Who plays three at the back?
Share of line-ups set out with three defenders — the shape that has grown faster than any other in the archive.
Serie B (Italy) commits hardest: 26.5% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie B Italy | 26.5% | 938 |
| 2. Bundesliga Germany | 25.5% | 611 |
| 3. Serie A Italy | 25.3% | 760 |
| 4. Super League Switzerland | 18% | 306 |
| 5. Premier League England | 17.8% | 760 |
| 6. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 15.2% | 612 |
| 7. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 13.6% | 323 |
| 8. Premier League Russia | 13.3% | 480 |
| 9. Bundesliga Austria | 13.3% | 360 |
| 10. UEFA Champions League International | 11% | 362 |
| 11. UEFA Europa League International | 10.6% | 573 |
| 12. Championship England | 10.2% | 1,112 |
| 13. Allsvenskan Sweden | 9.1% | 274 |
| 14. Premier League Ukraine | 8.7% | 357 |
| 15. Super League 1 Greece | 8.5% | 504 |
| 16. Ligue 1 France | 5.7% | 759 |
| 17. Segunda División Spain | 5.3% | 935 |
| 18. Ligue 2 France | 5.3% | 567 |
| 19. Superliga Denmark | 5% | 436 |
| 20. La Liga Spain | 4.1% | 760 |
Showing the major competitions. Include every competition
Any formation whose first line is a three. The provider records a formation for roughly a quarter of line-ups, so a league appears only once enough of its matches carry one.