Description

We could define the 451 formation in hattrick as a defensive variant of the 352. It is often used in complicated matches, when you see that three defenses can suffer a lot, you enter a 4th defense at the expense of sacrificing your attack.

Normally it’s about getting a side attack as strong as possible, so if an attack falls out there, go inside.

It has to be used carefully, as Hattrick rewards the offensive game.

Standard mode (the most used)

Defense

Four defenses creating a back wall to try to make the opponent score less goals. They usually put two in the bands as ‘defensive’, and two in the center.

Midfield

As we said in 352, the midfield is the most important line of the game.
Generally, apart from the three central players, another player is usually used with plays as ‘extreme towards the middle’, to add even more midfield and gain more possession.
In the other band an offensive end is usually placed to reinforce the attack of one of the bands, since you only have one striker up, you will have to help him.

Attack
A single forward will surely not give you much attack (neither central nor lateral), but it can be helped. You can support him with an offensive end (and in that case the striker put ‘towards the side’), or leave the striker in normal, and help him with the center campers set to ‘offensive’ (they must have passes).

Variations:

On defense

– if your defenses have a side, you can put one as a side defense in ‘normal’ or ‘offensive’, to reinforce the attack by the strong band.
– If you need more defense by the bands, you can give your central defense the order ‘towards the side’. It will lower its contribution to the central defense, but increase it to the lateral defense. Useful to try to stop teams that attack by the bands.
– If you want more midfield, you can put as a central defense a player with plays, with the order of ‘offensive’ (eye, does not increase the attack, increases the midfield). Logically it will lower your defense a lot, which can be counterproductive if you have chosen the 451.

In the middle of campers

– in the midfield, your center campers can help defend if they have defense. And more if you put them as ‘defensive’ (but lower their contribution to the medium a bit). So you can create a good wall behind.
– In the midfield, your center campers can help increase the central attack if they have passes. And more if you put them as ‘offensive’ (but lower their contribution to the medium a bit).
– in the midfield, your center campers can help increase the lateral attack if they have lateral, for this you must order them ‘towards the lateral’ (but they lower their contribution a little to the middle, a little more than the ‘defensive’ or offensive ‘ ). If you attack by a band, this order may be useful for the nearest camper center.

On ends

– in the extremes, it must be clear that if what you want to reinforce is the midfield, you have to place a player with moves, with the order ‘towards the middle’. If what you want is to increase the attack, you have to choose a player with a side, with the order ‘offensive’.
– In the extremes the ‘normal’ order is not usually chosen, since if it has plays it will be better ‘towards the middle’, and if it has lateral it will be better ‘offensive’. The ‘normal’ order can be more useful when you have a player with moves and side.
– In the extremes the ‘defensive’ order is not usually chosen. It would be to put a defense here to increase the defense, but it doesn’t seem like the best option.

In front
– You can place them ‘to the side’, to increase the rating of side attack, but you will lose central attack. It is a very useful order in 451, since the central attack is usually ruled out (with a single forward it is difficult to get a decent central attack, unless your campers center has many passes).
– If you put here a player with plays, with the order in ‘defensive’, your midfield will increase, but your attack will lower even more, which will play ‘you don’t get a goal’. Complicated.

Workouts and 451:

– Goalkeeper: in all formations a goalkeeper plays, so 451 is so good for goalkeepers like any other.
– Defense: Good option if you don’t want to play with 5 defenses in the league, with 451 you get more midfield (but you lose a training position).
– Playmaking: the best option, since you train 5 players in the midfield, making the most of the training.
– Winger: Another very good option, if you train two side fenders and two ends.
– Annotation: Only one forward plays, so we do not even note it.
– Other: If you want to train passes, with this training the ‘long passes’ fit well. ‘Short passes’ or ‘lateral attacks’ are not suitable at all.