Why 4-4-2 #4

A little thought about football (soccer) tactics, again.

There are two conflicting demands:

• on the one hand, it's better to have many different players that can attack, so the opponent team can't know who mark
• on the other hand, specialized players know their job better

Why 4-4-2 #3

Another little thought about football (soccer) tactics.

Having just one forward restricts too much the options of attacking tactics: he can only dribble and shoot. Adding another forward enables a lot more options (because they can pass the ball back and forth), so he has a great marginal value.

Why 4-4-2 #2

Thinking again about tactics, for a football (soccer) simulation.

It's always better to have one more defender between the opponent forwards and the goal.

Why 4-4-2 #1

First step for a football (soccer) simulation.

If there was no offside rule, having one or two players beyond all the opponent defenders, in front of the opponent goalkeeper, has some benefits (as well as some disadvantages!). But the marginal benefit of adding other players in that position is almost null.