The death of 4-4-2
The share of line-ups set out as 4-4-2, season by season. Few things in the archive move this cleanly in one direction.
4-4-2 accounted for 17.3% of line-ups in 2016 and 11.1% in 2025.
17.3% 16
16.3% 17
15.2% 18
14% 19
14.4% 20
12.3% 21
10.8% 22
11.6% 23
10.8% 24
11.1% 25
Showing the major competitions. Include every competition
A formation is recorded for roughly a quarter of line-ups, so the early seasons rest on fewer records than the recent ones.