Well i meant this to be another blog bout soccer, and sometimes on my thoughts on certain things in life. This perhaps is a continuation to my old blog justgivethetitletochelsea.blogspot.com, which barely lasted a month and 3 posts be4 it was hacked and deleted. Well, the past is past and we shall not talk bout it anymore.

Why the name fourtwothreeone? As everyone who's known me well knows, i've always advocated this tactical system and championed it. Why? Because according to my own postulated theory of evolution of soccer tactics, i believe that eventually all soccer tactics converges upon these two mainstream tactical layouts, namely the 4-4-2 and the 4-2-3-1. 4-2-3-1 is a highly demanding tactic because it requires a team to have two very skilful wingers as well as a prolific striker. That said, it provides depth in midfield as well as width on the flanks. Sitting the playmaker directly behind the striker allows backup as well as more firepower up front while being assured that there are two midfielders covering his back. Unfortunately, not many teams in the world have skilful wingers as these have indeed become a rare breed amongst new generation of soccer players. Playmakers who can split defenses with accurate passes and deadly long shots have also dwindled in numbers. As such, 4-2-3-1 is rarely seen deployed in teams nowadays except perhaps roma and barcelona(before eto'o was out injured).
In the case of Roma's lineup against Lyon in the 2nd leg of the champions league, they deployed 4-2-3-1 to good use and with deep defending and creative wingplay, managed to put Lyon out of the champions league.

4-4-2 is another excellent tactical system. It allows good balance between defence, midfield and attack, due to the mobility and versatility of the two central midfielders. Often, proponents of fourfourtwo like sir alex ferguson will deploy an attacking mid and a defensive mid like carrick and scholes to dictate tempo and organise counterattacks. However, the real drawback of 4-4-2 comes from the two strikers up front. 4-4-2 requires both strikers to have telepathic abilities and to be familiar with each other's playing style. A mismatch will lead to disastrous results and breaks in momentum(like kuyt and bellamy in Aston Villa's home match against liverpool). This is a major flaw in 4-4-2, while the use of a lone striker in 4-2-3-1 eliminates that problem. 4-4-2 diamond in the case of Chelsea is a good formation provided the team has very established midfielders like makelele, but it suffers from a lack of width and places a lot of pressure on the wingbacks and central defenders.

Ok...i'm digressing too much. This is what happens when i talk football, i won't stop until someone tells me to STFU. Anyway, this blog serves 2 purpose. 1) this blog will serve as my scouting database, so if managers of FM wanted to know of good buys and bargain players you can visit my blog and check if there's an update. I set myself apart from FM sites in that i don't only include wonderkids in my listings but also BARGAIN buys for clubs outside the big four. 2) i will write about all the things that happened in my life, what i feel about certain issues and most importantly on issues involving soccer, cos i might consider being a soccer presenter/jounalist/analyst when i'm sick of whatever job i might be taking up in the future.(Basically, i kan the ESPN indian soccer presenter bu shuang very long liao, cos he likes to talk crap and i dun pay 20 bucks a mth to watch him talk trash on espn and football focus, so i decide to replace him sld i ever get the chance. he better not let me see him if not...) Anyway, this is about all i have to say. Next post: Why England is a perennial flop in european and world competitions and should McClaren abdicate in my favour as the new England manager?

johannkrizalid blogged @ 12:02 AM