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When was the last time you used a Soccer field diagram to explain soccer formations to the team? If yours answer is “long time back” or “never”, it means that your team does not know much about positions and formations.

The biggest mistake coaches make is to assume that giving verbal instructions is enough and that the kids would have understood everything. The players must take part in the dialogue about formations on the field as they are an important matter.

These are calculated choices normally made in the form of figures and these explain the soccer positions of different players in each one area from the defensive line. The formations should never be inflexible and so the coach must continue to exchange players in every game. One very important thing is that the formations must be chosen keeping in mind the strengths as well as weaknesses of all players.

Some commonly used formations in the game of soccer are given below:

4-4-2: This is the most commonly used. It derives its number sequence from the fact that there are four defenders, four midfielders and two attackers, not including the goalkeeper.

The most important role in this formation is played by the midfielders who support the forward players during defense. In case of an attack, they must draw near the goal line and help out the defenders.

Soccer field diagram

4-5-1: This formation has five mid fielders and one forward player and is a defensive formation. The advantage with this formation is that since the midfielders are stacked up in the center, the opponents have a hard time attacking.

And then because there is only 1 forward, it makes the midfielders go forward which frustrates the opposition to get the possession of the ball.

3-5-2: This contains three defenders, five midfielders, and two forwards. This formation allows both attack as well as defense when 2 wingmen take up the attacking role and the center midfielder disallows for any counter attacks.

3-4-3: This is the most dynamic and aggressive formation on the soccer field diagram that is used by the team when it expects its opponents to play safe or defensive. With three defenders, four midfielders and three forwards, the strategy is to mainly attack using the forwards and use the defenders in case the opponents break the defensive line.

You cannot adopt a particular plan for the entire match. It must change with the dynamics and situations of the game. So a coach must be smart enough to rotate the players as per the situations in the game. But any formation can be either offensive or defensive.

Efficient soccer tactics regarding formations are crucial as a team’s win or lose depends on it. As the game progresses towards action, the formation should change accordingly.

Now get out there and teach your players formations using a soccer field diagram. Our youth soccer coaching community is full of information on formations in the form of articles, newsletters, and videos.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Soccer Practice Drills

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