Custom Team Football Formation

Starting Lineup

... (Angola) · VOGTS (Berti) (Angola) · VASOVIC (Velibor) (Altrincham) · ZEBEC (Branko) (Altrincham) · COOPER (Terry) (Altrincham) · VORONIN (Valery) (Altrincham) · BULGARELLI (Giacomo) (Altrincham) · MAZZOLA (Valentino) (Altrincham) · SIVORI (Omar) (Altrincham) · MÜLLER (Gerd) (Altrincham) · KOPA (Raymond) (Altrincham)

A focus on defensive solidity and lightning fast transitions defines this 5-2-3 formation. The team looks to sit deep and absorb pressure before hitting the opponent in behind. This lineup is built to play with heavy defensive presence while using wide players to stretch the pitch during a break.

The goalkeeper stands alone at the back to organize the defensive unit. A back five provides a narrow defensive block with VORONIN acting as the central anchor to hold the line. ZEBEC operates as the left centre-back to cover space, while VASOVIC plays as the right centre-back to win the header in aerial duels. The wing backs are vital to this system, with COOPER playing as an attacking wing back on the left and VOGTS acting as an attacking wing back on the right to provide width. This unit works together to squeeze the space and deny the turn to any oncoming attackers.

In the center of the pitch, the team utilizes a double pivot to control the middle. MAZZOLA and BULGARELLI occupy the central midfield roles, acting as the engine room. BULGARELLI works to shield the defence and pick up runners, while MAZZOLA is tasked to carry the ball forward and connect the defensive and attacking lines. These two must work hard to press in a mid-block and win the second ball to prevent the opposition from playing through the lines.

The attacking line features three players who focus on directness. MÜLLER plays as a lone striker and acts as a target man to hold up the ball and find the feet of his teammates. SIVORI operates as an inverted winger on the left to cut inside and create chances, while KOPA plays as an inverted winger on the right to find space in the half spaces. The front three press from the front to force a long ball and create opportunities to counter at pace.

This formation offers several tactical advantages for the team. The primary strength is the ability to create wide overloads from overlapping full backs like VOGTS and COOPER. The team also benefits from extreme compactness when defending, making it very difficult for opponents to find gaps between the lines. This setup allows the players to defend in a low block and then transition into a vertical attack with speed.

This 5-2-3 formation is built for teams that want to defend deep and use the speed of their attackers to punish mistakes. It is best suited for games against possession heavy opponents where sitting deep and hitting in behind on the transition is the main goal.