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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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Comments

KareemZain
09/08/2023
EG
383
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.


KareemZain
09/08/2023 15:51
Egypt
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.

Michaelsun
20/02/2022
CN
738
points

Our team formation is 4-4-2.
I think 3-4-3 formation is the most effective.


Michaelsun
20/02/2022 13:51
China
Manchester United
738

Our team formation is 4-4-2.
I think 3-4-3 formation is the most effective.

Gabriel Amaral's picture
Gabriel Amaral
13/05/2021
BR
1512
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.


Gabriel Amaral's picture
Gabriel Amaral
13/05/2021 15:29
Brazil
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.

hsn's picture
hsn
01/12/2020
TR
5551
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.


hsn's picture
hsn
01/12/2020 16:04
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5551

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.

marynchukdenys1984's picture
marynchukdenys1984
15/11/2020
UA
272
points

Hello everyone, I like to play 4-3-3 formation is a more attacking formation


marynchukdenys1984's picture
marynchukdenys1984
15/11/2020 20:20
Ukraine
Liverpool
272

Hello everyone, I like to play 4-3-3 formation is a more attacking formation

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
29/09/2020
UA
6561
points

"Word-formation" or "word formation" deals with how words are constructed.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
29/09/2020 12:24
Ukraine
Liverpool
6561

"Word-formation" or "word formation" deals with how words are constructed.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
29/09/2020
UA
6561
points

As I see it, Liverpool uses various formations but the most preferred is 4-3-3.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
29/09/2020 12:18
Ukraine
Liverpool
6561

As I see it, Liverpool uses various formations but the most preferred is 4-3-3.

ashishk
03/08/2020
IN
11
points

4-4-2


ashishk
03/08/2020 06:20
India
Manchester United
11

4-4-2

Vanous Nguyen
31/07/2020
VN
1
points

I like a formation 5-4-1 is the best


Vanous Nguyen
31/07/2020 07:21
Vietnam
Manchester United
1

I like a formation 5-4-1 is the best

Roberto Avelar's picture
Roberto Avelar
28/07/2020
BR
110
points

My team usually used 4-3-3.

I'm think that 4-4-2 é the formation more effective.


Roberto Avelar's picture
Roberto Avelar
28/07/2020 23:41
Brazil
Manchester City
110

My team usually used 4-3-3.

I'm think that 4-4-2 é the formation more effective.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
27/07/2020
TR
6524
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.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
27/07/2020 22:17
Turkey
Manchester United
6524

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.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
27/07/2020
TR
6524
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


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
27/07/2020 22:15
Turkey
Manchester United
6524

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

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
27/07/2020
UA
6561
points

I think the 4-4-2 formation is the most effective.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
27/07/2020 17:27
Ukraine
Liverpool
6561

I think the 4-4-2 formation is the most effective.

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1Alex_from_Ukraine6561
2mobeckham6524
3hsn5551
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4779
6Liubomyr4417
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia71666
2Ukraine33799
3Spain29273
4Serbia27426
5Brazil23321
6Albania20578
7Vietnam20405
8Turkey20034
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United143452
2Liverpool111037
3Chelsea89963
4Arsenal86176
5Manchester City58595
6Tottenham Hotspur19327
7Newcastle United10545
8West Ham United7637
9AFC Bournemouth4875
10Crystal Palace4491

Level

1
Average: 1 (1 vote)

Goals

Learn more football vocabulary.