Formations and tactics in football seem to come in and out of fashion in an almost cyclic manner. It is difficult to pinpoint how long each of these cycles last but there are certain characteristics that trigger a formation to be used again or to stop being used. In the 90s the 4-4-2 came into fashion due to the tendency to play more direct football using strong, tall strikers. It became less prevalent once players were coming through in the mould of Messi, Robben or Hazard, small but technically gifted. The 4-3-3 became the standard in the last ten years as teams were looking to dominate possession and play attractive football at the same time, highlighted by Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. In the last few years the 3-5-2 formation has been making a comeback, which hasn't been widely utilised in nearly fifteen years. The 3-5-2 uses three central defenders, five midfielders (two being "wing-backs") and two forwards. We'll take a look at why the formation is becoming popular again, it's strengths and weaknesses and why it probably won't work in the Premier League.
The 3-5-2 formation originated in the 70s and early 80s where West Germany and Italy used similar variations. Although these variations were more similar to a 5-3-2 that used a sweeper or
libero playing in behind four defenders. The most famous use of the 3-5-2 didn't arrive until 1986 when Argentina used it to win the World Cup, thus bringing the formation to the fore and making it very popular in the late 80s and early 90s. Argentina's coach in 1986, Carlos Bilardo, had two main reasons for utilising the 3-5-2 formation. Firstly, he believed that there was no point in using full backs since the wing position was in decline and there was little threat coming from the opposing wide areas. Secondly, he needed to find a way to maximise the use of Diego Maradona's ability and influence. He reasoned that the extra man in midfield would give Maradona more space and freedom. Before switching to the 3-5-2, Bilardo had only won 3 out of his first 15 games in charge of Argentina. He finally decided to switch the formation in a 1984 friendly win against Switzerland, journalists thought he made a mistake when he read out the lineup as he only named three recognised defenders. About a year and a half later the 1986 World Cup began and the rest is history.
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| Argentina Formation 1986 World Cup Final |
In recent times the 3-5-2 formation has re-surfaced, mainly in Italy and South America. Juventus have successfully utilised it to win the last three Serie A titles. In the past five years Napoli have also used the formation to great success, constantly finishing in the top six. In fact, it's so popular in Italy that it's the most used formation after 4-2-3-1, the current standard. The formation has really come into the spotlight following the success it brought to the Netherlands, Costa Rica and Mexico at the 2014 World Cup. Mexico weren't expected to do much at this year's World Cup but their tactically astute coach, Miguel Herrera, had other plans. Mexico had a great group stage and were eventually beaten in the round of sixteen against another nation playing 3-5-2, the Netherlands. The Netherlands used the formation to great effect, finishing third at Brazil 2014, but they seemed to struggle at times against tougher opponents. Van Gaal did not seem completely confident with it having to resort to big mid-game tactical changes. However, the biggest surprise of the World Cup was Costa Rica and their journey to the quarter finals using the 3-5-2 formation. The tiny nation were able to compete with some of the superpowers of world football, beating Uruguay and Italy and drawing against England. Of course like any other formation, the 3-5-2 has its strengths and weaknesses, it doesn't automatically guarantee success.
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| Most used formations in Europe (2012) |
The 3-5-2 formation is strong in its flexibility, attacking flair and dominance in midfield. However, it's a difficult system to execute correctly. The players have to be very tactically aware, also have good technique but above all they must be extremely disciplined, especially the three centre backs. If any of the three defenders get dragged out of position the formation quickly crumbles and self-implodes. The table above shows how common different formations were across Europe in 2012. As you can see it has been common in Italy but not used much any where else. The main reason for this was the returning popularity of using two strikers in Italy. As a general rule you should have one extra man in defense so having a three man defense against two attackers makes sense. This season however, the formation has become more widely utilised in England as QPR, Hull and Manchester United have been using it consistently while Liverpool and Newcastle tried it out throughout pre-season. QPR successfully used the formation to gain promotion to the Premier League and are now more than comfortable with it. Hull have also used it for more than a year. The biggest enigma though is Van Gaal's obsession with it for Manchester United. The Red Devils have had an extremely poor start to the season and it's clear that the players are not comfortable with the new system and are not capable enough to execute it correctly.
Manchester United's record signing Angel Di Maria produces more questions than answers for Louis Van Gaal, it's hard to say where he would fit in a 3-5-2 formation. Manchester United aside, there is one main reason why I don't think this system will be effective in England, most teams in the Premier League still play with one main central striker with 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 being the most popular formations. As I stated before, it's well known that a three man defense is not effective against one centre forward. 3-5-2 presents a versatile and more tactically interesting system for teams that like to be more versatile. Its popularity in England will be the ultimate test to see whether it is a legitimate way to win games or if it's just a passing fad. One thing is for sure, managers are going to have to become more flexible and players will have to become accustomed to more than one formation if their team is to be successful.
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