Adrian Clarke takes a look at the tactical trends of the 2017/18 Premier League.
Tactical diversity
A running theme throughout the campaign was tactical diversity.
Managers were happier than ever to mix up strategies on a weekly basis. A total of 18 different team shapes were used across the 380-match season.
Not one permanent head coach or manager limited himself to just one formation.
While the clubs who retained the same manager throughout the season tended to have more tactical stability, second-guessing anyone’s approach was not easy.
In fact, it is hard to recall a time in English football when there has been so much strategic variation.
Formation trends 2017/18
| Fewest formations | Most formations | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Man City | 3 | Swansea | 11 |
| Arsenal | 4 | Everton | 10 |
| Burnley | 5 | West Ham | 10 |
| Chelsea | 5 | AFC Bournemouth | 8 |
| Newcastle | 5 | West Brom | 8 |
Three at the back in vogue
The use of three central defenders has grown in popularity since the 2016 UEFA European Championships.
The 3-4-2-1 used most by Antonio Conte, Arsene Wenger, David Moyes and Mark Hughes remains the leading choice in this category. But seven slightly modified versions of having three or five players at the back were also used.
Overall, three-man defences were used from the beginning of matches on 66 more occasions in 2017/18 than in the previous season.
Remarkably, of the 28 permanent managers employed in the season just gone, all but four used a three-man defence at least once.
Plan B considered
This clearly shows that working on a Plan B has become more common on Premier League training grounds.
Sean Dyche, Roy Hodgson, Craig Shakespeare and Paul Lambert were the only managers who stuck with a traditional back four in all their matches.
Even though the top four sides all preferred four at the back, there was not much to choose between a back three and a back four in terms of win ratios.
Which shape fared best?
| Formation | Starts | Wins | Win ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back three | 207 | 72 | 34.8% |
| Back four | 553 | 209 | 37.8% |
The most popular formations
Manchester City and Liverpool excelled throughout the season with a main shape of 4-3-3, but surprisingly this formation was not regularly used across the competition.
Aside from Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, only three other Premier League managers made the 4-3-3 their first choice.
The most popular formation was 4-2-3-1, favoured by 10 head coaches/managers, followed by 4-4-1-1, used by seven, and then 3-4-2-1, with six.
Formations most used
| Formation | Starts | Win ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 4-2-3-1 | 184 | 38.6% |
| 4-3-3 | 127 | 52.7% |
| 4-4-1-1 | 120 | 31.7% |
| 3-4-2-1 | 98 | 38.8% |
| 4-4-2 | 79 | 30.4% |
Shapes to avoid
Not every formation worked well, and this season there were some notable flops.
The 3-5-2 formation was used on 24 occasions, but it produced only four victories.
Several others were winless, too: 4-5-1 (13 matches); 5-3-2 (11); 4-3-1-2 (four); 4-3-2-1 (one).
Best formations?
The formation with the highest win ratio was only used three times, but had a success rate of 66.6 per cent.
The unusual box-shaped 4-2-2-2 was fielded by Klopp's Liverpool in a 4-1 win at West Ham United, and by Carlos Carvalhal's Swansea City in a 2-1 success at Watford.
The next most successful was 4-3-3 (52.7 per cent win ratio), then 3-5-1-1 (44 per cent) which resulted in an impressive 11 victories out of 25.
Perhaps their success will bring about more of these formations, but with six different managers entering the 2018/19 Premier League, this could yet change.
Also in this series
Part 2: Tactical review: City continuity counted for title
Part 3: Tactical review: Players saving their best shots
Part 4: Tactical review: Free-kick goals a dying breed
Part 5: Tactical review: Tackles on the slide