Is a formation in football really that important? After all, teams that play 4–4–2 with similar roles given to their players, can be great or terrible.
The formation is usually the thing fantasy football manager thinks about the less. After all, it’s about choosing the players that will manage to earn you a lot of points. However, there are some that suggest there is one formation that towers above the others. It’s the 3–5–2.
They may be right. After all, fantasy football is a game with clear scoring systems. And just like any game, as soon as you learn how the points are being scored, you are able to adapt your choices to suit the system.
Those praising the 3–5–2
Riccardo Albini is the man that practically invented fantasy football (soccer). In truth Albini, an Italian journalist knew about the popular U.S. fantasy sports and had the idea to adapt those systems to fit the game being played in Serie A.
His idea would be called Fantacalcio, a game that then became enormously popular after it was featured by the Italian sports publication Gazetta dello Sport. More than 70000 people took part in its first season and many more millions ever since.
Albini talked about his own strategy in the game. He admits that he won the league on five occasions since the competition’s start. He credits his success with the use of the 3–5–2 formula. Here’s what he had to say.
“I always use this formula, because good midfielders will always gift you 2–3 extra points which may make the difference.”
Why are midfielders so important in fantasy football?
The scoring systems for most fantasy football games are similar. Of course, goals and clean sheets are very important. However, in all matter of truth, not that many goals are scored in a regular football game, much less so in Serie A.
The system will then take into account things such as the number of correct passes or assists. Those are areas in which midfielders do very well. For example, midfielders for teams like Barcelona or Real Madrid tend to have a passing accuracy of about 90%. Much of the attacking buildup of the teams is started by those players.
It should be noted that this is especially true for central midfielders with an attacking role. Defensive midfielders that tend to pass less and focus on tackling a breaking down attacks, often score less. Wingers can manage points through assists and goals, but they also tend to contribute less to possession.
Should I shift to the 3–5–2?
It goes without saying that the 3–5–2 formation does not guarantee victory. Making smart choices about the player featured on your team will help in a much greater way. However, it is a balanced formation, that allows those playing the games to make the best out of the competitions’ scoring systems. The 4–4–2 formation is quite similar, but many would prefer to give strikers and defenders less responsibility.
Perhaps choosing a good formation is just a way to steer the ship in the right direction. After all, the Spain national team earned success with a strikerless 4–6–0 formation.
Regardless of strategy, all formations need to be back up by the right squad. Have you scouted the right players for your draft?
