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What does catenaccio mean?

Catenaccio is Italian for “bolt,” as in a door bolt, and in soccer it refers to a tactical formation made famous in Italy during the 1960s by coach Helenio Herrera and FC Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan). It uses a strong defensive formation, such as 1-3-3-3 or 1-4-4-1, which implements a fullback called a “sweeper,” who stands in front of the goalkeeper and patrols the centre of defence. From the 1970s to the 1990s, catenaccio became a trademark playing style of the Italian national team. The system, often criticized for its lack of offensive creativity, was nonetheless effective, employing sudden strikes to score early in a game and then relying on defence to protect the lead.

What is the WM system?

The WM system was created in the mid-1920s by manager Herbert Chapman (of Arsenal) to counter a change in the offside law in 1925. The change had reduced the number of opposition players that attackers needed between themselves and the goal line from three to two. This led to the introduction of a centre-back to stop the opposing centre-forward, and tried to balance defensive and offensive playing. The WM system employs three backs, four midfielders, and three forwards, and is so called because in a formation diagram the groupings look like an M under a W, with one player at each point of each letter.