The Brazilian 4-2-4(1958)

The 4-2-4 is played as you see in the diagram on your left. 4 defenders, 2
midfielders, and 4 attackers. When on the defensive, this formation is sadly
underpopulated in midfield, and so can be caught by the opposition attacking
en masse.

We call it the Brazilian 4-2-4 because it was brought to a satisfying
maturity in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden by the Brazilians. Brazil showed the
world that despite the four fullbacks used, the 4-2-4 need not be a defensive
formation relying only on counterattacks. In fact, one of the more exciting
parts of the Brazilian 4-2-4 game was the attacking outside fullbacks, which
lent the midfield some support on attack. It sometimes became a 2-4-4, and at
its best, was a 2-2-6 with even the fullbacks joining in the attack. This
added excitement to many of the Brazilian games in the World Cup and was also
the main reason why they won every game (of course, including the Final) to
clinch their first World Cup.

Advice on the Brazilian 4-2-4: If the Brazilian style of the 4-2-4 is to be
played successfully, two of the fullbacks in your starting lineup have to
have good ball control, speed, good shooting and passing, and some amount of
creativity, for sometimes they will have to function as wingers. Speed is one
of the more important as the fullbacks will have to move back when a
counterattack develops, or when they have made a mistake. The fullbacks
should NOT move back the moment they have passed the ball away. When they
have lost the ball, they should try to get the ball back, to proceed with the
attack, rather than to mindlessly clear it upfield.
--
FROM 219.224.177.94