11v11 4-4-2 Diamond lineup sheet

The 11v11 4-4-2 Diamond formation

The 4-4-2 Diamond keeps the back four and the front two but turns the midfield into a diamond: one holding player, two shuttlers and one playmaker behind the strikers. It trades width for numbers in the middle of the field.

Strengths

• Four central midfielders usually win the middle of the pitch
• A natural number ten position for a creative player
• Two strikers close together to combine

Weaknesses

• No wide midfielders, so the full-backs must supply all the width
• Opponents can find space on the flanks to switch play

Best for

Teams with energetic full-backs and a group of midfielders who are better on the ball than on the wing.

Coaching tip

Rehearse which shuttler slides out wide when the ball goes to the touchline, so the diamond does not get stretched.

Positions in a 11v11 4-4-2 Diamond

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, Defensive Mid, Left Mid, Right Mid, Attacking 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.