In the early days of the Premier League, the campaign was regularly touted as boring
tactically due to the fact that managers continuously deployed a rigid 4-4-2. Billed as the best
competition in the world, with genuinely sublime players, it floundered in contrast to other
European leagues, which were pushing the boundaries of tactical flexibility.
Often credited with bringing the beautiful game to the Premier League, Arsène Wenger was
one of the first coaches to instil foreign ideas and tactics into an otherwise insular institution.
Now the English game has the best managers, with a judicious outlook on football from all
over the globe. So, who are among the managers that have defined a tactical style/formation
in the Premier League?
Antonio Conte/Thomas Tuchel
3-4-3
The pair of Chelsea managers came into struggling squads and turned their fortunes around
with the deployment of a 3-4-3 formation. Thomas Tuchel inherited a team that was sitting
ninth in the league before he took over and managed to turn their season around, leading to
the Blues finishing fourth and subsequently winning the Champions League.
Tuchel enters this season as one of the favourites, with
Premier League winner odds having
Chelsea as the second-favourites with odds of 13/5, sitting just behind Manchester City. In
addition, Tuchel has even more of a point of attack now after recently adding Romelu
Lukaku. With more goals and flexibility to improve the squad,
EPL betting tips suggest that
this revision to the lineup makes them a solid contender to win the league.
Conte entered a similar situation when he came to Chelsea for the 2016/2017 season. They
finished the previous season in tenth, and Conte completely turned things around in his first
season, winning the Premier League. However, although they used the same formation, their
tactics were quite different. Conte used David Luiz, his middle centre-back, to bring the ball
out to the midfield while building play from the back. In contrast, Tuchel has Jorginho drop
deep to collect the ball in his side or has Antonio Rüdiger as his left centre-back bring the ball
out and join the midfield.
Conte's midfield two acted more conservatively, while Tuchel's are asked to dominate
possession.
As for the front three, Conte had Diego Costa as a traditional centre-forward who bullied
defenders and got in behind, Pedro provided width, and Eden Hazard dropped deep if needed
and came up with moments of magic. Tuchel's front three are more interchangeable, and the
point of the attack often acts as a false nine. Mount and Havertz can drop deep, while Werner
looks to get in behind.
Both deployed the formation but with different flexibility: both were effective.
Jose Mourinho
4-3-3/4-2-3-1
The special one came into the Premier League with arrogance and tactical brilliance. He
broke the Arsenal and Manchester United duopoly by introducing a single centre-forward,
shying away from the overused 4-4-2. His development of the English game saw him win
two Premier League titles on the bounce.
Mourinho generally always used a 4-2-3-1 when managing. However, in his first stint with
Chelsea, it was a 4-3-3 that resembled a 4-2-3-1 at times as Frank Lampard pushed into the
number 10 position. Mourinho built his teams on
rock-solid defences that rarely conceded.
His midfield offered extensive cover, and he even asked his wingers to trackback. However,
what made Mourinho so successful wasn't just his defending but how he attacked. He was
one of the first managers to ask his wide men to cut inside and act as extra forwards,
supporting the lone striker who often held up the ball before laying it off — devastating, to
say the least, as he won three Premier League titles.
Pep Guardiola/Jürgen Klopp
4-3-3
These two managers have defined the modern era and have produced some of the best teams
in the Premier League. They both sit at the top of most points in a Premier League season,
doing so using their own variation of the 4-3-3 formation.
Guardiola has created a winning machine at City. His single-pivot midfield and inverted
fullbacks have created attacking spaces flooded with players. His fluid system often operates
without a
recognised out-and-out centre forward, and it's this fluidity and use of space that
dominates opponents.
On the other hand, Klopp has adapted his gegenpress so that it's hardly rock-and-roll football
and more precise incisions. His squad bounces on mistakes and uses his devasting wide
forward in Mo Salah and Sadio Mane to score on teams. He also has dramatically influenced
fullback playmakers and contrasting ones at that. Trent Alexander-Arnold is often used in the
build-up as an extra midfielder with precise passes, while Andy Robertson stays wide to
deliver crosses. It all sits on the solid foundation of Virgil van Dijk, who offers composure.
There are plenty of managers who have defined the modern era of English football, but these
managers have defined these formations brought to the Premier League.