[Serie A] Roma - JUVENTUS (August 30th, 2015) (16 Viewers)
- Thread starter Hust
- Start date
Didn't I read Allegri say recently that he saw Pogba as a regista later in his career? Anyway, when he first broke through here I thought he would end up playing as a regular CM, then he started firing shots in from everywhere and showcasing his skills. Maybe he could do with a little time doing the gritty stuff over the headline stuff, and free Dybala up.
4-4-2 with pogba-sturaro in the middle and we can field a decent team without serious weaknesses
whoever wanted to make a 4-4-2 group: i'm in
whoever wanted to make a 4-4-2 group: i'm in
We've been playing with 3-CM systems for a while now and have been successful with it. Changing to a 442 would be a big change. They're very different dynamically.
One of the reasons why we've been able to switch back and forth between 4312 and 352 so seamlessly is that the midfield remains the same with 3 in the middle. Their movements and roles are the same. It's just taking the AM off and adding a CB. (Having played 352 for a long time is of course the other reason why we can change back to it so effortlessly.)
442 is the more defensive, rigid cousin of 4231. 4231 is more attacking, it uses the width (there's more penetration via the flanks) and length of the field (4 lines vs 3 lines) better, and there are more natural triangles (the 2-3-1 already features triangles without having to move into position). 442 is narrower.
4231 is also more adept to pressing. So, you lose some defensive prowess in your half of the field, but you can press the opponent more effectively in their own half (by using less energy because you're already in position with 3-4 players ready to press in that shape) , and you play a higher line as a result. This increases the chance of getting beaten by a fast counter more (hence, we see speed for CBs becoming a more important attribute nowadays; compare Benatia playing a low D-line with Roma with a high D-line at Bayern), but on the flip side, it increases the chance of winning the ball back in your opponents half or near the center circle instead of closer towards your goal.
And in a 4231, you can take advantage of the individual strengths of the players more: wingers concentrate more on attacking play, and the AM is already there to link the midfield with the attack where, in 442, the SS has to drop in to create that link.
Teams playing 4231 often assume a 442 shape while defending. Rafa's Napoli did for example. And a 442, when with the ball, is often a pseudo-4231. It's not just in Atletico's case.
And it doesn't really have anything to do with the CMs getting outnumbered. The SMs in the 442 help out more defensively than the wingers in 4231 do. It's not just Atletico, Real also used this system effectively last season when Modric was healthy.
I don't think the 442 is an inferior tactic. It's just that nowadays wing-play (and as a result pressing - they go hand in hand) is more commonplace. But Atletico has shown that 442 is still effective despite most thinking it's an archaic formation. I think it's a good formation for an underdog. And in Real's case, it gave them more balance.
