I know what you're thinking: "formations don't exist anymore!" That's what everyone says these days, isn't it? We've become so smart about the way we think about football and too evolved from the ways cavemen used to play, that formations are now only for foosball and cheerleading pyramids. But here I am to suggest, and announce my candidacy for president on the "formations still exist" train. Formations still exist.
One of the truest tests of any tactically adept coach is to identify mechanisms for changing around their team’s fortunes mid-game. This is never an easy task, but one that managers must be reflecting on not only with their substitutions, but with the potential for changing the master-plan on a grander scale, whether that be a tactical tweak in style or system. In what was one of the games of the weekend, both Freiburg and Leverkusen made pivotal formational changes as the match wore on. Crucially, both teams changed back to the shapes that they've prioritized since the start of the season, calling into question why they ever abandoned their favoured choice in the first place.
After finishing bottom of the table in 2021, Carlos Gonzalez has come into Atletico Ottawa and completely transformed the team into one of the most resolute, remarkable teams in the Canadian Premier League. In just half the games, they've won more matches than they did in the whole of last season, conceding the second least amount of goals in the league. Along the way, they've played one of the most tactically fluid and fantastical styles of football in the division, adamantly changing formation and player roles between the phases. Here is our tactical analysis of Atletico Ottawa's rise under Carlos Gonzalez.
When deployed correctly, the 3-1-3-1 can be one of the most fluid, flexible and fantastic 9v9 formations. Like anything in the beautiful game, team tactics, style of play and intricacies can only evolve within the realms of a team's own unique characteristics (including players involved, level of opposition, coaching preferences, and more). But if I had my pick of the litter within my squad, this is how I would deploy the 3-1-3-1 formation at the 9v9 level.
Struggling to know where to start when it comes to creating your own game model? Well look no further than TheMastermindSite.com, where we're bringing you game model examples in each of the game's most popular formations. These game model examples are exactly as the name suggests - resources for you to rock on and create your own game model. This specific 3-5-2 game model showcases the style of play and key player characteristics that Rhyspect FC would emphasize in each phase of the game. To see a preview of the game model, click the download preview button below. To purchase the game model, click the 'Purchase' button below.
The Cavs started the season in a 3-4-2-1 formation, suffering two embarrassing losses to York and Atletico, and a stagnant draw against Forge. After realizing the slow-moving car wasn't quite motoring the way he wanted it to, even despite the gas pedal being pressed, Wheeldon Jr. was right to identify a new vehicle. Now in a flexible 4-4-2 shape, Cavalry have been utterly dominant in both of their matches since, both in and out of possession. On this particular occasion, they completely stunted Edmonton's progress going forward, and massively exploited space in exactly the right areas through staggering their personnel across the pitch. Here is a quick tactical analysis of Cavalry's commanding 3-0 win over FC Edmonton.
After a couple of disappointing results to start the season, Forge found their flow in Week 3, achieving a comfortable 3-0 win over FC Edmonton's stern defense. Not only did Forge live up to expectation from a performance perspective, but also from a tactical one. Bobby Smyrniotis changed shape away from the 3-4-1-2 / 3-4-3 formation utilized against Cavalry back to his favoured 4-3-3, only to reconstruct their ideologies in the second half to better take advantage of the wide areas. Here is our analysis of Forge's commanding 3-0 victory over FC Edmonton.
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