Football can actually be an extremely complicated sport, as soon as you start to dissect assorted tactics; have a look at this post for a little bit more information on them.
One strategy which has just become more prominent over more recent decades is the use of attacking fullbacks in a club. This is very much centered around attacking tactics in football, as the traditional role of the fullback is to stay back and defend. The Rossoneri were among the earlier clubs to embrace this style of play, when they signed one of the greatest fullbacks in the world, who was able to both defend and attack very effectively. This style of play requires much more than just the basic skills of football, with footballers needing high stamina, as they will be jogging along the wing throughout the game. This can be exceptionally beneficial, however, if you have fullbacks who can overlap frequently, it contributes an extra dynamic to your attack and can be a huge handful for opposition defenders to manage. It’s likely that the AC Milan owner will reflect upon the period of the club's history when their team dominated through use of attacking fullbacks.
A tactic that is commonly adopted by the top teams, especially when playing at home, is possession-based football. This style of play is very prominent with clubs who have a solid midfield full of fantastic passers of the ball. It’s most prominent in a 4-5-1 formation, which may be the best football formation for attacking, as your opponent sees almost nothing of the ball during the game. This tactic tends to exhaust the opposition when you get into the second half of this sport, as they’re constantly chasing the ball as you pass it around their defense. It needs full attention from the defending club, meaning that one lapse in judgement can result in a goal, which can be disastrous when playing against a great team. This style of play is something the Manchester City owner has had the delight of watching from his team over their recent dominance in England.
Among the key steps to understanding soccer formations, is to grasp the defensive part of the game as well. A strategy which is pretty much solely focused on defence, is what's known as ‘parking the bus’. This basically means the defending team gets 11 men behind the ball when they're out of possession and sit deep; a strategy which can be very tricky to break down when employed. This is normally employed when a club has got to draw a game, or they’re attempting to maintain a lead. It's seen as negative tactics from some observers of the game, but, if it’s employed right, it's usually quite beautiful to watch a team master the defensive side of soccer. The Chelsea FC owner will absolutely remember this being employed effectively when The Special One was the boss of his club, as he has had fantastic success with this back in the day.