There has been considerable chat of late as to what Formation LFC should be fielding. Clearly everyone has their own opinions on the one they prefer and the reasons therefore, however I wanted to know if any one Formation has proved to be more successful than others in terms of statistical returns, so I spent time compiling the following statistics behind our Formations.
Firstly, I only analysed Premier League Fixtures and excluded Rodgers first year in charge as it could be argued that it was an inherited Team and a year of finding his feet. The 38 PL Fixtures from the 2013/14 Season plus the 7 PL Fixtures played thus far in our current Season gives a total sample size of 45 PL Fixtures.
Secondly, statistical analysis is what is interpreted ‘in the eye of the beholder’ and can be construed to complement or disprove any one standpoint. Accordingly there is no finite conclusion either way.
Of the 45 PL Fixtures analysed to date, we have fielded the following Formations:
433 in 15 Fixtures with a Win Ratio of 60%
4231 in 13 Fixtures with a Win Ratio of 62%
41212 (Diamond) in 9 Fixtures with a Win Ratio of 78%
3412 in 3 Fixtures with a Win Ratio of 67%
352 in 2 Fixtures with a Win Ratio of 50%
442 in 2 Fixtures with a Win Ratio of 50%
4321 in 1 Fixture with a Win Ratio of 100%
Whilst I have attached the Statistics for each Formation used, I have concentrated on the 433, 4231 and 41212 Formations as they account for 82% of the Fixtures played.
In terms of
Home Fixtures to date we have used:
4231 in 10 Fixtures with a Win Ratio of 70%
433 in 6 Fixtures with a Win Ratio of 83%
41212 in 3 Fixtures with a Win Ratio of 100%
If the current 2014/15 Season is anything to go by, Rodgers has used the 4231 Formation in all our Home Games to date, even though this formation has yielded the lowest Log Points per Game to date at 2.2 (this Season at 1.
and the lowest Goals scored per Game to date at 1.8 (this Season at 1.3). This confuses me as after one looks at all the other stats in the table below, a strong case could be made to use either the 433 or 41212 at Home. Opposition Teams have gleaned that our favoured Formation at Anfield is the 4231 and are setting up their game plan accordingly. Mixing it up on a more regular basis between the 3 Formations when playing at Home would not be remiss of Rodgers.
In terms of
Away Fixtures to date we have used:
433 in 9 Fixtures with a Win Ratio of 44%
41212 in 6 Fixtures with a Win Ratio of 67%
4231 in 3 Fixtures with a Win Ratio of 33%
Clearly the 41212 gives us the best return in Away Fixtures, given our Win Ratio of 67%; Log Points Attained per Game of 2.2; Goals scored per game of 3.2; Possession % of 55%; Total Shots of 17.0 per Game and Shots on Target of 7.2 per game. The only question that remains is that if the 41212 is so effective for us in our Away Fixtures why then does Rodgers not make more use of it at Anfield?
I could go on endlessly with my perception of the Statistics but as already stated everyone will glean their own interpretations of said Statistics so over to you.
(Cannot seem to attach all the Formation Stats in one ‘post submission’ so will post them individually)
