Bender Parma wrote:So if the Goalkeeper sits back and doesnt take on the sweeper role, it is a 4-4-2, but if matt Ryan (for example) is in goals, it is a 1-4-4-2?
Also, how is it written up, if the 4 at the back is a traditional back 4 with one sweeper and one stopper.
I think what you've posted is essentially the universal contemporary view of Holland , Spain and the writers of the FFA National Curriculum.
It is interesting to view footage of old games when players could play back to the keeper. According to contemporary football coach education, 80 percent of a modern keeper's touches are with the feet without handling the ball. So skill with the ball on the deck is much more important now for a keeper than it was .