Spain: 4-6-0 formation: A revolution in the making?

In his debut article for The Football Front Thomas Payne evaluates Spain's 4-6-0 formation.

The eventual winners Spain were criticised recurrently during the recent European Championships for their lack of goals considering the plenteous and lengthy spells of possession as well as the quality of their team. La Roja's tiki-taka football was branded as "boring" by the media, due to the lack of chances created in the final third.

The predominant reason for their 'dull' football was their formation, as Del Bosque used a formation similar to a 4-6-0, with Fabregas being (on paper) their highest position player. Despite being listed as a striker in this formation, the Barcelona midfielder played a false 9 role, in which he dropped deep into midfield, meaning that Spain were without a forward quite often throughout matches.

This innovative system allows teams to dominate the midfield, as you'd expect with 6 midfielders and supported Spain's aim to control matches with possession.

However, since they sacrificed playing a striker to dominate more of the middle of the park, the long spells of possession that they had rarely had an end product. This was due to the fact that there was no one to receive through balls into the final third, since the forwards played a lot of the time deeper alongside the trio in the middle of the park.

Origins of the 4-6-0 

The birthplace of many tactical innovations is Italy, this great footballing nation is the home of the libero, the regista, and is where Lionel Messi's role, the false 9 was created. The latter of these positions was actually invented in the 4-6-0 system, at AS Roma by their manager at the time, Luciano Spalletti. Unlike Spain's 4-6-0, this formation was used for counter-attacking purposes, as the Italian side looked to score on the break through their men on the flanks.

Spalletti was somewhat forced to invent this formation, due to a lack of strikers during a small injury crisis at the club and it brought them success, and despite the forwards coming back from their injuries, Spalletti continued to use this system.

Could it Work on a long Term Basis? 

Within both examples of teams playing a 4-6-0, they used the formation temporarily. It was Spalletti's solution to an injury crisis, whilst Del Bosque only used it in the European Championships. We have yet to see a 4-6-0 be effective throughout a long period of time. The reasons to the failings of this formation lies up front, without a striker teams can dominate the possession stat, whilst creating few chances. There is no forward to make the runs behind the defence, to serve as an outlet for the through balls of Silva, Iniesta, Xavi, and Alonso.

This problem was exposed in La Roja's opening match against Italy, despite having 66% of the possession, they only scored one goal. This goal came from a run from deep and behind the Italian defence, something which they lacked throughout the tournament.

As you can see in the diagram, most of Spain's passes in the final third were short, and there aren't many through balls, which resulted in a lack of chances created for the side.

To counter this lack of penetration, the wingers need to be good goalscorers, like Mirko Vucinic in Roma's system, the Montenegrin was positioned on the left flank by Spalletti despite being a natural striker, where he now plays for Juventus.

On the attack, the side also has to get numbers forward. The front three should always be in advanced positions when their team is putting pressure on the opposition. This means that there will always be players making runs from deep and looking to make themselves available for the piercing through balls supplied by their teammates in midfield.

How it Could Work 

The 4-6-0 is a good formation for both counter-attacking and possession football. The compact midfield allows you to sit deep without giving the opposition too much space to work with, this also allows for quick and short passes to move the ball upfield, since every player is in close range of each other.

Like in the Roma side, the wingers need to be competent goalscorers to make sure you don't lack too much firepower up front. The two central midfielders also need to support the attack to make sure the players up top don't get isolated, whilst the holding midfielder behind them can either play as a destroyer (if you're in a counter-attacking side) or a regista if you're playing possession football.

This article was written by Thomas Payne. You can follow him on Twitter: @tacticalterrier  . Check out his blog too: tacticalterrier.blogspot.co.uk

Which league dominates the UEFA Champions League?

Themba Sweet analyses who has been dominating the Champions League.

Last season I noticed an increasing feeling on social media platforms and amongst the tv pundits, that La Liga is the best performing league playing in the UEFA Champions League. Now in the past few years with Barcelona dominating, it can be understood. Yet if you took a look at Real Madrid’s past few years in the UCL, you’d notice that they were rather disappointing. I decided to go back into the record books and see which league really does dominate the Champions League.

As a kid growing up in the early 90’s, Serie A was the dominant force in Europe. It was clear to see in this competition too, with a Serie A club involved in every final for 7 straight years: 1992-1998.

Although the Champions League was rebranded in 1992, it didn’t resemble the current tournament until the 1997-98 season. This was the first season where teams could enter the UCL without the need to win their league.  In my research I aim to see which league is consistently in the final KO rounds of the UCL and if 1 league has more than 1 team, they get more than 1 point. So to keep everything as fair as possible, here were my guidelines for this test:

• I’ve taken the date range from 1997/98 – 2011/12
• I consider teams in the QF stage and onwards only (final KO rounds)
• 1 point per team
• I’ve only taken into account the top leagues:
• EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Primeira Liga, Eredevisie

Quarter-final stage

So let’s see who really does dominate the Champions League as we know it. The consensus seems to be La Liga, but let’s see who’s dominated the past 15 years of the QF stage:Over the past 15 seasons, the English Premier League has been an ever-present in the quarter-final stage. Aside from that, they’ve made a total of 32 appearances at this stage. This is more important since it is a reflection of the strength of the league. An example is the 2007/08 & 2008/09 seasons which both had 4 EPL teams reach the QF stage. That’s 8 appearances in the QF over 2 years for the EPL. No other league has had 4 teams from their league in the QF at this stage, yet the EPL managed it in 2 consecutive seasons. La Liga trails in this regard with 27 appearances over 15 seasons.

Semi-final stage

It has to be said that the QF stage of the Champions League has been dominated by the EPL teams for nearly 2 decades, but if we think about the Semi-Finals over the past few years, one team springs to mind – Barcelona. An ever-present for half a decade in the semi’s, and possibly the main reason many believe La Liga to be stronger in Europe. It’s quite true though. The last time Barca failed to reach the SF stage was 6 seasons back. They are clearly the best team in Europe based on UEFA coefficients. But what about the rest of La Liga?

Even though the past 6 seasons saw 11 appearances by EPL teams in the semi’s against the 9 from La Liga, the Spanish league pips the Premier League since the EPL made most of their SF appearances in the past few years. 

One of the most striking facts one can take from this table is the gulf between the EPL/La Liga teams when compared against the rest of the European Leagues. None of the other leagues have made 10 appearances at this stage, yet the EPL & La Liga might make their 19^th & 20^th appearance this season if more than 1 team reaches the SF. It speaks volumes as to why many foreign players are choosing the EPL & La Liga over Bundesliga & especially Serie A. There seems to be more chance of glory in those 2 leagues.

Having said that, there has been a Bundesliga team in the semi’s for the past 3 seasons. Italy’s last appearance in the semi’s – 2009/10. In fact, out of the past 15 seasons, a Serie A team has only been present in 7 of those 15 tournaments at this stage. And what of the Eredivisie? 1 appearance in the semi’s in 15 seasons? It’s little wonder that the youth of Ajax choose to move to the giants of Europe.

Of all of these numbers & figures, the 3 year stretch by the EPL between 2006 & 2009, has to be the most impressive. 3 EPL teams reached the semi’s 3 years in a row. 9 appearances in 3 seasons.

La Liga takes the prize for the best semi-finalists, edging out the EPL for now at least.

Finals

It’s very easy to count who has won the most titles over 15 years, but dominance doesn’t always result in titles. Chelsea vs Barcelona/Bayern last season. The dominant team didn’t win. Simply reaching the finals is a massive achievement. Things can go wrong within the game, but reaching the final is no accident. Having said that, which league has had the most appearances in the Final since 1997/98?

The EPL slightly edges La Liga, having made 9 appearances in the finals over 15 years. The graph roughly states that there’s currently over a 50% chance that a team from the EPL will reach the finals. However, if you look at their run before 2004, you’ll notice the stark contrast. Simply 1 final before 2004 – the famous 1999 victory from Manchester United. It clearly shows how far the EPL has come over the past decade. Over the past 8 seasons, there have been 8 appearances in the finals by an EPL team. That is ridiculously good. In comparison, the past 8 seasons have seen 3 finals from La Liga teams (all 3 appearances from Barcelona). La Liga had more of a presence in the finals in the years building up to the 2002 Galacticos victory.

Winners

La Liga has taken more UCL titles than any other league in Europe. Currently sitting on a 75% chance of victory if a La Liga team reaches the final. All 6 of the La Liga titles have been won by either Real Madrid or Barcelona, whereas 3 of the 4 EPL titles have been won by different teams. A shock to the Bundesliga (recently rewarded with 4 UCL spots) is their success rate over the past 15 seasons. 1 title (Bayern Munich). Even more worrying for the rest of Europe is that there have been no winners over the past 8 years other than Serie A, La Liga & EPL. A total domination of titles shared amongst 3 leagues.

Bear in mind that all of these stats are taken from the 1997/98 season – 2011/12. The reason is that 1997/98 was the first season to invite other teams apart from the league winners. This means we can grade the league and not just 1 team from the league (as pre-1997/98 tournaments were structured). Since UEFA have invited more than just 1 EPL team into the UCL, I would venture to say that they have dominated. Using the tables above, we can take the following info:

 This is a table based on presence – basically, who was there in the final stages over a period of 15 years. There has been more of a presence in the final stages by EPL teams rather than La Liga. The difference is that the La Liga teams go on to win the trophy when reaching the final. Well 6 out of 8 times, that is. At the end of the season, the winners are always remembered & rightfully so. Hopefully this article shows that the EPL, in recent years, has been the league to go consistently further than others in this competition. It also shows the vast gap between EPL & La Liga teams when compared to the rest of Europe.

Cheers.

Author: Themba Sweet

Twitter: @thembasweet

Site: http://footiecall.blogspot.com/

You can find more of Themba's work here

Football Tweets of the week: 05/07

Here's this weeks 10 funniest football tweets! (In no order too!)

1.) Podolski: "I'm signing for Arsenal to win trophies." - Van Persie: "I'm leaving Arsenal because I want to win trophies." -  (@JamesD215)

2.) Pegguy Arphexad had a 16-year career, played 39 games and won 7 medals. A medal for every 5.57 games.- 90sFootballers

3.) Italy down to 10 men. Spain should bring on Torres to even things up. It's only fair. - @PickThatOneOut

4.) Money can't buy the quality of football that Spain has produced in the last 4 years. Which is fortunate as they have absolutely no money. - @FootballFunnys

5.)

- @Footycomic

6.) Injured Robin Van Persie will struggle to get a new club. The 'back injury' occurred after he was forced to carry Arsenal for 2 years. - @ThickFootball

7.) Don't get why Balotelli is crying? A postman doesn't cry when he loses the post. - @Footy_Jokes

8.) Hodgson at Wimbledon today. There was me thinking he'd seen enough long balls and constant surrendering of possession after this summer. -@Kristian_Walsh

9.) Kiev security goes into overdrive. Man in red t-shirt refused entry to players' area. He gets angry, understandably. He's Alvaro Arbeloa -@SamWallaceIndy

10.)

- @AnfieldCat

Be sure to follow all these guys on Twitter, you can follow us at @ReviewFootball

See last weeks funny tweets here

Euro 2012 Review

Team of the competition

Spain – This was an odd competition for Spain. It was the first time they had to continuously defend their playing style. But again their system was beautiful, effective and un-containable. There was no complacency, arrogance or underestimation from Spain during Euro 2012, they played each game with complete focus and a great worth ethic, something their system demands immensely. Although Spain haven’t really changed their playing style, they have improved. In the 2010 World Cup they scored 8 whilst conceding 2. But in the Euros they scored 12 and only conceded once. It’s pretty impressive considering in the World Cup they played a game extra and for most of the games in Euro 2012, they played with no striker.

Overachievers of Euro 2012

Portugal – Now this one is hard to pick. Especially considering there aren’t that many teams in the Euros, and the Euros is only 6 games long. It basically means your often out before you even know it.

But Portugal have impressed me quite a lot. Although they started off with a slow and rather lacklustre performance against Germany, they really grew in strength as the competition progressed. It comes as no surprise, but once Cristiano Ronaldo found his feet, Portugal shifted into another gear. After Portugal’s dismal qualifying campaign for the Euros and their poor World Cup in 2010, most thought they’d go out in the group stages, especially being in the Germany, Holland group. Instead, they marched on all the way to the semi finals and took Spain right to the end.

Underachievers of Euro 2012

Easy. Holland.

They were bad. So bad. They had a campaign what one would easily define as a ‘nightmare campaign.’ It started off badly and finished badly. They didn’t even pick up a single point. You’ve got to remember, this is the same team who made the World Cup final in 2010. Holland had a complete shocker. Holland were like that kid who did really well in their 11 plus but when they did their end of year tests, they failed. Miserably. ( You probably wont get that joke if your over 21, sorry.)

Player of Euro 2012

This is a tough one. But for me it’s Andrea Pirlo. Prior to this tournament only those who follow Serie A would remember and be aware of just how he’s been. But now, the whole of Europe and the world know that he is still classy as ever. He was a catalyst of everything that Italy did. He kept the team ticking over, whilst when he played as a deep lying creator,  he played great intelligent long balls to Balotelli and Cassano. When he played higher up the pitch, Pirlo didn’t look out of his depth at all. He threaded in so many fantastic through balls from the edge of the box and was a constant danger to the opposition. His free kick against Croatia was just glorious, a real demonstration of his technical abilities. While his penalty was unforgettable. He took the tension of the night and cut it with a pin so coolly and composedly. Just genius.

Best Young Player

Mario Balotelli

I often feel Balotelli’s abilities are a bit underrated simply because he is an idiot. But he gave a mature, composed and determined showing over the Euros for Italy. He lead the line brilliantly, he kept the ball well with his strength and created space with his quick feet and trickery. But what impressed me the most about Balotelli during this competition was his intelligent runs, he continuously broke offside traps and used his smart movement to open up goal scoring opportunities for himself. You could tell Spain were wary of this, whenever he got the ball, he was surrounded by three Spanish players, who would restrict his space and movement. At times, I did think Balotelli was a bit wasteful in front of goal. But the reality is, at 21 years of age, leading the line for a nation like Italy is mightily impressive and the fact they got to the final shows just how good he is, when he focuses.

Best Manager

Vicente Del Bosque

This guy has got balls. When you’re Spain and you have three exceptionally talented forwards and you choose to predominantly play with no forwards, you have guts. Del Bosque did a fantastic job in coming up with an offensive plan to bypass the injury to Spain’s record goal scorer David Villa. The World Cup winning manager came up trumps with an extremely creative and gifted central midfield taking dominance. After his and Spain’s latest success, you’ve got start to consider if Vicente Del Bosque is one of the greatest managers ever. I mean he has won the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and La Liga. No other manager has ever achieved that. He seems to have the ability to keep the players onside and to not allow the players to become complacent and revel on past glories.

Moment of the tournament

Wayne Rooney’s goal v Ukraine:

It was a glorious moment. The hero returned with a goal. A goal which allowed England to top the group. You couldn’t have scripted it.

I JOKE

My moment of the Euros was Aindry Shevchenko goals v Sweden.

It was like the nation and the player were craving for that moment for a life time. The sheer ecstasy from the player and fans was just unbelievable. For me, the Sheva goals rolled back the years. The 35 year old showed he really was the man who tore up Europe once for Milan. What topped off the moment was Ukraine ended up winning the game. The pride and glory of that moment was unforgettable.

Funny Moment

Keith Andrews being knocked over the ref:

Let the pictures do the talking.

Best Match

Sweden 2 – 3 England

This game was brilliant. It had twists, turns and tantrums. England were in complete control in the first half. They took Sweden by storm. But in the second half, Sweden sharpened up and in a 15 minute spell of dominance they turned the game round into their favour. But for the first time in a long time, England showed resilience, determination and persistence, it probably raised the hopes of some England fans too. This game was fantastic for another reason for England. That reason was, Theo Walcott. Everything he had improved on in the past year was demonstrated in that game. His final ball, finishing (call his goal luck or a fluke, whatever you want) and his defensive work. They all were on show in his cameo performance against Sweden. But the lasting impact of this game was the scorers for England. Andy Carroll, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck. All three were under the age of 24 and you could argue, they will play a key role for England in the future.

Best Group

Group A

This group was a certain surprise. Initially, I thought this group would be boring as listening to Mark Lawrenson co-commentating.  But this group had everything; it had hammerings, twists and utter confusion. It was like one of those parties you go to and before you go to the party your thinking, ‘oh why do I have to go to this? This will be shit. ‘But by the end you want to stay and you don’t want it to end. What makes me laugh about this group was at one stage Russia were certain to top the group. They hammered the Czechs and were rather unlucky to draw against Poland. Greece on the other hand was the complete opposite. They were utterly lacklustre in the opening two games and at one point, it looked like it was only a matter of time till someone put them out of their misery. However, against Russia, Greece took their chances and held on for dear life. It certainly was one of the moments of the tournament when Greece made it through. No one gave them a chance. No one. But somehow they dug deep and found it within themselves to through. What typifies just how crazy this group was, Czech Republic got hammered 4-1 in the opening game, yet they ended up topping the group. Insane.

Euro 2012 XI

 

What have we learnt so far in Euro 2012?

I’m Callum Rivett, and this week I’m reflecting on the current situation in the Euros. Twists and turns galore, we can expect plenty more exciting, intriguing and defensive football - and that’s just England! The Group of Death has lived up to its name, with no team guaranteed to go through approaching the last game of the group stage. A draw would send England through, Greece and the Czechs are in the last 16, Ireland and Sweden are out and in the remaining groups no one has already qualified. Should be an exciting round three then!

Spain need to be more direct

Everyone knows that Spain play some of the most attractive football on the planet (along with Barcelona) but sometimes lack the cutting edge. They have the tools needed with Torres, Llorente, Negredo and any midfielders they have, yet fail to utilise them enough. Spain pass the ball all the way up to the opposition box, pass it some more, then when they finally have the chance to shoot… they pass again. They try and walk the ball into the net. With the quality they have in midfield, there can be no harm in having a shot from outside the box once in a while. Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas, Silva, we’ve seen them smash a few into the top corner before - why not have another go at it?

England have a real chance (only if we sort out our defence)

A draw against the best team in our group goes a long way to help us go far in this tournament, and the comeback victory over Sweden will certainly boost morale. We have Carroll and Welbeck who are now scoring, and Rooney is about to come back. Our squad is filled with youth with a sprinkling of experience, and only two players are arguably world-class -- Hart and Rooney. I’d say Hart is the most vital, he’s made quality saves throughout the qualifiers and the tournament, most notably from France’s Alou Diarra in the opening match. We would miss Hart so much if we didn’t have him.

Germany are a force to be reckoned with

I predicted Germany to win the Euros not that long ago, and they look well on their way to fulfilling that prediction. A 1-0 win over Portugal then a 2-1 win against Holland that never really looked in doubt means they are sitting pretty, top of their group and it would take a shock Denmark win over the Germans and a Portugal win over the Dutch to send them home. To think that a talent like Mario Gotze is sitting on the bench is astonishing, and you can really see the strength in depth they have. Experienced veteran Miroslav Klose can come on if they are in need of a goal, and that is not a bad sub to make! I’m sticking with Germany to win it, they seem unstoppable at the moment.

Expect more shocks

Denmark 1 Holland 0. Russia and Poland being knocked out. Croatia snatching a draw against Italy. England winners? It could happen. All we know is that there will be plenty more shocks, upsets and early trips home for some. Ireland might even support England, but then again we have more chance of winning the Euros than them supporting us. Russia and Holland are already gone, which I’m shocked at, and so are Poland. One of Italy, Croatia and Spain are going out, , expect the unexpected. You never know in this game.

Follow Callum on twitter: @CJRivett12. You can find more of Callum's work here.

Who Will Win The Euros?

Hello, I’m Callum Rivett and welcome to the latest part in my wide selection of articles! With the release of England’s Euro squad, I’ll look and see whether we have any chance at all of even passing the group stage, let alone winning it. I’m going to see who are the main contenders for the trophy, and give you my thoughts and reasoning behind my choice of who’ll win this year.

Let’s start by looking at the England squad and any mistakes I think Hodgson has made or what he has got right.

Goalkeepers:
Joe Hart (Manchester City), Rob Green (West Ham United), John Ruddy (Norwich City)
Defenders:
Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), John Terry (Chelsea)
Midfielders:
Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Scott Parker (Tottenham Hotspur), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Ashley Young (Manchester United)
Forwards:
Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Welbeck (Manchester United)

Including John Ruddy is a good decision in my eyes, he’s had a fantastic year for Norwich and came second as Norwich Player of the Season vote, beaten only by Grant Holt who definitely should have gone in place of Jermain Defoe. I also do not rate Danny Welbeck, he’s severely over-rated by the media, and I’m gutted he is included. Fair enough, if he ends the tournament top-scorer I’ll put my hands up and say I was wrong. But I doubt that.

Andy Carroll is a massive risk, he’s started to turn good for Liverpool towards the end of the season and I think next year will be his best year ever in terms of goals. Our defence looks shaky: having no Micah Richards is a mistake, he’s quick, a good crosser, who can attack and can play anywhere along the back four. The midfield looks predictable, and mostly what everyone would have expected. Except Stewart Downing. Why oh why has he picked him? Zero goals, zero assists for Liverpool this year. Terrible waste of a space that could have been used to accommodate someone who will offer more to the team - Adam Johnson perhaps.

Joe Hart is our number one, he will be world class. But Green ahead of Ruddy? Did he watch THAT match against the USA? Our strikers for the first two games have scored a whopping great total of… 24 (Defoe - 11, Carroll - 4, Welbeck - 9) in 90 combined Premier League appearances this season.

Yeah. Not so good.

After slating our national team, let’s go on to who I think will win the tournament. I’ll give you a clue: they’re 2nd favorites. Another clue? They play in white and black. We lost 4-1 to them in the World Cup 2010?

You got it. Germany.

One of the youngest, if not the youngest, squads in the world right now, and one of the most talented. Just look at it. This is their preliminary squad:
 

Goalkeepers:
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Tim Wiese (Hoffenheim), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Moenchengladbach).
Defenders:
Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Mats Hummels (Dortmund), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Bendikt Howedes (Schalke), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Marcel Schmelzer (Dortmund).
Midfielders:
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Sven Bender (Dortmund), Lars Bender (Leverkusen), Ilkay Gundogan (Dortmund), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Julian Draxler (Schalke), Marco Reus (Moenchengladbach), Mario Gotze (Dortmund), Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid).
Forwards:
Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Cacau (Stuttgart), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Andreas Schurrle (Leverkusen), Lukas Podolski (Cologne).

The amount of players who play in the Bundesliga in their squad stands at 23. They know each other, they know how to play with each other, and the chemistry level in their squad must be amazing. They’ve got the right mix of youth and experience, often combining the two, because they introduced them to the world stage two years ago in South Africa. Players like Mesut Ozil, Mats Hummels, Mario Gomez and Manuel Neuer are all world class, yet all so young. Then throw in players like Miroslav Klose, Thomas Muller, Lukas Podolski, Phillip Lahm - and that’s just to name a few - and you’ve got an awesome concoction of brilliant German efficiency.

Spain are favourites, but for me it’s Germany to win. Spanish players like midfield maestro Xavi are now into their 30s - as well as Xabi Alonso and Carlos Puyol. This last four years has undoubtedly been their ‘Golden Generation’ but to keep up now they have to move quickly to integrate the youth players into the senior team like they did all those years ago.
Holland are third favourites, but to not only repeat the feat of finishing second in the World Cup but to actually win it, is possibly a step too far for the Dutch. Players like Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie and Maarten Stekelenburg will have to be on top form to get them their and achieve glory for the Netherlands - and with possibly Spain and Germany blocking their way, it will be a very difficult task indeed.

That about sums it up, this has been a lot to get through but I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this and will continue to read my articles. I’ll leave you with the thought that whoever the commentators are in the Euros, they will not enjoy commentating on Greece’s games. Spare a thought for those very unlucky people. That’ll be it my friends, goodbye for now and have a very good week.

Follow Callum on twitter: @CJRivett12. You can find more of Callum's work here.

4-4-2- its failings and it's former successes

In his debut article for The Football Front, Itsaballnotabomb explains the strengths and weaknesses of the 4-4-2 formation.

The 4-4-2, arguably the most famous and most popular formation of the last 20 years. However, it is now falling out of favour.

For any manager in the 1980’s or 1990’s, especially in England, the notion of this formation 'falling out of favour' would be laughed at. Almost every side, whether it would be the national team or a club. They would play a 4- 4-2 of some variant. The only real exceptions to this idea were the Dutch and the clubs that they had influenced, most notably Barcelona, who had been transformed by Johan Cruyff.

The simplicity of the formation was loved by players and managers alike. It created partnerships in the formation. The partnerships included both centre backs, then the full backs linking with the wingers, the two central midfielders (one would normally hold his position while the other drove into the box) and the two strikers (traditionally a player good in the air and the other striker was quick and could finish). These partnerships are written into the folk-lore of English football and are still talked about today. The likes of Shearer and Sutton or SAS, Pallister and Bruce, Beckham and Neville and Yorke and Cole are all fondly remembered by British fans.

The 4-4-2 remained dominant in international competitions and for club sides in Europe until late into the last decade. Barcelona and Spain destroyed the 4-4-2, first in Euro 2008, where Spain picked apart the opposition by keeping possession with one touch passes and good technique. And then in Rome in the Champions League Final where Manchester United chased shadows against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and lost 2-0.

The problem with the 4-4-2 against a team playing a 4-3-3 system is that you simply have less people in midfield. It is therefore harder to control that area of the pitch thus making it difficult to keep possession. As shown in the diagram above, if player 1 has the ball, either one of the midfielders will try to pressure him and win the ball back, if they do this successfully, player 2 or 3 for the green team will then be free and a simple pass can be completed to that player. It is essentially like playing piggy-in-the-middle with the two central midfielders.

One way to get around this is if the two central midfielders of the other side sit deep or don’t press, although this allows the deep lying midfielder on the other team a lot of time and space which can still cause problems.

Another problematic aspect of the 4-4-2 system is that if a striker on the opposing side drops off between the midfield and the defence and no-one tracks him he will be allowed the space and time to shoot or pick a pass. However, if one of the centre backs follows him, it can lead to a 1 on 1 and a large hole in the defence to exploit, especially if the other striker has pace, this gap can be easily exploited. Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp did this to great effect with Arsenal in the early 2000’s.

But if a defensive midfielder, as he would be in a 4-3-3, is sitting in front of the defence it makes the opposition striker dropping off the defence far easier to deal with, as the marking duties can easily be switched.

The 4-4-2 though can still be a useful formation. The natural width in a 4-4-2 allows a side to stretch teams. This can be done with direct passing towards the flanks. As shown in the diagram above, when the cross comes in from the wing there can be up to 4 people in the box, which can be extremely difficult to defend against. Manchester United have used this tactic extremely often in recent years. United would play a long ball out to Valencia/ Beckham, who then wait for the midfielders to make their runs and then any decent ball into the box can lead to a good goal scoring opportunity.

Another advantage of this formation is the ability for the front two to link up easily. This can also be exploited with a long pass, this time instead of out wide, it would be fired directly at one of the strikers. One of the strikers, usually the one who is better in the air, would then flick the ball on, whilst the other striker, usually the quicker of the two, would try to get on the end of it and exploit the space behind the defence, leading to a clear chance on goal.

Tacticians are claiming the 4-4-2 is on the decline. This isn’t true, formations go in and out of fashion quickly; the 4-4-2 has just become another victim of this cycle. For a defensive or counter-attacking side the 4-4-2 still provides the side with plenty of attacking options going forward. Also if the space between the midfield and defence is minimal and the side is willing to sit back and let the opposition have possession, it can still be a useful formation.

This article was written by Itsaballnotabomb, you can follow him on Twitter at - @ballnotabomb

You can find more of his work on his blog - itsaballnotabomb.wordpress.com

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Why more English players should play abroad‏

Kevin Leonard explains his thoughts on why more English players should ply their trade abroad.

It is not often today or at any point in history that an Englishman will venture abroad for anything else other than a barmy drunken holiday or to invade a foreign land, take it over and tell the terrified locals to speak English from now on. And let's be honest, there isn't much difference between those two activities especially in the case of Gaza's transfer to Lazio. However, so far in this transfer window two young English players have transferred to two former European Cup winning clubs in Germany. Michael Mancienne has swapped the blue shirt of Chelsea and London's eloquent West End for the black and blue shirt and ice bars of Hamburg. Where as 18 year old Dale Jennings has some how landed a transfer from Tranmere Rovers to the German giants Bayern Munich, odd times indeed. It seems the transfer window had taken on a nostalgic feel to them with rumours of Scottish strikers like Kenny Miller joining Italian clubs and Irish strikers allegedly heading to Arsenal. But two young English talents signing for the elite of the Bundesliga does not represent any bygone era at all.

We are ‘well and truly in the twilight zone’ to quote a bygone Belgian rock band.

Besides the mysterious nature of these German shopping habits, we as English men and women (half of me actually) will inevitably ask the question; is this good for English football?

The egotistical nature of the TV presentations of the Premier League often leave the claim "best league in the World" ringing in our ear. Naturally most English fans believe this, which is fine. However when it is uttered from the mouths of pundits who don't actually watch any other league in the World one most question their claim. The fact is other leagues are very very good as well. The Bundesliga is perhaps one of the fastest improving leagues in Europe at the moment.

This is an environment which will excel the development of Michael Mancienne and Dale Jennings. It will give them an alternative view of the game in comparison to the one they would have viewed and experienced in England.

A lot of these clever pundits were very quick to belittle the Bundesliga, when Schalke were beaten by Manchester United in last seasons Champions League. Where as others like me have a slightly longer memory and can all too vividly recall 11 Bundesliga players humiliating 11 Premier league players in South Africa 12 months ago.

I would dare to say that this could be the catalyst of a new era of English football. That wonderful memory I mentioned can also recall football from further back than South Africa 2010. In fact it can recall a time before 2008 where the Spanish national team were not very good. Plenty of players that now make up Spain's first choice 11 were present in the years where La Liga sides would consistently perform well in European club competitions with an abundance of Spanish players. Yet Spain would fail on the international stage. The Spanish national side’s first choice 11 pre Euro 2008 was 100% La Liga players. The players were mostly from the very best La Liga clubs such as; Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia etc.

What was slightly different at Euro 2008? Xabi Alonso, Pepe Reina, Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres were not playing in La Liga. They were playing in the Premier League.

Another fact that some would claim makes the Premier league the ‘best league in the World’ is because it some how hardened up the Spaniards. This is not what happened. Believe it or not they do have tackles in Spain too. If you want to really talk about the physicality of both nations, us English don't wave red flags in an attempt to piss off a raging bull that would quite happily impale you onto it's horn and shake you until you were unable to wave a flag ever again.

What the English league gave those players was a different style, a different point of view on the game if you will. On the international stage you will of course encounter more contrasting styles than in club football. This variety gave the Spanish a little something extra and even though Alonso is now back in Spain and Fabregas soon will be too, they have that little experience of another footballing culture which has helped the Spanish win a World Cup.

If Manchester United's Owen Hardgreaves, was fit he would be picked in the England squad every time. His time with Bayern Munich made him a unique player, not necessarily better than some English central midfielders, but he has a discipline in the holding role that other English players just don't have. This is no doubt a direct result from playing in the German mindset which places great emphasis on tactical awareness and positioning rather than work ethic and passion. Brains over brawn you could say. Having viewed Michael Mancienne’s display for the Under 21 side against Spain last month, I would say he greatly needs a brain and to immerse himself in a more tactical thinking environment or at least one where he can learn to pass a ball.

The foreign journalists in attendance at the Under 21 European tournament remarked that England had changed somewhat, they felt that our problem was we tried to play too much football. England are making a transition into the modern game by placing the emphasis on technique now rather than power, hence the inclusion of Jack Wilshere at senior level. The problem is changing a countries ethos is not like flipping a switch. It takes time. With defenders like Rio Ferdinand and midfielders like Jack Wilshere England has shown they can produce players of a more intelligent and technical calibre. We just need to do this on a wider scale.

Two youngsters in Germany is a good start to a new approach. They are not just any German clubs mind you. Only three German clubs have won the European Cup and two of them are Bayern Munich and Hamburg.

Personally I would send every 16 year old we have over to Brazil and tell them to do whatever it is those Brazilian kids do all day long. Or just hire Pelè to shag 11 English women so we can raise a team of English/Brazilians in time for the 2030 World Cup.

A World Cup we'll hopefully be hosting, hint hint FIFA!

You can follow Kevin on his Twitter - @megatronSTALIN, Kevin regularly writes for Away Goals too.

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