The 4-3-3 owns Spain; the 4-2-3-1 brings the better return

The 4-3-3 DM Wide is the Spanish First Division’s most-used system, but the 4-2-3-1 DM AM Wide has the better points return. Across 606 team sheets this season, the 4-3-3 appeared 286 times, or 47 per cent, and averaged 1.32 points a game. The 4-2-3-1 was used 274 times, or 45 per cent, and averaged 1.5.

The figures make the league’s tactical trend more than a popularity contest. The 4-3-3 is the most common choice; the 4-2-3-1 brings more points per game. The numbers show frequency and return, not why clubs choose a system or how they use it.

Eight clubs usually line up in the 4-3-3 DM Wide: Alavés, C. Leonesa, Espanyol, Getafe, Ponferrada, Real Sociedad, Sevilla and Valencia. Another eight usually use the 4-2-3-1 DM AM Wide: Athletico Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Leganés, Levante, Oviedo, Real Betis and Real Madrid FC. A. Bilbao is the only club listed as usually using the 4-4-2.

That system appeared 41 times, or seven per cent, and returned 0.83 points a game. The 5-3-2 DM WB was used four times, while the 5-2-1-2 DM AM appeared once. No points-per-game figures are given for those two shapes.

Spain’s default, then, is the 4-3-3, not the system with the strongest return. The 4-2-3-1 is nearly as common and has the higher points-per-game figure. Two shapes dominate the team sheets, with the standings between them reversed when measured by that return.