Football formations are cyclical. When one system seems to be more effective than others it’s widely adopted, before another system comes in to take its place. Sooner or later the historical systems of old return to the surface again, albeit with some modern tweaks. 

Until recently, the back four was proving dominant but now it’s three-at-the-back systems (or back-five if you count the marauding wing-backs) that are becoming increasingly prevalent. It doesn’t take a brave Byline writer to predict that this trend will continue in Football Manager 2022. After all, the addition of the Wide Centre-Back role in FM22 makes a back-three system even more enticing and FM Grasshopper explains why that’s the case. 

This week's Wednesday Wisdom is brought to you by Ihor Crusadertsar of Dictate the Game who focuses on two underrated and under-utilised roles. 

At first glance both Pressing Forwards and Defensive Wingers might appear to be roles you would make use of in the dying moments of a game. Maybe you’d use them when you’re trying to preserve a fragile lead in a tight game, or competing as the underdog in a big match? Whatever the case, it would be very unusual to consider either role as the basis of your standard tactic or formation. However, appearances can be misleading. A different sport gave me the idea of mixing things up.

Guido Merry takes on the task of analysing the newly-introduced Inverted Winger to see what separates that role from other types of wide-men in FM20. 

This week's Wednesday Wisdom comes courtesy of @FM_Grasshopper and focuses on the role of the Enganche in FM19. It's a role that can sometimes be overlooked but could help get more out of your number 10.

This week’s Wednesday Wisdom is a debut piece from @DictateTheGame with a focus on the Libero. The defensive role is one that isn’t spoken about too often in the mainstream analysis of football, but its fundamentals are very much ingrained in the modern game. 

Wednesday Wisdom returns thanks to @FM_Samo who takes on the subject of captaincy. It's a large part of a manager's responsibility, so how do you get it right?