| Formation | 1966 4-4-2 System |
|
Brazil dominated world
football from late 1950 well into the 1960s. To beat Brazil was the ultimate aim for any
country. The defenders of other countries did everything in their power to stop Brazil's
ace striker, Pele. Desperate defense sometimes resulted in dangerous play as some players
were willing to commit fouls to stop him. As a result, in the England World Cup, Brazil
suffered a humiliating exit from the championship in the preliminary round, far from
capturing a highly anticipated third straight victory. In that World Cup Brazil, and also England, which went on to win the championship for the first time that year, placed two players in the midfield: player (4) marked the opposing key attacker tightly. England, which had Bobby Charlton, the virtuoso of game control, used a "4-4-2" system without any wingers. However, England's strategy of having the tall forwards in the front to contest the lobbed ball and send the flick-on into the goal was criticized as being "too defensive and too boring." |