Tactics 101: Everything You Need to Know
The strengths, the weaknesses, and the miscellaneous of your favorite formation and how St. Louis CITY SC would look in it.
Find a globe, point anywhere on it, and you’ll likely find a group of people running around kicking a ball, hoping to find the back of the net. The game itself is beautiful in its simplicity; it can be played without grass, without a net, without posts, without a ball, etc., and yet, it’s instantly recognizable as the beautiful game. And in that simplicity, teams, leagues, and countries have created their own philosophies on how to play, whether it be Brazil’s jogo bonito, Italy’s catenaccio, Germany’s gegenpress, Spain’s tika-taka, the Netherlands’ total football, the list goes on and on…
Let me start by saying the tactical side of this sport is my true love. Chess, but with 22 pieces moving simultaneously. A real-time strategy video game in front of your own eyes. I’ve read countless books on the subject, from the 19th-century’s Pyramid to the 2020’s inverted fullbacks, and watched thousands of hours of the sport, and if there’s one takeaway from this piece, it’s thus - If someone asks you what the best tactic is, you answer, “I don’t know.”
Tactics is a broad word for the combination of formation, philosophy, game plan, and more that goes into the preparation for each game.
Notes:
Formations are read from back to front but exclude the goalkeeper: defenders-defensive midfielders-midfielders-attacking midfielders/wingers-center forwards. For example, a 4-4-2 does not include defensive midfielders or attacking midfielders, so it’s colloquially known as 4-4-2 rather than 4-0-4-0-2.
Positions can often be referred to by a number. In the traditional sense, this is how players were numbered:
But, the most commonly used when talking about tactics are the 6, 8, 10, and 9.
The 6, or defensive midfielder, is tasked with breaking up opposition attacks and being the base of possession when your team has the ball and is trying to move it centrally.
The 8, or central midfielder, is usually the box-to-box presence on the pitch, tasked with both defensive and offensive duties, and runs from one box to the other box doing it all.
The 10, or attacking midfielder, is the creative heartbeat of the team and the most significant variable on the pitch. Some teams, like CITY, play it like a second striker, where the 10 makes runs off the 9, looking to cause disruption. Others have the 10 sit outside the box, looking to take shots and carve open the defense with line-splitting through balls and whipping crosses in. Some don’t play a 10 at all.
The 9, or center forward, is the spearhead of the attack. Whether it be a large target-forward looking to be aerially dominant and trying to hold up the ball while his teammates run beyond him or a smaller, quicker 9 standing on the shoulder of the last defender looking to stay onside but getting on the end of balls behind the defense, the 9 is there to be a constant threat to the opposition goal.
With that quick lesson finished, let’s have some fun!
Here’s the current look at the squad:
We will work through all this with the idea that the transfer window has opened, but I will exclude those players suffering long-term injuries and thus unavailable in 2024. That said, let’s dive into the various tactics through the lens of St. Louis CITY SC!
4-4-2
(Four defenders, two central midfielders, two wide midfielders, and two center forwards)
The classic formation in the modern game. Regardless of how the team sets up, you will likely see this formation when CITY does not have the ball. Because of the straightforward structure and relative simplicity, most teams press using this setup, and CITY is no different.
Strengths: Playing with two wide midfielders and two fullbacks guarantees that extra bodies and creation will happen out wide. We all know what that means. Crosses, and lots of them.
Weaknesses: Many teams play with three or even four central midfielders. As a result, the two-man midfield can struggle to keep the ball against a numerical disadvantage, and it becomes especially difficult to mark and press those midfielders.
The other weakness is similar: because there are just two central midfielders, they are constantly tasked with attacking and defending. The midfield can quickly fall apart if either one loses focus or fatigues.
CITY: Predicting the lineup here is difficult because Hartel does not really fit into a classic 4-4-2 because he doesn’t do enough defensively with the amount required in that role. Vassilev would likely start on the left to have the crossing presence on his preferred foot, similar to Alm on the right.
Diamond (4-4-2 or 4-1-2-1-2)
(Four defenders, two central midfielders but not side-by-side, two wide midfielders, and two center forwards)
A modern variation of the classic formation, it can sometimes be read as a 4-3-1-2 depending on whether the most central midfielder is more of a 6 or an 8.
Strengths: Unlike the classic 4-4-2, where the central midfielders can often be at a numerical disadvantage, here, the four-person midfield is almost certain to grant a numerical advantage, which can be an excellent option for teams looking to dominate and progress the ball through the middle of the pitch.
Weaknesses: There are only so many players on the pitch, so when you give more to the center of the pitch, you must take players from elsewhere. In this instance, it’s typically the wide areas. Without wingers or wide midfielders, the fullbacks are required to be the width on the pitch and thus have to be willing and able to run the entire flank to provide that width in attack and that cover in defense.
CITY: This was not a formation I cared to see much from CITY, but with the injury to Pompeu, the form of Þórisson, and the transfer of Jackson, CITY don’t have a lot of options out wide, and they’ve lacked that 10 that can pick the lock of a defense. With Hartel, this formation looks more viable. The work-rate of Durkin can cover a large amount of ground at the base of the midfield, Kijima and Löwen both play in their best positions as dual 8’s with some creative license to move forward, and Hartel can sit at the tip of the midfield looking to create chances for both the 9’s and himself. The issue here is the fullbacks: Totland is more than capable of dominating on the right, but there is no Totland on the left.
4-2-3-1
(Four defenders, two central midfielders, three attacking midfielders, and one center forward)
The most common CITY formation through the first 1.5 years of existence.
Strengths: There’s lots of variation available in the 4-2-3-1 midfield, as you can have different combinations in both the “2” and the “3”. Dual 8’s or dual 6’s or one 8 + one 6. And in the attacking 3, you can play wingers, three 10s, two 10s + second striker, etc.
Two separate lines of midfield make it harder to pass through. You can mark the opposition attacking midfielders, while the attacking midfielders can mark the opposition central midfielders.
Plus, at a minimum, three members to the midfield should allow you to have the same numbers or a numerical advantage against almost every opponent. And, the geometry of the positions gives you those “triangles” all over the pitch, which allows quick interchange in passes to bypass a defense.
Weaknesses: The 9 can become isolated, and depending on the implementation, there can be either too many or too few bodies in midfield. Additionally, because of the attacking nature of having three attacking midfielders, specifically the wide ones in the three, the defense can be severely outnumbered if they fail to fulfill their defensive responsibilities.
CITY: This seems to be the most likely way CITY will line up after the incomings. The fear echoed across several of these formations is the weakness at leftback (LB). Especially with Teuchert most likely playing on the left so Alm can play on the right, the LB will have complete responsibility for width. Currently, there is not a LB in the squad that can do that. Alternatively, Teuchert could play on the right, with Vassilev the most likely to play on the left, but I think the field-stretching ability of Alm is key to how CITY plays, so I expect him, if healthy, to start on the right.
4-3-3
(Four defenders, three midfielders, and three attackers.)
The most variable of them all. How are you setting up your midfield? One 6 + two 8s? Two 6’s + one 8? Two 8s + one 10? Three 8’s? The forward “3” can be confusing because it’s almost always a center forward with two attacking wingers or “Wide 10s (W10s),” to use CITY’s internal description.
Strengths: With the W10s playing high and wide, they can effectively nullify the opposition fullbacks looking to join the attack with their threat to run in behind. Plus, as a typically more defensive variation of the 4-2-3-1 as the 4-3-3 usually sacrifices the 10 for another 6 or 8, and multiple box-to-box midfielders and ball winners give additional defensive stability; because of that midfield presence, it usually allows the fullbacks to play more advanced, creating higher numbers of overloads out wide to find space and whip crosses in.
Weaknesses: Isolated even more than the 4-2-3-1, the 9 here is extremely difficult. With the likelihood that the W10s are staying high and wide to create problems, the 9 will likely be in a battle with both opposition centerbacks (CBs) and a potential 6.
CITY: This is an unknown for CITY and me. The biggest problem(s) is a lack of a good 6 who can progress the ball at the base of midfield. Between Löwen, Durkin, Kijima, and the injured Ostrák, there are plenty of 8s in the squad. Blom is the only 6 and is technically limited, making it complicated. Couple that with W10s like Þórisson, Alm, Vassilev, and the injured Célio, who all score goals at a sporadic or nonexistent rate, and the reliance on the 9 to score goals is absolutely immense.
That said, I would not be against using this tactic when we know it will be a struggle to keep the ball, and the opponent offers a lot of threat and creativity in midfield. That midfield I proposed above is solid and workmanlike; I’m just not sure there are enough goals to make it worthwhile, and Hartel likely doesn’t play in this format, either.
3-5-2/5-3-2
(Three centerbacks, two wingbacks, three central midfielders, and two center forwards) You can count the wingbacks in the defensive or midfield lines, as they combine both.
The defensive one, right? More defenders = more defense.
Strengths: The anti counter-attack. With three CBs patrolling at all times, outside of set pieces, there’s rarely a moment when the defense should be outnumbered. Plus, when the opposition has the ball, all of those vulnerable spaces in a traditional back four become significantly smaller and less threatening with another defensive body as the back three becomes a back five.
Additionally, the dual 9s with a 10 beneath them offer some serious firepower, and most coaches prefer to have a numerical advantage between their CBs and the opposition 9s, which increases the likelihood of the opposition playing more defensively to match the firepower.
Plus, a three-man midfield for that numerical advantage.
Weaknesses: The width. The wingbacks are completely isolated out wide, both offensively and defensively. They have to be physically outstanding to run the length of the pitch for 90’, have the attacking instincts to cross the ball and get into the box at the back post to finish chances, and defend resolutely. Because of the number of CBs and midfielders, the space to attack will be to the outside, so the fullbacks will be the target of 2v1 overloads.
CITY: If CITY can find a LB, this formation is absolutely on the cards. In this scenario, Totland would likely be a rockstar. 3/5-man defenses go in and out of fashion. Many dismiss them due to their defensive inclination, but with this current CITY squad lacking in W10s, it’s an exciting option. It would also allow for an easier introduction for Girdwood-Reich at RCB if CITY decides he’s up to the challenge when he arrives.
That’s it!
There are plenty of formations and tactics that I didn’t cover because this would quickly become a novel.
Did I miss something, or is there a different way you think CITY may play? Let me know! If this scratched an itch and you want to learn even more, I’ll happily share some of the resources I’ve used and loved along the way!
Rambling over. I loved writing this deep-dive, and I can’t wait to see what you, the readers, want to read next! Thanks so much for reading my first piece here on Substack!