Custom Team Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Szoboszlai (Gusto) (Liverpool) · van Dijk (Gomez, Mosquera) (Liverpool) · Senesi (Chalobah, Khusanov) (Bournemouth) · Caicedo (Bergvall) (Chelsea) · J. Pedro (Haaland) (Chelsea) · Ugochukwu (Gravenberch) (Burnley) · Vicario (Roefs) (Tottenham) · Grealish (Mount) (Everton) · Dewsbury-Hall (J. King, Paquetá) (Everton) · Bowen (Madueke, Minteh) (West Ham) · Guehi (Cucurela, Diouf, Truffert) (Crystal Palace)

Seeking to control games through a high press and verticality, this team operates in a 4-5-1 formation. The lineup aims to win the ball high up the pitch and quickly progress through the thirds to catch opponents off balance. This setup relies on heavy work rates across the pitch to maintain a high defensive line and squeeze the space in the middle.

Vicario plays between the posts to organize the defensive unit. The back line functions as a flat back four, where Guehi acts as a defensive wing back on the left to provide width. Senesi and van Dijk form the central pair, with van Dijk acting as a dominant in the air defender who can step into midfield to support play. Szoboszlai occupies the right side, often pushing forward to help the midfield. The unit works together to set the offside trap and defend zonally.

The midfield is a five man block that can shift between a mid block and an aggressive press. Ugochukwu and Caicedo operate as a double pivot to shield the defence and win the second ball. Dewsbury-Hall connects the defensive and attacking lines, while Grealish and Bowen operate in the half spaces to create passing lanes. Grealish uses his dribbling style to hold the ball and pull wide, while Bowen makes late runs into the box to support the attack. This group is responsible to press in pairs to force a long ball from the opposition.

A lone striker, J. Pedro, leads the front line as a pressing centre forward. He works to pin the last defender and link up play between the lines. The attack is built through the wide players who can cut inside to create overloads. When the team wins it back, the forwards look to hit in behind on the transition. J. Pedro often drops deep to find the feet of the striker or lay it off to oncoming runners.

One major strength of this formation is the ability to press high in coordinated waves, led by J. Pedro and the midfield five. The double pivot of Ugochukwu and Caicedo provides compactness when defending, making it difficult for opponents to play through the middle. The team also benefits from the ability to create wide overloads when Guehi and Szoboszlai push forward to support the wingers.

This 4-5-1 lineup relies on intense pressing and rapid transitions to unsettle the opponent. It is best suited for matches against teams that try to build short from the back and struggle under heavy pressure.