6 a side formations
6-a-side Formations – Winning Tactics
Not having a
structure or enough organisation in the game of 6-a-side is going to
immediately kill your team’s chances of being successful on a regular basis.
Whilst the best 6-a-side teams don’t apply a formation too rigidly (more on
what the best teams actually use at the bottom of the article), not having any
formation at all is just going to make you look like cannon-fodder to other
teams, instead of the contenders you should be.
Much of the game of
6-a-side is reliant on the skill of your players, but a good proportion of your
success is going to come from experience, good organisation, and playing the
percentages.
That’s where it is
absolutely vital to think about the 6-a-side tactics and formation that you and
your team are going to use. Good tactics can transform any ramshackle band
of misfits into a competitive team that other sides will fear!
The key principles – whatever your formation
Exactly which of
the formations below is going to be the best for your team will depend on a lot
of factors: who you are playing against; what sort of players are in your
squad; and your fitness levels. However, bear in mind that whatever
formation you come up with, there needs to be 2 very simple principles
behind it:
1. Somebody has to be
committed to attacking – you need someone to provide an attacking
outlet and relieve the pressure from the defense. Remember, playing with depth
is as important as playing with width (you can find loads more detail about
this important point in our article on having a dedicated attacker, the “pivot”).
2. Somebody has to be
committed to defending – we’ve covered in a previous article how
important it is going to be to have someone staying back, or in other
words a “last man“.
That might sound a
bit like stating the obvious, but it’s common to see teams playing with either
nobody attacking, or more often nobody defending. If you play against a good
team and neglect either of these principles, you’re going to find it very
difficult indeed.
The good news as
far as designing your new formation goes, is that as there are only five
outfield players, there are only a limited number of ways to arrange your team
– so start by considering the following formations:
2-2-1 Formation
The 2-2-1 formation
is a good starting point to consider for 6-a-side. It’s exactly half of the
more common 4-4-2 formation that you see in 11-a-side, and offers a similar
balance.
Pros:
+ Two defenders are
assigned, giving a good stable defensive base, which the team can build on.
+ The midfielders are able to support the defense, whilst also having
responsibility to join the attack.
+ The 3 midfielders have the potential to provide lots of attacking
support to the front player and to vary the person attacking each time.
– It requires a little more man-to-man marking than the 2-2-1 system, but not
necessarily a negative thing as long as everyone is prepared to muck in with
their defensive responsibility.
+ Good for teams who like to play on the counter-attack with one or both of the
wing-back defenders exploding forward to join the attacks.
– It needs a lot of coordination between the wing-backs, not to mention a lot
of fitness to join the attacks but still provide enough cover defensively.
– Really just a variant of the 1-3-1, which offers a bit more flexibility.
+ Makes for lots of end-to-end play
+ A decent alternative if you’re trying to accommodate two excellent attackers
– The midfielder is expected to bridge the gap between both defense and attack,
which could be challenging if he’s outnumbered in the middle.
– This will only work with two very good attackers who are able to make things
happen, and they will need good service.
Cons:
– The midfielders
need to be able to keep a balance between attacking and maintaining a defensive
line. If they’re split then this could become more like a 2-0-3, which could
result in some chaotic end-to-end action.
1-3-1 Formation
One of the most
popular 5-a-side formations is the 1-2-1, as it
gives teams the maximum flexibility between defense and attack. This is the
6-a-side variation of that. The formation commits one player to solely focus on
attacking, and one to be the main defender (or last man),
but then the three in the middle can shift their focus as the game requires.
It’s a very dynamic formation.
Pros:
+ Allows the 3
middle players to switch between defense and attack as the game requires.
Cons:
– Players seem
naturally inclined to attack, and if the middle 3 don’t get the balance right
then there is a risk that the defense is exposed.
3-1-1 Formation
This is really just
a more defensive version of the 1-3-1. It will be of more use to teams who like
to sit back and defend, then play on the counter attack, which can be a very
effective strategy for 6-a-side if you’ve got the players to do it.
Pros:
+ Lots of defensive
cover
Cons:
– Some teams might
find this a little too defensive to play all the time
2-1-2 Formation
This is the only
formation we’ve featured that has more than 1 in attack. If you’ve got a great
pair of attacking players and want to get them working together then you might
consider this, but there’s a risk that it leaves the rest of the team
struggling on their own with the defensive duties.
Pros:
+ Two players in
attack gives the possibility of a good front partnership being formed and gives
lots of attacking outlets to the rest of the team
Cons:
– Playing 2 in
attack can be quite risky if neither of those players is going to track-back.
What do the best teams use?
Choosing any of the
above formations is a good start but if you apply it too rigidly then it
probably isn’t going to work well. 6-a-side is a fast paced game and players
ideally should be comfortable in filling in any role at any time – for
instance, if your most defensive player goes forward then somebody else is
going to have to cover for him. It’s the same if your striker is up against a
defender who is comfortable running forward with the ball; he might have to
track him all the way back to the edge of his own area.
Picking a formation
should give you a rough idea of where each player should play and help everyone
understand their responsibility on the pitch, but it shouldn’t be something
that teams should obsess over. If a player gets dragged out of position then
that might be fine, depending on the circumstances. The idea of the formation
isn’t to put a straitjacket on the shape of the team, it’s just to give a basic
structure, focus and balance to the play.
5aside.com. (2017). 6 a side formations. Available:
http://www.5-a-side.com/tactics/6-a-side-formations/. Last accessed 14th Jul
2021.