5 most attacking formations in football

#3 4-2-2-2

Manuel Pellegrini's Villarreal

Often called ‘Magic Rectangle’ or ‘Magic Square’, due to its organization in the attack, 4-2-2-2 was Brazil’s favourite formation in the 80s and 90s.

The back four consists of two wing-backs who can push forward when needed and the defensive midfielder plays the traditional role of a CDM. But the magic of this formation lies in its attack. The two secondary attackers can either be wingers or attacking midfielders depending on their playing style.

If these secondary attackers can cut back inside from the wings, the oppositions are likely to play catch up for the entire 90 minutes. The front two stay central with a proper No. 9 inside the box and the other one to play a more supportive role.

Often underappreciated for his tactical genius, Manuel Pellegrini used this formation exceptionally and produced results with both Villarreal and Manchester City.

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#2 3-4-3

Cruyff's Dream Team

In the era of 4-4-2 and 3-5-2, Johan Cruyff created a Dream Team at Barcelona with the help of 3-4-3.

The back three usually consists of a solid central defender (Ronald Koeman in Cruyff’s Barcelona). The wide defenders are often fluid in their positions covering the horizontal line. The midfield four can be either a diamond or a flat-four, depending on the pace of the midfielders on either flank. Cruyff himself often used the diamond with Pep Guardiola at the defensive end of it and Jose Bakero at the tip of the diamond.

3-4-3 was also used by Rafa Benitez at Liverpool during the second half of the famous 2005 Champions League final – The Miracle in Istanbul. Most recently, Antonio Conte switched to 3-4-3 at Chelsea to win the Premier League title in his very first season with the Blues.

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#1 4-2-4:

Brazil's Team of 1970

Yes, we are finally talking about the famous 4-2-4 used by Brazil at the 1970 FIFA World Cup. It goes without saying that it is an insanely attacking formation with more reliance on direct attack than passing or ball possession.

Just like any other formation, the quality of players is important for 4-2-4 and the 70s Brazil had arguably the best team ever. Rivelino, Tostao, Jairzinho and of course, Pele led the attacking line. All four were capable of creating and scoring goals at will.

The two central midfielders often have to do the dirty work in front of the back four. But 1970’s Brazil had the audacity to push one of these two midfielders, Gerson in to attack, creating an even more absurd 4-1-5 formation. Talk about attacking firepower!