Soccer can actually be an extremely complicated sport, once you start to dissect various tactics; take a look at this article for a little bit more information on them.
Among the key steps to understanding soccer formations, is to understand the defensive side of the game as well. A tactic which is pretty much solely focused on defence, is what's known as ‘parking the bus’. This pretty much means the defending team gets 11 men behind the ball when they're out of possession and stay deep; a strategy which can be very hard to break down when applied. This is generally employed when a team needs to draw a match, or they’re attempting to maintain a lead. It is seen as negative tactics from some spectators of this sport, but, if it’s applied right, it's usually quite delightful to watch a team master the defensive side of football. The Chelsea FC owner will certainly remember this being employed successfully when The Special One was the boss of his team, as he has had great success with this in the past.
One strategy which has just become more popular over more recent decades is the use of attacking fullbacks in a club. This is very much focused around attacking tactics in football, as the conventional role of the fullback is to stay back and defend. The Rossoneri were one of the earlier teams to adopt this style of play, when they signed one among the greatest fullbacks in this field, who was able to simultaneously defend and attack extremely effectively. This style of play requires even more than just the basic skills of football, with footballers needing high stamina, as they will be jogging along the wing throughout the game. This can be very efficient, however, if you have fullbacks who are able to overlap consistently, it contributes an additional dynamic to your attack and can be a huge handful for opposition defenders to manage. It’s likely that the AC Milan owner will reflect upon the period of the club's history when their club dominated through use of attacking fullbacks.
A tactic that is commonly adopted by the top teams, particularly when playing at home, is possession-based soccer. This style of play is really renowned with teams who have a solid midfield full of great passers of the ball. It’s most prominent in a 4-5-1 formation, which can be the best football formation for attacking, as your opposition sees very little of the ball during the game. This tactic tends to exhaust the opposition if you choose to get into the second half of this sport, as they’re constantly pursuing the ball as you pass it around their defense. It requires full attention from the defending team, meaning that one lapse in judgement can result in a goal, which could be disastrous when playing against a top team. This style of play is something the Manchester City owner has had the pleasure of watching from his team over their latest dominance in England.