I was having an internal conversation with a couple of these formations the other day pertaining the fact that I stated the 5-3-2C as being the most defensively brilliant formation within the entirety of SMW, and some of them were extremely reluctant to agree with me… In fact, they thought I was in “cuckoo land” since today’s episode strongly believes that it is indeed the most defensive of the entire bunch (hah, surprised the conversation wasn’t about them thinking I was insane since I’m out here having convos with figments of my imagination…).
It is very true that the 5-4-1A is a formation that can most definitely be classed as one of the best defensive formations in the entire game, but it does come at a cost (which we will be explaining further within this episode). The one thing you Soccermanagerites should know is that today’s formation consists of a 5 man defence, 4 man midfield and only 1 man up top who has a lot of pressure on his shoulders if you ask me! Since this is the ‘A’ side of the 5-4-1, it is important to mention that the midfield 4 are based on four M(C)’s and not 2 M(C)’s flanked by two wide players (which is something I differentiated in a season 3 episode, looking at a more detailed breakdown of the 5-4-1A that I’ll leave a link to at the end), but the M(RC) and M(LC) will need to have some mobility since they will be responsible for helping out when the formation’s narrowness becomes a disadvantage.
DEFENCE
In front of the Pope (sounds a bit weird out of context…), we have another D(C) three consisting of the Argentine pit bull who was once considered the best D(C) in the Prem during the 17/18 season (the Pep Guardiola effect), Nicolás Otamendi. Alongside him, we have the German powerhouse of a D(C) Niklas Süle, and a Dutchman who was born to play in back 3 formations (we’re saying this since he’s literally only played in these types of systems during the past 7 years of his career), Stefan De Vrij. When it comes to ball progression we have what might be considered as the most capable ball progresors within the back 5’s of our luxurious season, in addition to a lot of experience. Nicolás and Stefan are very good passers of the ball, while Niklas is quite the athlete for his physique in a similar mold to his German compatriot Antonio Rüdiger (who is now a 93 rated player…) ; We have a German and an Italian in the ‘Wingback’ regions in Leonardo Spinazzola, who along with Joakim Maehle, was one of the best players at the most recent Euros and was missed by Italy when he got injured in the quarterfinals against Belguim (didn’t stop them from winning the tournament, though). In the German David Raum, we have a traditional German style of ‘Wingback’ in that he isn’t the most physically gifted but can strike a football and also posseses a decent amount of power which means that he will be quite effective in getting the ball in the box as well as taking shots for himself
MIDFIELD
the all too important task of ensuing that they do both sides of the game to a substandard level. We still need to have at least one conductor who’s got the “sauce” to orchestrate the play, and we have just the player for that job in the Spanish international Jorge Koke, who is quite arguably one of the most underrated players of his generation who rarely gets the amount of recognition that his stellar career deserves. He is an usual Spanish technician that also has a good bite within him and is quite effective in the “dark arts” and will showcase the leadership quality that has seen him represent Los Rojiblancos as one of their captains for over a decade. He will need some extra reinforcements in terms of the creative department and we will go into how our AM(C) will aid him in that respect. In the M(RC) and M(LC) positions there will be an incentive for them to have extremely high levels of energy since the lack of width provided from this formation means that somebody has to assist in the wide regions, and we have two players who will do a standout job in the French versatile player Valentin Rongier, who has some experience playing as a DM(R) albeit within a back 4. Rongier is a player who is the equivalent to the Englishman James Milner in that he’s quite effective in multiple positions but what he brings most to the table is his exceptional Workrate. In the M(LC) position, we have another underrated player who rarely let’s down his team and tends to be quite the big game player in the Portugese João Mario. Another versatile sensation, João has more of an attacking threat compared to Valentin, but his engine will allow him to do the “up and down ” job quite efficiently with most of his best work taking place between both boxes, in particular whenever he is around the opposition’s 18 yard area due to his ability to get on the end of chances via some well timed runs from midfield; At the lower end of the diamond, we have yet ANOTHER underrated player (we’re packed with these in today’s episode) who always does a great job and is whom we like to consider a “never say never” kind of player, the England international Mason Mount. Mason has for a long time been quite the player who is considered one of the most intelligent attackers within his position and can easily operate as a M(C), M(RL) and even as deep as a DM(C) depending on who you have beside him. Mason will be tasked with helping Koke from a creative aspect but will also use his Movement to float around the attacking third, making himself available, as well as doing the business to either get assists or score goals. He’s also a very good set piece taker so expect to get an extra 10 goals per season from him within this area of the game. If you’re still not too sure about why he’s in this team (especially since he recently dropped in rating), just ask Lampard, Tuchel, Southgate, or Potter about what they think of Mase…
FORWARD
DEFENSIVE TRANSITION
5-4-1A: “Obviously they were clearly intoxicated when they made that decision…”
5-3-2C:”Hahaha, stop being jealous!”
5-4-1A: I’m not, I’m literally spitting facts, my guy!
4-5-1B: “Hey, can’t we all just get along?”
5-3-2C and 5-4-1A: “NO! GET OUT!!!”
I must say that it is indeed a toss up between these two (and the 4-5-1, since it is arguably the ‘4 at the back’ defensive jauggernaut) and it may only come down to preference of a manager, but just know that the 5-4-1 allows for a lot of numbers within the defensive part of the game which is something that will be very beneficial especially once you’ve taken the lead… The only “disadvantage” would be the central bias that the 5-4-1A possesses. The beauty about the back 5 is that every team utilizing it will recover in a swift manner so long as they have the right players within the important positions.
We may have to hear of the wraith of our upcoming episode since it also believes it’s the best when it comes to nullifying its opposition… 🤔
SEASON 3: FORMATION MATTERS Episode 27: The 5’s series (5-4-1 A)
The Soccermanager Experience 