11v11 4-4-2 lineup sheet

The 11v11 4-4-2 formation

The 4-4-2 lines up four defenders, four midfielders in a flat band and two strikers. It is the shape most players learn first because every zone of the field has a pair of teammates covering it, and each player's job is easy to explain.

Strengths

• Simple, clear roles that young players pick up quickly
• Two strikers mean there is always a partner to pass to up front
• Two banks of four are hard to play through

Weaknesses

• Only two central midfielders, who can be outnumbered by a three
• Wide midfielders have a lot of running to do in both directions

Best for

Teams moving up to the full-sized game for the first time, and squads without one standout playmaker.

Coaching tip

Ask the two central midfielders to play as a pair on a string: when one goes forward, the other holds.

Positions in a 11v11 4-4-2

The lineup sheet has a box for each of these 11 positions in every quarter: Goalkeeper, Left Back, Left Center Back, Right Center Back, Right Back, Left Mid, Left Center Mid, Right Center Mid, Right Mid, Left Striker, Right Striker.

Other 11v11 formations

Want it filled in for you?

The free SOXY app does the parts a web page cannot. It keeps your roster, knows which players have said they are coming, and fills all four quarters so playing time comes out even. It rotates the goalkeeper, lets you drag players between positions, saves a lineup for every game, and prints this same sheet with the field, both coaches and the referees already on it.