The 5-4-1 Football Formation

Description

This is a defence minded formation that is most effective if the 5th defender is allowed to be a sweeper and cover behind the rest of the defence.

Defensive points (strengths and weaknesses)

• Whole width of the pitch covered by defenders, with an extra one.
• Denies any space to the opposition to play into.
• Addition of a sweeper increases the covering and supporting players so should mean harder to break down.
• Whole width of the pitch covered in midfield.
• Discourages opponents full backs to push on.
• Protection ahead of full backs.
• The centre of the pitch is very heavily protected and a defensive box can be created with the sweeper, centre backs and screening midfielders all involved.

Attacking points (strengths and weaknesses)

• Width is provided in attack.
• Midfield can break and support centre forward.
• Full backs may be allowed the freedom to push on as there is an extra defender.
• Support to the centre forward must be immediate as they will become very isolated.
• All balls up field must be accurate or else the forward will spend the entire game chasing the ball, and the ball will be constantly regained by the opposition.
• Will be very hard for the centre forward to generate space for themselves.

Best employed

It is very difficult to say when a formation is best employed as it greatly depends on the strengths and weaknesses of individual teams, both your own and the opposition, as well as the tactics employed within each set up. However this approach is often implemented when the team wish to prevent conceding and are not too interested to scoring again themselves.