• Many Kenyan teams deploy outdated formation of 4-4-2
• The modern era is to embrace 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1 style of play
Image: ERICK BARASA
If anyone needed evidence that Kenyan football has a long way to go, they need look no further than our persistence with the 4-4-2 formation.
An observation of the line-ups released by most clubs during Kenya Premier League matchdays shows that this playing style is the most favoured by many coaches in the country.
The 4-4-2 playing formation simply means two strikers spearheading the attack, backed up by two wingers and an attacking midfielder. It is a formation that was in use for so many decades and has reaped fruits for so many teams.
One of those to have benefited from the deployment of this formation was Sir Alex Ferguson, who amassed 20 English Premier League titles in his 25-year reign at Manchester United.
Another one was former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who deployed French striker Thierry Henry and Dutchman David Bergkamp upfront in a partnership that resulted in going unbeaten in the 2003-04 season.
However, times have changed and the 4-4-2 formation is increasingly becoming obsolete as many opposition teams devise ways to circumvent it and inflict damage.
One of the dangers of 4-4-2 is the pressure it applies on the midfield because of the lack of enough numbers in that area of the pitch. A team that relies on this formation will often find themselves struggling to maintain possession in the middle of the park.
To overwhelm teams playing 4-4-2, the opposition would most likely adopt the 4-3-2-1 or 4-3-3 formations to increase the number of players in the midfield. Others would even go to the extent of 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 in which the fullbacks provide increased width and numbers in the midfield.
The main objective of moving from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1 is that teams can enjoy the benefit of an extra midfielder shielding the defence from attacks by the opposition.
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is an example of a manager who benefited a lot from an extra body in midfield — precisely Claude Makelele, who redefined the role of a defensive midfielder and provided the template for other players in his position.
A 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1 formation implies playing with one striker who is physically and technically nuanced to hold the ball against physically-imposing centrebacks and to create chances for the midfielders and wingers.
Back to Kenya, the persistence with this outdated form of playing is indicting of our lack of ingenuity as far as football is concerned. In most cases, the 4-4-2 formation involves a physically-imposing striker and a technical one to make up for their respective weaknesses and complement each others strengths.
This formation gives the leeway to the 'thup! thup!' kind of football, which is less technical than physical and is quite an eyesore to purists like me.
Football is a form of entertainment and the use of 4-4-2 negates this. Kenyan coaches should be more inventive in the way they set up their sides. Thus far, only Francis Kimanzi has shown to be a thinker outside the box — experimenting a lot with 4-3-3 during his time at Wazito.
Only through taking such risks will our football edge forward into the modern era, where false nines and ball-playing centrebacks are the in-thing.