Easy: Formation
Easy: Formation
Premier Vocabulary is a mini-podcast for you to learn football English one word at a time. We have three different levels for you: easy, medium and hard.
This episode is easy so we’re looking at common football words and phrases. Things you use and need to know to play the game.
Summary
Learn more football vocabulary with Premier Skills English. Each lesson in our Premier Vocabulary section looks at one football word or phrase. This lesson looks at the word formation.
You can find more lessons on the side of this page.
Transcript
Rich: Hello my name’s Rich and welcome to Premier Skills English - Premier Vocabulary.
Jack: Hi there! I’m Jack. We’re here to help you with your football English. Premier Vocabulary is a mini-podcast for you to learn football English one word at a time.
Rich: We have three different levels for you: easy, medium and hard.
Jack: This episode is easy so we’re looking at common football words and phrases; things you use and need to know to play the game.
Rich: The word we are looking at in this episode is formation.
Jack: Formation is a word that you will see in and out of a football context.
Rich: There are a number of meanings of formation but we’re going to focus on just one meaning - how it is used to describe shapes and patterns.
Jack: We can talk about cloud formations - the shapes clouds make in the sky. My favourite cloud formations are the big summer storm clouds, great cumulonimbus clouds.
Rich: I like little fluffy clouds, little cumulus. We can also talk about rock formations. The weather often changes the shape of rocks to produce different rock formations.
Jack: Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland is probably the most famous rock formation in the UK.
Rich: We can also talk about things and people that are in formation. Soldiers march in formation or aircraft might fly in formation.
Jack: This means they march or fly in a specific shape or pattern.
Rich: Here’s a tricky sentence: We could look for more information about how planes fly in formation.
Jack: When we use the word formation in a football context we are nearly always speaking about a team’s pattern or shape on the pitch.
Rich: We talk might about a 4-4-2 formation or a 3-5-2 formation or a 4-3-3 formation.
Jack: The numbers are used to describe where players are usually positioned on the pitch. The first number is used to say how many defenders there are in the formation, the second number is for midfielders and the third for attackers.
Rich: So if a team has a 4-4-2 formation they play with four defenders, four midfielders and two attackers.
Jack: Managers and coaches may use different formations depending on how attacking or defensive they want to be in a game.
Rich: A 4-5-1 formation is quite a defensive formation. A 4-3-3 formation is a more attacking formation.
Jack: Teams often change formation during a game depending on whether they need to attack or defend more.
Rich: There is the final whistle!
Jack: We’ll be back soon with more Premier Vocabulary from Premier Skills English.
Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football.
Comment
Discuss
Which formation does your team use?
Which formation do you think is most effective?
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Komentar
09/08/2023
points
My team in Egypt "Zamalek" usually uses 4-5-1.
I think the most effective formation is 4-4-2 because it's balanced formation.
09/08/2023 15:51
Manchester City
383
My team in Egypt "Zamalek" usually uses 4-5-1.
I think the most effective formation is 4-4-2 because it's balanced formation.
20/02/2022
points
Our team formation is 4-4-2.
I think 3-4-3 formation is the most effective.
20/02/2022 13:51
Manchester United
738
Our team formation is 4-4-2.
I think 3-4-3 formation is the most effective.
13/05/2021
points
My team uses 3 different formations: 4-3-3, 4-2-4 or 3-4-3.
I think the most effective is that one that suits the manager's and club's model and the players feel confortable to play into.
13/05/2021 15:29
Arsenal
1512
My team uses 3 different formations: 4-3-3, 4-2-4 or 3-4-3.
I think the most effective is that one that suits the manager's and club's model and the players feel confortable to play into.
01/12/2020
points
Which formation does your team use?
Generally 4-3-3. But I think there mustn’t be a standart formation for teams. It depends on strength or weakness of opponents as well as matches played whether at home or away. Sometimes instead of being defeated drawing is the best score.
Which formation do you think is most effective?
Recently there is an approach in football that opponent must be locked at the second zone of pitch. As a result of this midfielders are very important nowadays.
A qualified midfielder should stop counter attacks , in addition should pass or assist to the forwards teammates .Consquently, I recommend 4-4-3 like an effective formation of Tottenham.
01/12/2020 16:04
Tottenham Hotspur
5528
Which formation does your team use?
Generally 4-3-3. But I think there mustn’t be a standart formation for teams. It depends on strength or weakness of opponents as well as matches played whether at home or away. Sometimes instead of being defeated drawing is the best score.
Which formation do you think is most effective?
Recently there is an approach in football that opponent must be locked at the second zone of pitch. As a result of this midfielders are very important nowadays.
A qualified midfielder should stop counter attacks , in addition should pass or assist to the forwards teammates .Consquently, I recommend 4-4-3 like an effective formation of Tottenham.
15/11/2020
points
Hello everyone, I like to play 4-3-3 formation is a more attacking formation
15/11/2020 20:20
Liverpool
272
Hello everyone, I like to play 4-3-3 formation is a more attacking formation
29/09/2020
points
"Word-formation" or "word formation" deals with how words are constructed.
29/09/2020 12:24
Liverpool
6285
"Word-formation" or "word formation" deals with how words are constructed.
29/09/2020
points
As I see it, Liverpool uses various formations but the most preferred is 4-3-3.
29/09/2020 12:18
Liverpool
6285
As I see it, Liverpool uses various formations but the most preferred is 4-3-3.
03/08/2020
points
4-4-2
03/08/2020 06:20
Manchester United
11
4-4-2
31/07/2020
points
I like a formation 5-4-1 is the best
31/07/2020 07:21
Manchester United
1
I like a formation 5-4-1 is the best
28/07/2020
points
My team usually used 4-3-3.
I'm think that 4-4-2 é the formation more effective.
28/07/2020 23:41
Manchester City
110
My team usually used 4-3-3.
I'm think that 4-4-2 é the formation more effective.
27/07/2020
points
I like the classical 4-4-2 that we used to play with under Sir Alex Ferguson and I always use this formation when I play FIFA on my Playstation or challenge a friend.
27/07/2020 22:17
Manchester United
6510
I like the classical 4-4-2 that we used to play with under Sir Alex Ferguson and I always use this formation when I play FIFA on my Playstation or challenge a friend.
27/07/2020
points
Manchester United use 4-2-3-1 nowadays after Bruno's arrival and it works brilliantly as we have never lost a game in the Premier League since Ferbruary.
It looks that way on the pitch
David De Gea
Aaron Wan-Bissaka Victor Lindelof Harry Maguire Luke Shaw
Paul Pogba Nemanja Matic
Mason Greenwood Bruno Fernandes Marcus Rashford
Tony Martial
27/07/2020 22:15
Manchester United
6510
Manchester United use 4-2-3-1 nowadays after Bruno's arrival and it works brilliantly as we have never lost a game in the Premier League since Ferbruary.
It looks that way on the pitch
David De Gea
Aaron Wan-Bissaka Victor Lindelof Harry Maguire Luke Shaw
Paul Pogba Nemanja Matic
Mason Greenwood Bruno Fernandes Marcus Rashford
Tony Martial
27/07/2020
points
I think the 4-4-2 formation is the most effective.
27/07/2020 17:27
Liverpool
6285
I think the 4-4-2 formation is the most effective.