Since the innovation of the flat 4 in the late 1980’s, most professional and international teams have adopted the system as part of their standard tactics. In its most common evolution, the flat 4 is ...

Formations. What are they? What do they mean? Why so many numbers? And so forth. As part of a series I'm going to be doing on this blog explaining some of the ins and outs of soccer to new fans, let's ...

Tactics in soccer are great. They are fascinating. Diving into them allows for a deeper look into the game, an embrace of the chess-match element inherent in the sport, and a whole new series of ...

In my experience with USMNT fans and media, the single biggest complaint I hear about Bob Bradley is his tactical stubbornness. From day one, Bradley has implemented the 4-4-2 “empty bucket” formation ...

Throughout the world, soccer strategy is a hot topic of conversation. There’s debate about employing a 4-3-3 versus the 4-2-3-1 or the trendy 3-5-2; playing possession soccer or absorbing pressure and ...

An automated analysis by Disney Research Pittsburgh of team formations used during an entire season of professional soccer provides further evidence that visiting teams are less successful than home ...

Arsenal missed out on the Premier League title last season despite leading the league table for the majority of it. Mikel Arteta’s men finished second, which was creditable. This time around, they ...

With the semifinals of Euro 2012 set to begin later today, the time for intense tactical analysis has arrived. Much of the talk has been dominated by the usual questions. Which team will win? How do ...

This is going to be difficult for soccer traditionalists to swallow, but here goes. Formations in soccer don't matter. Not anymore. Their chief function nowadays is to justify coaches' salaries and ...