FORMATION · 4 AT THE BACK
The 4-3-2-1 formation
A back four, a midfield three, two players just behind a lone striker.
Also called the Christmas tree
The shape
1
GK
2
RB
3
CB
4
CB
5
LB
6
CM
7
CM
8
CM
9
CAM
10
CAM
11
ST
Formation 4-3-2-1
What it gives you
Enormous central overload, with five players in the middle third.
What it costs you
No natural width at all, so the full-backs have to provide every bit of it.
Positions
GKRBCBCBLBCMCMCMCAMCAMST
Who plays it
Barely used right now. The 4-3-2-1 accounts for 25 of the 5,080 lineups we hold from the leagues we cover this season.
No club we track uses it as its default shape, though it has been used in individual matches.