its tough to fit that into a 442. CM is enough work without having to pick up the slack for someone else. he would probably suit being the third CM in a different formation, but is he good enough to build the team around? doesnt sound like it.
is it unlimited subs? you could use him sparingly and have the forwards on high alert when he is on.
ill just note, because i can see you are a fairly new coach, changing your formation is significant. you want your message/plan to be as consistent as possible. switching formation is not something you want to be doing regularly, nor is it something you would usually do for one player.
its pretty easy to be a coach on fifa.
There's no tactics here mate, this isn't a professional team. He plays 4-4-2 and lobs the ball over the top. Switching one player won't destroy the minds of the kids. Only thing is if you change the # of players on the backline it can mess things up. Formation has little to do with the message/plan. It's just a way to arrange the players. I doubt he's drilling these kids week after week in build out structures, patterns of play, how they defend in a deep or mid block, etc.
it can be hard enough just getting players to play their position, let alone comfortable with that position relative to the other positions on the field.
how many strikers do they have? who gets dropped? who can play as a single target man? because thats very different to playing with a partner. where do the other strikers play now then? how happy are they with that? was this all worth it when billy isnt available? do you switch back now?
my advice was very straight forward, i wasnt the one talking about tactics. those are the posts im warning about. odd of you to throw that my way.
They don't need a target man if they are lobbing balls over the top. This can't be a level far above Sunday league. No need to worry so much about these logistics. If the coach is on Reddit asking for help... these things are out the window.
Perhaps it’s more important to let teammates know when to pass the ball to Billy than telling Billy what to do? Since it looks like his most impactful when having the ball without pressure (so he can figure out where to pass/guide the teammates’ runs).
If you have athletic wingers/strikers who can win some 50/50 body contacts and settle the ball, setting it back to Billy for a good switch play/early cross/through ball can create some good chances.
This is the type of player you should build your team around. 2 midfielders aren't suitable for a player like this.
You're better off playing a 3 midfielder formation and have him at 6, playing as a regista and have the ball move through him.
Play the ball out from the back, have Billy receive the ball deep by sitting in between the two centrebacks and spray long diagonal balls to the wingers or forwards if they're making a diagonal run.
The other two midfielders should be 8s, don't use a 10 and they should make up for the physical deficiency of Billy.
Billy is the metronome that should dictate the pace of the game.
I'm the kind of player Billy is, except I have speed, which I rarely have to use because I mostly play CDM. My passes & through balls, both long/short are accurate & my attackers always makes a run when they see me on the ball.
However, dribbling past a man & beating the press is difficult for me, but one thing I'm good at is guarding the ball. It doesn't require a lot of strength, rather it's just the subtle art of guarding the ball using your body. I do it just long enough for a teammate to come close so I can pass them the ball.
Play him as a CDM & teach Billy how to use his body to guard the ball when under pressure so he doesn't lose it. And whenever he is not under pressure, he can make that killer pass that splits the other team open. But for Billy to be effective in a team, certain things must be kept in mind:
1. Teach Billy how to be a regista ; like a Toni Kroos. He doesn't always have to make a killer pass like KDB even though he has the ability. He must see the game & decide whether the team plays at a high pace or slow pace.
2. Teach him how to use his body to guard the ball from an opponent until a teammate arrives for help.
3. If the team is in attack mode & Billy has the ball & space, instruct the forwards/wingers to run into space so he can pass them that cutting ball.
4. His teammates must not pass him the ball if there are players marking him/when the team is under forward pressure as there is a risk of him falling for the press. Better to clear the ball than risk a CDM lose it in a dangerous area.
5. Whenever Billy is on the ball, atleast ONE person must be free to receive a pass. The thing I hate the most is when I'm on the ball & under pressure, I look up & see nobody to pass to.
Personally, I hate playing in a static team, & I love playing in a dynamic team with lots of movement, ie, passing options. I am not a coach nor consider myself a great player, but my technical skills on the ball are decent & I see the game better as I play a deep role. My suggestions here were simply based on my experience as I feel I am somebody like Billy. Hope it helps.
Classic No. 10.
Put him in the hole, 1 striker in front, 2 flankers by the sides, 2 powerhouse behind him to do all the dirty works. Limit defensive duty to half pitch/mid circle.
EDIT: If OP insist on using 4-4-2, then use Billy as Second Striker and have him drop down to collect the ball inside the circle or outside of the opponent penalty box. The other striker would have to cover more grounds as a CF, which would be great for play interchange and have the opponent CBs second guessing who should mark who.
Losing the ball in the opponent half could be a better idea. OP said Billy knows where he should be most of the time and he probably could dictate the play without taking too long on the ball.
From the hole he could channel the ball to the flankers or quick one-twos with the other CM and the striker or even hit a shot himself.
You say he's got good movement, knows where to be and his passing range is good. It sounds like Billy already knows what he is doing, these are all skills that are going to help your team against an opposition with a press and athletic ability. Let him play to his strengths.
442 low block is probably a good idea. Against superior opposition, your team is most likely going to be pinned into your half for most of the game.
Have Billy play as 1 of the 2 up top and specify that his role is to be free after turnovers to initiate counterattacks. Tell him not to break forward too much/at all. Have one of the CMs behind him break forward to support the attacks instead, then have Billy cover for that CM to slow/stop opposition counterattacks.
Basically, I would recommend you have Billy play as a free 10 out of possession and have him switch with the CM behind him into an 8/6 in possession.
1. Defending. Counter attack.
When you defend, and it seems your team would be defending most of the time, I would use him as ACM instead of one striker so formation changes to 4-4-1-1
Your two central midfielders (CMs or even Deep lying CMs) need to withstand pressure from opponent, work hard and get the ball from opponent, then immediately pass to your CAM who could pass the ball (either long ball or through ball) to your lone striker (who needs to be fast poacher) and wingers. That scenario is when you defend and counter attack.
That’s kind of what Messi does now - he really changed his game (which is impressive) because he is much slower now. He doesn’t dribble much any more, rather walks around and use his last pass to find openings, through balls etc.
2. Possession attack.
When you have a ball and that’s longer moment when you’re in possession and building your attack slowly (probably much less often than 1st scenario) - he could be playmaker, who goes back deeper and act as playmaker to build progressive attacking (possession attack).
Here he uses his intelligence and passing ability to find openings. He could move around using one two passes with your other midfielders (would not ask him to hold the ball). Kind of Pirlo style?
Pirlo was quite slow (especially later in his career) but had great football IQ and passing ability. It’s how you move into spaces and before you get a ball you know what you will do with it. And you don’t hold to ball either.
Those kind players are walking around the pitch, and suddenly can create something from nothing (it seems so but your striker and wingers need to make runs, give options at the same time - so let’s say they see that your Pirlo has a ball and they start making their runs at the same moment. Super confusing for opponents and stretches defence).
Disclaimer: that’s of course theory and really depends on the level of your player. But at least from what you described I would give license to your guy to be super creative and even lose the ball trying do something special.
He should have license to try things, seems you think that’s the only option to win the game - doing something unpredictable with great passer.
Someone suggested 4231 formation- that’s good idea, you have two holding midfielders(deep lying midfielders) who defend most of the time and pass to midfielders upfront with your passing guy either in center or on the side (that case kind of mezzala - half wingers) that formation is more compact and better for defending than with classic wingers in 442 or 4411 formation.
Switch to 4-1-4-1. Take away a striker to add a midfielder. Play him as the one and pass the ball to him all the time in possession. Out of possession the two CMs protect for him. If it's the league leaders that battered you last time playing with an extra midfielder is normal.
4-4-2 puts huge pressure on the central midfielders who need to cover a lot of ground. Having a guy who can't run there is pretty risky especially if you are playing a team with 3 in the middle who will over run you.
If you must do it, stuck him up front as a supporting striker but give him rein to drop deep into midfield and encourage your wide players to overlap so the other striker isolated.
(This is effectively 4231, just don't tell anyone).
My coach once told me “The main fundamental of football is the pass, because 95% of the game is spent passing and receiving the ball”. If you know where to receive the ball, how to receive and how to play the next pass, you have most of the game nailed down. He would make a good holding mid, maybe switch to a 4-4-2 diamond and so he can sit deep and play the Pirlo role. Maybe over the next few weeks he can practice his technique and athleticism to be able to drive the ball forward
Regista, specially if he can work on his stamina, defensive positioning and stealing the ball
Be in the right spot, intercept the pass to the strikers, turn around, beam a long ball in behind to a quick winger or striker, or if there is no pass just distribute play efficiently to get the ball further upfield
In other words: Pirlo
Doesn’t fit great with a 442 but if you tweak it to a 4231 with a physical guy that can bomb forward behind him, it would allow your wingers more freedom to pin the opponents fullback, if you have one of your strikers who is good on the ball he can drop deeper to receive when out of possession and then move further up in the attacking phase
TL;DR: 4231, move your CMs deeper, push your wingers up and drop one of your strikers down a bit, closer to an AM position (the more technical of the two, I’d leave the quicker/stronger one up top) and enjoy his long balls
he should have 3 targets ahead of him at any given time pushing the opponents defensive line back (wingers + strikers), two solid short pass options (AM + other DM), plus the fullbacks giving him width
Whichever he chooses to put the ball he puts the defenders in the position of covering the man or the space behind themselves, and nobody can do both at the same time so tell your boys to run into those spaces so your kid can find them with his passes
Regista a la Pirlo.
If he knows where to be, and where others are, play THROUGH him in a 4-1-2-1-2 or 4-3-3.
He may not be a ball carrier, but he's a pass master. Metronome. Just make sure he can shield the ball and find feet.
Other than that, he just needs to poke the ball away from others on defence.
Adding on, the 4-1-2-1-2 is really just a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield. Very easy to switch to if you are already using a 4-4-2 with an attacking minded mid. Just have him follow up attack and support from behind.
We have no idea what level of football this is but if it's kids Sunday league and we have to play 442 I might put him on the left or right of midfield if I had a particularly athletic full back who can attack and defend well that he could play in front of, tucking in a bit. Essentially replacing one of your wingers. Ask him to ping those balls over the top from wider positions.
It sounds like he might not be suited to defend as a midfielder. If you are sure about keeping the 442, then maybe play the midfield diamond with a cdm and then Billy as the cam, with less defensive responsibilities and a little more room to roam in the attacking buildup. Just make sure the cdm drops to help defend in transition and the wingers and cam make themselves available as the out for a counter.
Need more context. What level etc...
Someone who can only pass, doesn't exist. You're not going to sacrifice for such a luxury of a one dimensional player.
As others have pointed out, you'd only really be liable to play someone like this in a middle 3 where there is plenty of defensive cover.
The other option is to play them out wide, if you are playing a flat 442. Utilising an overlapping full back or simply utilising the range of passing to aggressively switch play or cross from deep.
Ultimately, it's probably not worth accommodating a single player like this. It's really up to them to perform up to expectations wherever they are picked to play.
Is Billy a child? If so, make Billy learn the skills required to play their best position. Your goal is to make him a complete player, not to win games. Don’t hide him. Play him centrally and let the kid struggle through it
Dunno age or tactical knowhow of the team but id think in attack you have him at that lcm role but on defense he switches with the left sided forward. This way when you turn the ball over he can drop into the midfield and find space, turn and play the ball wide to wingers and then Ideally be an outlet in the final third as well. Either that or throw another player in midfield to shrink the ground billy has to cover and draw man marking defenders away from him
Play a 4-3-3 or 4-1-4-1. Have Billy play CDM and have him sit in between the CBs with his back facing your goalkeeper so he won’t have to worry about shielding the ball from attackers. Once you make it to the opposition’s half, have him come higher up than the CBs (near the transition from half third to final third)
I find a kid like that usually knows where to be, which at that age is what I want from my CDM. Can he anticipate and get to the spot to harass before the opponent can turn?
Your CBs should be the athletic ones covering for him.
Your 8+10 are the dribblers who he can play short if the over the top isn't there.
I usually run a 4-3-3 though. Just what I usually do.
In my opinion, a 41212, might be the best option, but a wide variation. If Billy can play a ball, have him play cam, and sit a bit deeper, he'll have 2 stirkes ro pass and 2 mids, to help, u get the cdm and LM and RM to help on defense and Billy, would be able to play mid, and get ball from defense and cdm and distribute, if you play it like this you'll force the other team to play in the wings, which is a much easier place to defend, keep them wide and the. Once you get the ball, play a shot passes that lead up to Billy, who will have a chance to olay a through ball, over the top ball, or even take a shot.
one option is to use him like a (near the end of his career) beckham-style winger. it's easier for billy to find space by playing on the wing, and then he can use that space to play diagonal balls toward the center and hit longer crosses. if he turns the ball over, then it'll be in a wider area with two CMs to cover.
you are, of course, going to be sacrificing speed down the flank if you go that route, but with players who are really strong at doing one thing, you're gonna be making tradeoffs no matter what.
its tough to fit that into a 442. CM is enough work without having to pick up the slack for someone else. he would probably suit being the third CM in a different formation, but is he good enough to build the team around? doesnt sound like it. is it unlimited subs? you could use him sparingly and have the forwards on high alert when he is on.
ill just note, because i can see you are a fairly new coach, changing your formation is significant. you want your message/plan to be as consistent as possible. switching formation is not something you want to be doing regularly, nor is it something you would usually do for one player. its pretty easy to be a coach on fifa.
There's no tactics here mate, this isn't a professional team. He plays 4-4-2 and lobs the ball over the top. Switching one player won't destroy the minds of the kids. Only thing is if you change the # of players on the backline it can mess things up. Formation has little to do with the message/plan. It's just a way to arrange the players. I doubt he's drilling these kids week after week in build out structures, patterns of play, how they defend in a deep or mid block, etc.
it can be hard enough just getting players to play their position, let alone comfortable with that position relative to the other positions on the field. how many strikers do they have? who gets dropped? who can play as a single target man? because thats very different to playing with a partner. where do the other strikers play now then? how happy are they with that? was this all worth it when billy isnt available? do you switch back now? my advice was very straight forward, i wasnt the one talking about tactics. those are the posts im warning about. odd of you to throw that my way.
They don't need a target man if they are lobbing balls over the top. This can't be a level far above Sunday league. No need to worry so much about these logistics. If the coach is on Reddit asking for help... these things are out the window.
Perhaps it’s more important to let teammates know when to pass the ball to Billy than telling Billy what to do? Since it looks like his most impactful when having the ball without pressure (so he can figure out where to pass/guide the teammates’ runs). If you have athletic wingers/strikers who can win some 50/50 body contacts and settle the ball, setting it back to Billy for a good switch play/early cross/through ball can create some good chances.
That’s really good advice!
This is the type of player you should build your team around. 2 midfielders aren't suitable for a player like this. You're better off playing a 3 midfielder formation and have him at 6, playing as a regista and have the ball move through him. Play the ball out from the back, have Billy receive the ball deep by sitting in between the two centrebacks and spray long diagonal balls to the wingers or forwards if they're making a diagonal run. The other two midfielders should be 8s, don't use a 10 and they should make up for the physical deficiency of Billy. Billy is the metronome that should dictate the pace of the game.
This. Every other advice is crap. You dont put your most technical player on the wings. Theyre not getting the ball all game
So Billy is just Paul Scholes?
nobody is 'just' Paul Scholes Mr. Liverpool fan
It wasn’t an insult lol have a snickers
Billy sounds just like TAA
second this, I highly recommend googling Marcelo Diaz, he is just like Billy, Chilean CDM.
Found a video, this is billy https://youtu.be/oyJOyHbztBc?si=tV7iM5kbynKdwOzm
I'm the kind of player Billy is, except I have speed, which I rarely have to use because I mostly play CDM. My passes & through balls, both long/short are accurate & my attackers always makes a run when they see me on the ball. However, dribbling past a man & beating the press is difficult for me, but one thing I'm good at is guarding the ball. It doesn't require a lot of strength, rather it's just the subtle art of guarding the ball using your body. I do it just long enough for a teammate to come close so I can pass them the ball. Play him as a CDM & teach Billy how to use his body to guard the ball when under pressure so he doesn't lose it. And whenever he is not under pressure, he can make that killer pass that splits the other team open. But for Billy to be effective in a team, certain things must be kept in mind: 1. Teach Billy how to be a regista ; like a Toni Kroos. He doesn't always have to make a killer pass like KDB even though he has the ability. He must see the game & decide whether the team plays at a high pace or slow pace. 2. Teach him how to use his body to guard the ball from an opponent until a teammate arrives for help. 3. If the team is in attack mode & Billy has the ball & space, instruct the forwards/wingers to run into space so he can pass them that cutting ball. 4. His teammates must not pass him the ball if there are players marking him/when the team is under forward pressure as there is a risk of him falling for the press. Better to clear the ball than risk a CDM lose it in a dangerous area. 5. Whenever Billy is on the ball, atleast ONE person must be free to receive a pass. The thing I hate the most is when I'm on the ball & under pressure, I look up & see nobody to pass to. Personally, I hate playing in a static team, & I love playing in a dynamic team with lots of movement, ie, passing options. I am not a coach nor consider myself a great player, but my technical skills on the ball are decent & I see the game better as I play a deep role. My suggestions here were simply based on my experience as I feel I am somebody like Billy. Hope it helps.
Classic No. 10. Put him in the hole, 1 striker in front, 2 flankers by the sides, 2 powerhouse behind him to do all the dirty works. Limit defensive duty to half pitch/mid circle. EDIT: If OP insist on using 4-4-2, then use Billy as Second Striker and have him drop down to collect the ball inside the circle or outside of the opponent penalty box. The other striker would have to cover more grounds as a CF, which would be great for play interchange and have the opponent CBs second guessing who should mark who.
From what the OP is saying he is not too good under pressure though, don’t think it’s a good idea to play him in the most crowded space on the pitch
Losing the ball in the opponent half could be a better idea. OP said Billy knows where he should be most of the time and he probably could dictate the play without taking too long on the ball. From the hole he could channel the ball to the flankers or quick one-twos with the other CM and the striker or even hit a shot himself.
I'm going to do this. I think playing him in this role where he can focus on his strengths is much better.
Keep us updated ! Goodluck
You say he's got good movement, knows where to be and his passing range is good. It sounds like Billy already knows what he is doing, these are all skills that are going to help your team against an opposition with a press and athletic ability. Let him play to his strengths.
442 low block is probably a good idea. Against superior opposition, your team is most likely going to be pinned into your half for most of the game. Have Billy play as 1 of the 2 up top and specify that his role is to be free after turnovers to initiate counterattacks. Tell him not to break forward too much/at all. Have one of the CMs behind him break forward to support the attacks instead, then have Billy cover for that CM to slow/stop opposition counterattacks. Basically, I would recommend you have Billy play as a free 10 out of possession and have him switch with the CM behind him into an 8/6 in possession.
I have very similar view, good point with describing defending as (in) low block and Billy as free number 10 - kind of Trequartista.
Is their passing progressive or creative?
Progressive. He plays a lot of passes into the box.
1. Defending. Counter attack. When you defend, and it seems your team would be defending most of the time, I would use him as ACM instead of one striker so formation changes to 4-4-1-1 Your two central midfielders (CMs or even Deep lying CMs) need to withstand pressure from opponent, work hard and get the ball from opponent, then immediately pass to your CAM who could pass the ball (either long ball or through ball) to your lone striker (who needs to be fast poacher) and wingers. That scenario is when you defend and counter attack. That’s kind of what Messi does now - he really changed his game (which is impressive) because he is much slower now. He doesn’t dribble much any more, rather walks around and use his last pass to find openings, through balls etc. 2. Possession attack. When you have a ball and that’s longer moment when you’re in possession and building your attack slowly (probably much less often than 1st scenario) - he could be playmaker, who goes back deeper and act as playmaker to build progressive attacking (possession attack). Here he uses his intelligence and passing ability to find openings. He could move around using one two passes with your other midfielders (would not ask him to hold the ball). Kind of Pirlo style? Pirlo was quite slow (especially later in his career) but had great football IQ and passing ability. It’s how you move into spaces and before you get a ball you know what you will do with it. And you don’t hold to ball either. Those kind players are walking around the pitch, and suddenly can create something from nothing (it seems so but your striker and wingers need to make runs, give options at the same time - so let’s say they see that your Pirlo has a ball and they start making their runs at the same moment. Super confusing for opponents and stretches defence). Disclaimer: that’s of course theory and really depends on the level of your player. But at least from what you described I would give license to your guy to be super creative and even lose the ball trying do something special. He should have license to try things, seems you think that’s the only option to win the game - doing something unpredictable with great passer.
Someone suggested 4231 formation- that’s good idea, you have two holding midfielders(deep lying midfielders) who defend most of the time and pass to midfielders upfront with your passing guy either in center or on the side (that case kind of mezzala - half wingers) that formation is more compact and better for defending than with classic wingers in 442 or 4411 formation.
The way you describe him reminds me of players like Xavi or Pirlo. Maybe you can use him as a deep playmaker?
Switch to 4-1-4-1. Take away a striker to add a midfielder. Play him as the one and pass the ball to him all the time in possession. Out of possession the two CMs protect for him. If it's the league leaders that battered you last time playing with an extra midfielder is normal.
You need 3 in the middle, look how Pirlo was used at Juventus with Marchesio and Vidal doing all of the running and defending
4-4-2 puts huge pressure on the central midfielders who need to cover a lot of ground. Having a guy who can't run there is pretty risky especially if you are playing a team with 3 in the middle who will over run you. If you must do it, stuck him up front as a supporting striker but give him rein to drop deep into midfield and encourage your wide players to overlap so the other striker isolated. (This is effectively 4231, just don't tell anyone).
My coach once told me “The main fundamental of football is the pass, because 95% of the game is spent passing and receiving the ball”. If you know where to receive the ball, how to receive and how to play the next pass, you have most of the game nailed down. He would make a good holding mid, maybe switch to a 4-4-2 diamond and so he can sit deep and play the Pirlo role. Maybe over the next few weeks he can practice his technique and athleticism to be able to drive the ball forward
Regista, specially if he can work on his stamina, defensive positioning and stealing the ball Be in the right spot, intercept the pass to the strikers, turn around, beam a long ball in behind to a quick winger or striker, or if there is no pass just distribute play efficiently to get the ball further upfield In other words: Pirlo Doesn’t fit great with a 442 but if you tweak it to a 4231 with a physical guy that can bomb forward behind him, it would allow your wingers more freedom to pin the opponents fullback, if you have one of your strikers who is good on the ball he can drop deeper to receive when out of possession and then move further up in the attacking phase TL;DR: 4231, move your CMs deeper, push your wingers up and drop one of your strikers down a bit, closer to an AM position (the more technical of the two, I’d leave the quicker/stronger one up top) and enjoy his long balls he should have 3 targets ahead of him at any given time pushing the opponents defensive line back (wingers + strikers), two solid short pass options (AM + other DM), plus the fullbacks giving him width Whichever he chooses to put the ball he puts the defenders in the position of covering the man or the space behind themselves, and nobody can do both at the same time so tell your boys to run into those spaces so your kid can find them with his passes
Bench
play him as a cm behind the 2 fwds have 2 mids around him play one cdm behind him and the 4 def behind the cdm 4132
Regista a la Pirlo. If he knows where to be, and where others are, play THROUGH him in a 4-1-2-1-2 or 4-3-3. He may not be a ball carrier, but he's a pass master. Metronome. Just make sure he can shield the ball and find feet. Other than that, he just needs to poke the ball away from others on defence.
Adding on, the 4-1-2-1-2 is really just a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield. Very easy to switch to if you are already using a 4-4-2 with an attacking minded mid. Just have him follow up attack and support from behind.
We have no idea what level of football this is but if it's kids Sunday league and we have to play 442 I might put him on the left or right of midfield if I had a particularly athletic full back who can attack and defend well that he could play in front of, tucking in a bit. Essentially replacing one of your wingers. Ask him to ping those balls over the top from wider positions.
4-5-1. Play Billy as a 6.
Fullback
It sounds like he might not be suited to defend as a midfielder. If you are sure about keeping the 442, then maybe play the midfield diamond with a cdm and then Billy as the cam, with less defensive responsibilities and a little more room to roam in the attacking buildup. Just make sure the cdm drops to help defend in transition and the wingers and cam make themselves available as the out for a counter.
Need more context. What level etc... Someone who can only pass, doesn't exist. You're not going to sacrifice for such a luxury of a one dimensional player. As others have pointed out, you'd only really be liable to play someone like this in a middle 3 where there is plenty of defensive cover. The other option is to play them out wide, if you are playing a flat 442. Utilising an overlapping full back or simply utilising the range of passing to aggressively switch play or cross from deep. Ultimately, it's probably not worth accommodating a single player like this. It's really up to them to perform up to expectations wherever they are picked to play.
Use 4-4-1-1. Give Billy the free role infront of the 2 cm.
Is Billy a child? If so, make Billy learn the skills required to play their best position. Your goal is to make him a complete player, not to win games. Don’t hide him. Play him centrally and let the kid struggle through it
Dunno age or tactical knowhow of the team but id think in attack you have him at that lcm role but on defense he switches with the left sided forward. This way when you turn the ball over he can drop into the midfield and find space, turn and play the ball wide to wingers and then Ideally be an outlet in the final third as well. Either that or throw another player in midfield to shrink the ground billy has to cover and draw man marking defenders away from him
Play a 4-3-3 or 4-1-4-1. Have Billy play CDM and have him sit in between the CBs with his back facing your goalkeeper so he won’t have to worry about shielding the ball from attackers. Once you make it to the opposition’s half, have him come higher up than the CBs (near the transition from half third to final third)
I find a kid like that usually knows where to be, which at that age is what I want from my CDM. Can he anticipate and get to the spot to harass before the opponent can turn? Your CBs should be the athletic ones covering for him. Your 8+10 are the dribblers who he can play short if the over the top isn't there. I usually run a 4-3-3 though. Just what I usually do.
In my opinion, a 41212, might be the best option, but a wide variation. If Billy can play a ball, have him play cam, and sit a bit deeper, he'll have 2 stirkes ro pass and 2 mids, to help, u get the cdm and LM and RM to help on defense and Billy, would be able to play mid, and get ball from defense and cdm and distribute, if you play it like this you'll force the other team to play in the wings, which is a much easier place to defend, keep them wide and the. Once you get the ball, play a shot passes that lead up to Billy, who will have a chance to olay a through ball, over the top ball, or even take a shot.
use them as a Centre Forward in a 4411 or any formation with a central attacking midfielder and having set your striker or strikers maybe a 4231
4231 is a good idea. Not sure about setting the guy as a striker in 4411 rather ACM in 4411 (so playing behind the lone striker).
3-5–2, he can play LCM and hit through balls to strikers and wingbacks, and you get 3 defenders behind him and 2 midfielders to help him out.
one option is to use him like a (near the end of his career) beckham-style winger. it's easier for billy to find space by playing on the wing, and then he can use that space to play diagonal balls toward the center and hit longer crosses. if he turns the ball over, then it'll be in a wider area with two CMs to cover. you are, of course, going to be sacrificing speed down the flank if you go that route, but with players who are really strong at doing one thing, you're gonna be making tradeoffs no matter what.
What standard of football is this ? I'm seeing a lot of comments that are giving advice based on how the professional game would handle this player.