Using the 4-4-2 with the "Flat Four", a very strong double defense wall is built, which makes it possible to double up on the opponents on the sidelines and close the center. Ottmar Hitzfeld invented the term "wall players", which best describes the role of this striker. For that, a striker falls forward midfield to create a station to face off at One striker is playing high up the field capable of holding the ball up and laying it off to his partner. Now it's time for the strikers come into play (players 9 + 11), they need to close this gap. With players 7 and 10 located at midfield, there are two wingers, the only thing that's missing is a playmaker. Known as the "double pivot" in other systems, we have two players here (8 + 6). Directly in front of the center of defense, there are two players in front of the back-four. The unique property of the "Flat Four" is only found in the midfield. A short introduction and some training exercises to introduce the players the back-four can be found in the following articles: Basics Of The Back Four - Practice Examples Structured Exercises – Shifting The second 4 (Midfielders) Player 2 and 5 are the left and right fullbacks and players 4 and 3 are the center backs.
Let's start right in front of the goalie, there is a back-four standing wide (players 2 to 5).
Read more about this subject in our article: " The Goalie Is The Game Decider" Often times he plays the role of the missing sweeper. He's not just a goalie and is becoming integrated into the passing game more and more. The goalie plays along with the rest of the team in modern soccer. The difference between the two formations is easy to see in the picture below: In the picture below, you can clearly see a 4-1-2-1-2 formation in the lineup on the right. The "big brother" of the “Flat Four" differs in that its basic formation at midfield looks like a diamond and is therefore referred to internationally as "Diamond Midfield". Sports commentators on TV like to talk about two back-fours, or a double row. The "Flat Four" is considered a defensive version of 4-4-2. In this article we'll talk about the "Flat Four", one of the two most common variations of this arrangement. In the pictures we show below, the goalie comes forward, and the more he does, the more important he becomes in the playing system. In general soccer, the 4-4-2 in much less common in practical use as too many people are afraid of the back-four and coaches and players alike feel more comfortable with a sweeper.īy the way, in the name of game systems, the goalie is omitted, it would actually be "1-4-4-2" to be totally correct. The 4-4-2 is the most played formation in today's soccer, at least in terms of performance.