These relatives keep showing up…Here we have yet again a formation that is in close comparison to another. The 4-3-2-1 is a formation that has a lot of close proximities compared to the previous two formations that we’ve just went through. It is another formation that focuses on central progression of the ball in order to cause a man overwhelming abundance within these areas on the park via out-numbering the opponent in the middle and final third on the pitch. As we mentioned in episode 22, the 4-3-2-1 is a formation that allows its user to play a dominant possessional game based on the easy access to triangles throughout the entire XI. The structural set up of this formation is also quite similar to both variations of the 4-3-3, but in terms of positional play, it is more close to formations like the 4-2-3-1A and 3-4-2-1 with the impact of the two floaters in behind the main F(C) up top. This formation also provides extra layers of protection and solidity with the 3 man midfield who are like soldiers aiming to both protect that all too important space behind of them, as well as providing some extra incentive whilst on the front foot or in possession.
DEFENCE
In front of Kepa, we have a back 4 that really provides a solid foundation for the intention of possessional play. In Gianluca Mancini, we have an Italian ‘Ball Playing Defender’ who is very reminiscent of Leonardo Bonucci since Italy doesn’t tend to produce D(C)’s of this elk. Along with Kepa, they both will be responsible for forming a make shift “back 2” which will allow the ball to be progressed up the pitch, while the Spaniard Le Normand will keep things relatively simple on the ball but the great twist is that due to his nationality he has the in-built foundation for effective short passing so he won’t be no slouch on the ball. The primary progression will still be taking place via his compatriot and Mancini, however…
When we discuss both ‘Wingbacks’ we have to express how important they are for providing the width for this team due to the central bias of the formation. This means that they will need to be extremely fit and have good off the ball movement for ‘Wingback’ standards, and we can proudly say that we have arguably two of the best in the business when it comes to that. Let’s start off with the Spaniard Pedro Porro (update: 90 rated player) who is quite the underrated player and similar to Le Normand in that he has Spanish blood flowing through his veins so that means his progressive play will be quite effective, and it also helps that he currently plays for a manager (in real life) that is giving him the responsibility to get into the midfield as an inverter. But that’s not the primary strength of Pedro since he is quite the athletic type who enjoys getting forward. We have a similar player on the opposite flank but there’s levels to this, and Robbo surely fits the bill as the best DM(L) within the entire game! Robbo has batteries within his lungs so he will simply get up and down that left flank for
90 minutes and still have the stamina to keep going for another 20… When it comes to progressive play, he isn’t the best passer of the ball, but what he brings to the table is his exceptional movement and crossing which will be very effective as long as we get numbers within the box
MIDFIELD
FORWARDS
Alongside Ney is a player who shouldn’t be considered just a secondary creative payer within this team since he has his own abundance of flair and technical brilliance. Lucas Paquetá was first considered as a versatile player who happens to be decent in the attacking third but he has completely evolutioned himself into a player who has that ‘X factor’ to create for himself and for his attacking teammates (which is presently in sight with his current performances for West Ham). The one (and only) thing that Lucas has more than Neymar is his off the ball movement and he will continually make those runs to get into the box so that Ney has more space to do his thing… But let’s not muck around since if it was another player next to him (like a Gavi for example), Paquetá would take up the mantle and do most of what Neymar will be doing on the ball (albeit at a slightly lesser level, 🙄).
And we cannot forget about the Belgian International Loïs Openda (update: 90 rated player)who has been tearing up the Bundesliga this season and will be a very integral part of allowing his creative teammates behind of him to get into better spaces since he will mainly stay on the shoulder of his defenders as well as constantly running the channels. Openda has for a while now been a F(C) who has demonstrated talent throughout each age group and it is a fantastic thing to see him showcasing how good of a ‘Finisher’ he is at RB Leipzig. His movement and ability to place the ball in the back of the net will be more than useful and one of the beauties about SMW is that as long as you get the tactics and starting XI right, your F(C) will score a ton of goals no matter his rating.
DEFENSIVE TRANSITION
And with that, we’ve come to the end of the ‘4 at the back’ series. Thank you so much for continuously coming back and sharing your experiences with me! I really appreciate all the support from every single one of you!!! 💚
We still have 6 more formations to go through, and we have a responsibility to popularize ‘5 at the back’ formations since they simply don’t get enough game time at all…
The Soccermanager Experience 