Formations

Ideally your coach should use a formation that is based on the available players, not pick a formation then plug the players in. The key to success of a team is to find the best way to use each of the players. If there is enough versatility, a coach might teach the team to play different formations so they can change depending on their opposition or depending on what the game needs.

I had a team that had only played 4-3-3. In the first game of a pre-season tournament the following year, we were getting killed in midfield so I changed to a 4-4-2, telling only the player who I subbed in what was happening. At half time I explained the formation change to the rest of the team. We still didn't win the game, but we competed a lot better with the 4-4-2.

My son's team played Cambridge HS last spring. It was a first year school and the team was not very good, but it played a very interesting 4-1-4-1 formation that created a lot of opportunity for a really weak side that could not finish.

The key, it looked like, was the player who played between the defense line and the mids since it was like he played stopper and was the "quarterback" on offense. It really was amazing to watch the opportunities and passing angles that we created by the 4-1-4-1. Our defenders were never really able to get set up against the flashing midfielders.

Our coach told the boys that the other coach used that formation because he had one of the kids who quit DA to play HS and not much else. It really was a shame that the team did not have more finishing talent because they were able to open attack lines more effectively than any other team we played.

You have yourself a defensive minded coach that wants to control midfield I see. Or the coach believes your striker has the potential of Didier Drogba. I think the idea of 4-5-1 should be that those outside midfielders get forward when you have ball in other team's half, essentially morphing into a 4-3-3.

My issues with this formation are at least twofold. First is that players may adopt a more defensive minded attitude and be reluctant to get forward promptly enough to apply necessary pressure. My other problem is that being so wide in midfield can inhibit the outside backs from getting around those wide midfielders and getting involved in the attack. As a result of these two factors your team will always be outnumbered in your attacking third. It will be hard to score.

I also see this formation as not being very good for developing the overall player at multiple positions. The striker has no one with who to interact. The midfielders can't possibly learn triangle and diamond shaped passing patterns. The outside backs are just going to stand there. And that is just a few of the problems.