Who would have thought that a 4-4-2 could still cause so many problems? It turns out Unai Emery knew it. His Aston Villa side have deployed a 4-4-2 with narrow wingers (effectively a 4-2-2-2) to rise from a relegation battle to a title race in just 14 months. Here’s a tactical breakdown explaining why it’s their build-up play out from the goalkeeper that other sides simply cannot stop. 

What do they do?

Starting from the goalkeeper, they’ll create a wide back-five (using their back-four plus the goalkeeper) with two pivot players in front. Why is this already a good start? Well, that’s seven players involved in the initial build-up, which — because the front-four are pinning the opposition’s defensive line back — guarantees Villa an overload here. If the other team’s back-four are pinned back, they only have six remaining outfield players to press Villa’s seven. That’s an Aston Villa overload.

Once the goalkeeper plays the ball to one of his centre-backs, the double-pivot (No.6 and No.8) will shuffle over and engage in another overload. They create a box with the centre-back on the ball and the full-back out wide. 

This is where we begin to see their 4-2-2-2 take shape. After the four-man box has been utilised, the nearest winger will drop in to offer himself as an outlet. Why does the opposition full-back track this run? That’s because it would leave them with just three defenders against Villa’s remaining front-three, and they’d be leaving a big gap for the striker to run into. So they cannot track this run with a defender, leaving the No.11 in acres of space. 

Villa will either play the ball to him or, if the other team picks him up, play through the pivot players. That’s when the other winger will drop in, creating that midfield box, and the 4-2-2-2 is complete. The opposition cannot defend with four players in central midfield, and the full-backs cannot track these runs from the No.7 and No.11, as this would leave their defenders two-on-two. Therefore, Villa have managed to play out from their goalkeeper and arrive with a midfield box just as Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool do. They just do it within a different shape. It’s important to note that when we begin to see this midfield box form, the full-back on the opposite side to play is always in an already advanced position, ready to act as an outlet if needed.