from the most defensive to the most advanced. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper) in a formation does not define their role as tightly as that of rugby player, nor are there breaks in play where the players must line up in formation (as in gridiron football). In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch.

The players are arranged in 2–3–5 formation. Programme for an 1887 game between Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday. JSTOR ( September 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: 'Formation' association football – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.

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