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 17,7% of line-ups in 2016 and 12,2% in 2025.
17.7% 16
17.3% 17
15% 18
14.6% 19
14.3% 20
11.8% 21
10.9% 22
11.5% 23
12% 24
12.2% 25
Showing every competition. Major competitions only
A formation is recorded for roughly a quarter of line-ups, so the early seasons rest on fewer records than the recent ones.