Formations & Positions for Football (Soccer) Matches

At times coaches do not know which formation is the most appropriate to employ. Within this section is a list of all the most commonly adopted formations and the benefits and drawbacks that each one can bring to a team.

The 4-4-2 Football Formation - Commonly used at grassroots and lower leagues in the UK.
The 4-2-4 Football Formation - Made famous by the Real Madrid team of the late 90's & early 00's.
The 3-4-3 Football Formation - Often used when chasing a game or when playing inferior opposition.
The 4-5-1 Football Formation - More commonly employed in the modern game, alongside the next one.
The 4-3-3 Football Formation - Barcelona utilise this one extremely well, an attacking version of the 4-5-1.
The 3-5-2 Football Formation - The use of wing backs is becoming less frequent but seen across Europe.
The 3-6-1 Football Formation - Extremely rare, but there are times when it comes in useful.
The 5-3-2 Football Formation - Allows defensive security without sacrificing attackers.
The 5-4-1 Football Formaiton - Commonly employed to protect a result as it is very difficult to break this set up down 

There are also times when players, and coaches, are unsure about what the exact nature of a given position is and what attributes are required to successfully perform in that position. For this reason a breakdown of all the positions has also been provided.

Goalkeeper
Centre Back
Sweeper
Full Back
Wing Back
Defensive Midfielder
Attacking Midfielder
Wide Midfielder
Winger
Centre Forward (Target)
Centre Forward (Runner)