World Cup formations, explained: A look at how coaches are setting up their squads
GUADALAJARA, Mexico: It’s number-crunching time when it comes to formations at the World Cup.
Every team start with a goalkeeper in front of the net, but then it’s up to the 48 coaches to try to arrange their lineups to optimize their players and match up effectively with opponents.
On paper, the lists may look more like area codes, phone numbers or lottery combinations: 4-4-2, 5-3-2, 4-2-3-1 and so on.
But it’s all about how coaches set up their 10 field players, with some of them focusing more on attacking, others on containing a tough opponent or maybe trying to capitalize on the talent of a star player.
