yeah, what a weird formation! we look at some modern day ones and think “ah, they’re messing with things too much, they should go back to how it was in the good ol’ days” and yet there are some crazy-ass formations in the good ol’ days!!

meant to add (but got too carried away with the whole formations thing) that i’m totally with you on what you say about the our players – especially about ribery! he’s an absolute joy to watch

Sandrahn – I think France is going to need a push forward from central midfield. Cesc is brilliant because he’s a complete midfielder: box to box. I’m hopeful that Toulalan can push forward and nick a few goals. I’m expecting very little from Malouda and Makalele in terms of sustained offense pressure. Pat nicked a couple key goals in 2006, and if Toulalan steps in there, the expectation would be for him to contribute likewise, no?

Daniel – Italy?

His vision, still better-than-average pace, and passing and scoring skills could make him an ideal #10. In this sense, he could be ZZ’s truest successor, even through 2010. So … Bench Malouda, slot Titi in front of the two DM’s, put Ribery on his preferred left and Benzema and Anelka up front … 4-2-1-1-2?

The numbering system has gotten blurred in so many areas. How the hell does Arsene give Gallas the #10, ffs!! Nothing against Gallas but as a Brazilian who holds the #10 player as a sacred gift to the sport (a sadly declining breed), that’s an insult!

I’m confused about your comments re Cesc and Toulalan. I’m a gooner too and of course Cesc is a god to me. I also love Toulalan but he’s a DM. Toulalan could not perform like Cesc, who’s a playmaker. Too bad we can’t ever see them paired up in midfield, but I wouldn’t want Lyon to lose Toulalan anyway. I like Lyon and want to see their best players stay where they are.

so you only had one striker – number 9 – with 7 & 11 the wings and 8 & 10 supporting midfielders. here’s a link to the early england team football numbering system, which may have become the blueprint for numbering (?):

http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamUnif/UnifNosNames.html

what has happened since, of course, is that different formations have come into use, and yet teams still try to impose the numbers 1-11 on them. furthermore, as you’ve probably thought about, talismanic shirt numbers also cause confusion with some clubs (not all). so you can have an inspirational winger in the traditional number 7, and then your next inspirational player inherits the number 7, even though they’re a central midfielder, and so the lines get blurred.

some numbers are universally recognised, of course. its a little more universal with the defenders and the number 7 – but everything in between gets a little confusing.

i quite like it that the numbering is all over the place. it makes it fun for me. also a lot of clubs have very strict philosophies regarding their numbering systems, so for them it makes sense.

also, because of the amount of different formations, i don’t think its really feasible to develop a strict numbering system as the numbers for a 4-4-2 won’t be applicable for a 3-5-2, or a 4-3-3 or a 3-4-2-1 etc.

its a mystery, however, why number 4s are always mids and never defenders! haha! i’ve always wondered where that started myself!

Nice observations on the french side (I’m a Dane, rooting for Italy and our neighbours Sweden). I agree that France can play quite intriguing at times and the front pair is intimidating – I still think that if Anelka should start and score in the opening game he could get the momentum that would make him awesome in the campaign.
I think that France might have issues in the back, since especially the elderly Sagnol and Thuram have lost more speed than their routine can make up for. It’s going to be an interesting group with four strong sides.

Being American you might have a tendency to link numbers with positions as they do in the NFL, and it used to be pretty much the same in soccer – but times have changed and you can no longer see a players position from the number on his back.
I have made a few adjustments to your suggestion though, and I think it pretty much fits with the days of yore now – then again, at that time you would play with other tactics primarily – with wingbacks and so on, but lets not get into that )

Keeeper – 1
Right Back – 2
Right Central Defender – 4
Left Central Defender -5
Left Back -3
Defensive Midfielder – 6
Right Wing -7
Left Wing – 8
Attacking Midfielder – 10
Forwards – 9 and 11