2-3-2-3 (Metodo)

The Metodo formation

The metodo was devised by Vittorio Pozzo, coach of the Italy national team in the 1930s.[4] It was a derivation of the Danubian school. The system was based on the 2–3–5 formation; Pozzo realised that his half-backs would need some more support in order to be superior to the opponents’ midfield, so he pulled two of the forwards to just in front of midfield, creating a 2–3–2–3 formation. This created a stronger defence than previous systems, as well as allowing effective counter-attacks. The Italy national team won back-to-back World Cups, in 1934 and 1938, using this system. It has been argued that Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and Bayern Munich used a modern version of this formation.[5] This formation is also similar to the standard in table football, featuring two defenders, five midfielders and three strikers (which cannot be altered as the “players” are mounted on axles). It can be called MM (if the goalkeeper is at the top of the diagram) or WW (if the goalkeeper is at the bottom).