Website last updated: 06 May 2013 @ 18:53 When defending in a
4-4-2 formation it is essential to keep a compact shape between
the midfield and the back four. This means having a small
distance between the midfield and the backline. The tighter the
distance, the less chance a team has of getting in that
advantageous position of being on the ball, behind the midfield,
and running at the back four. Good communication and a desire to
defend is required when creating this compact block of eight.
The opposition cannot harm you when they are playing in front of
you. The centre backs are expected to deal with any long balls
by winning their headers and the compact shape should lead to a
midfielder picking up the second ball, or at least competing for
it. If the opposition are good enough to feed the forward to his
feet, the compactness of this shape should lead to the defender
pressuring the ball from behind and the midfielder pressuring
the forward from the front, just waiting for the forward to mis-
control the ball