The two most impressive overachievers of the season so far are Leicester City and Watford, who have confounded expectations to sit first and seventh in the Premier League table. And what do those two teams have in common? They both play 4-4-2.

Football is a simple game which has been overcomplicated. What has always been true is this: 4-4-2 is the best formation. As long as it is done properly, it will beat any other system. This is what Leicester and Watford have been showing all season. Other teams could learn from their example.

Look at the most overachieving team of recent years, Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. They won La Liga in 2013-14, an amazing achievement, and came within seconds of winning the Champions League. And they did it playing 4-4-2.

What links Leicester, Watford and Atletico, and what makes 4-4-2 work, is having hard-working selfless centre-forwards who will do a defensive job for the team. As soon as they lose the ball, one of the strikers must drop in on the opposition’s deepest-lying central midfielder. At that moment, the 4-4-2 becomes a 4-5-1. No team that does that will be outnumbered in midfield.

Just watch Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki – or Leonardo Ulloa – for Leicester City, and how one of them, usually Okazaki, drops back into midfield to defend when they lose the ball. Or how Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo take it in turns to do that defensive work, to make sure their team does not get outnumbered.

Jamie Vardy has scored 15 Premier League goals this season (2015 Getty Images)

That is the difference between 4-4-2 done well and 4-4-2 done badly. Of course, when Manchester City played 4-4-2 against Barcelona last year they were completely dismantled. That was because neither of their strikers, Sergio Aguero nor Edin Dzeko, wanted to drop into midfield to defend. Naturally, they were outnumbered there by Barcelona, and that is why they lost the game.

This is why some of the big Premier League sides cannot play 4-4-2. Would you trust Diego Costa to put in a defensive shift for the team? Or Loïc Rémy? Or Radamel Falcao? I certainly wouldn’t.

But if you do have strikers who will defend for the team, and you are able to play 4-4-2, then you will reap the benefits all over the pitch. Football is about getting numerical advantage in important areas. As Leicester and Watford have shown, 4-4-2 can do that whether attacking or defending.

The first and most obvious way is out wide. If a 4-4-2 is playing against a 4-2-3-1, and the full-back attacks, he and the winger in front of him will almost always have a two versus one overload against the opposition full-back. Why? Because the wide attacking midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 rarely do as much defending as a winger in a 4-4-2 does. So the full-back is outnumbered and has no way of stopping the cross. Look how much joy Leicester and Watford get from crosses by doing exactly this.

Then, when the cross comes in, a team playing 4-4-2 is more likely to have more men in the box. Obviously, they have two strikers rather than one, occupying both opposition centre-backs. If the more attacking central midfielder and the wide player from the opposite side join them, you have four attackers in the box and a good chance of outnumbering the opposition. So much of Leicester’s success this year has come from left-winger Marc Albrighton switching the ball to right-winger Riyad Mahrez, arriving into the area.

I know some people say that 4-4-2 leaves you exposed defensively but, in reality, a 4-4-2 is far more secure against a counter-attack than a 4-2-3-1. In that system, both full-backs have to push up together to provide width, because the band of three tend to play quite narrow. This means that when they lose the ball there are only two centre-backs, and maybe one sitting midfielder, left to defend. That pair of centre-backs will always be vulnerable to being attacked down the sides. Manchester City and Arsenal concede so many goals in exactly this way.

But if you play 4-4-2 only one full-back has to attack at any moment. So the other full-back, and the two centre-backs, can stay in the rear to defend as a three. Those three defenders, with one midfielder in front, are far better at defending across the width of the pitch than just two defenders. So there is far less room down the sides.

Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Show all 26 1 /26 Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Schmeichel - 7 out of 10 Was never tested in the first half, but did superbly to start the move - via a long ball up field - that led to Vardy scoring. Then denied Costa when the Chelsea striker was through on goal in the second half. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Simpson - 6 out of 10 Dealt with Costa well in one instance and did well to clear a good Chelsea chance in the second half. However, he failed to stop Pedro from getting the cross in that Remy scored from. Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Morgan - 7 out of 10 Used his strength and pace to really shackle and stop Costa from having an impact before working well with Huth to keep a lid on the visitors as they looked to get back in the game. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Huth - 7 out of 10 Like Morgan, enjoyed a great game - barring the one moment when he failed to track the run of Remy for his goal. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Fuchs - 6 out of 10 Made a brilliant tackle to deny Ivanovic at the far post with the full-back threatening to score in the second half. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Mahrez - 9 out of 10 Scored Leicester's second goal with a superb powerful effort after setting up Vardy for the first. Won the battle with Azpilicueta in the match while also tracking back and defending against Hazard and Pedro. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Drinkwater - 5 out of 1 Was only on the pitch for 16 minutes before coming off injured, but did create an early goalscoring chance when he set up Vardy after winning possession in midfield. But he over-hit his pass and Courtois was on hand to deal with it. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Kante - 7 out of 10 The midfielder's sensational season goes on after he was involved in the build-up to Vardy's goal while keeping the likes of Willian and Oscar at bay. Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Albrighton - 6 out of 10 Didn't have the biggest of impacts down the left wing, but tested Courtois with one well-taken shot in the first half. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Ulloa - 7 out of 10 Combined with his team-mates to play a part in Vardy's goal and was a nuisance for Chelsea's defence to deal with. Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Vardy - 8 out of 10 Remained ready for action despite being shackled well initially and fired in the opener in fine fashion. Got a yellow for a reckless challenge on Costa after having taken Hazard out of the game, but showed why he is one of the most dangerous forwards in the top flight at the moment. Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Substitute: Andy King - 6 out of 10 Replaced Drinkwater just 15 minutes into the game and did well to protect Leicester's back four particularly with Chelsea going on the offensive in the second period. Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Courtois - 6 out of 10 Was forced into making several last-ditch saves in the first half although he suffered one nervy moment after miscommunication with Zouma with Vardy advancing. Perhaps could have done more to keep out Vardy's opener but was certainly powerless to deny Mahrez. Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Ivanovic - 6 out of 10 Used the space he was given on the right flank to send in crosses and help Chelsea in attack, although Albrighton nearly made him pay for losing possession in the first half with a shot at goal. Should really have scored in the second half during a corner but failed to make enough contact at the far post. Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Zouma - 4 out of 10 Will be disappointed to have allowed Vardy to run past him for the goal after having used his pace to initially shackle the Leicester striker well. Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Terry - 5 out of 10 Failed to keep an eye on Vardy, which gave the striker the space he needed to fire in the opener. Was hauled off for Fabregas in the second half as Mourinho made a tactical change. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Azpilicueta - 3 out of 10 On what was his 100th Premier League appearance, the left-back endured a day to forget. He Was caught out of position for the opener and should have done more to pressurise Mahrez before the winger sent in the cross from which Vardy scored and then failed to close in on Mahrez for the second. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Ramires - 5 out of 10 Did not dominate the midfield areas of the pitch as well as he did against Porto, and allowed the likes of Drinkwater, King and Kante to run riot. Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Matic - 5 out of 10 Should have equalised seconds after Vardy scored the opener but headed the ball high. Defensively, the Serbian allowed Leicester's forwards too much space and could not adequately protect the back four. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Willian - 6 out of 10 Provided Fuchs with some trouble down the left flank as he worked hard in offence and defence but could not prove the difference as he so often has this season. Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Oscar - 4 out of 10 It was the Brazilian's header to no one in midfield that gave away possession in the build-up to the opening goal while he also disappointed going forwards. Was replaced with Remy as Chelsea looked for a goal to get back into the game. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Hazard - 6 out of 10 Enjoyed a really bright opening period of the game down the left flank - getting into good pockets of space and testing Simpson and Mahrez - but saw his game cut short with half an hour gone following a challenge by Vardy. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Diego Costa - 5 out of 10 ltimately disappointed following a positive performance against Porto. The striker looked frustrated, perhaps rightly so with some of the tackles he was at the end of, but didn't do enough to get into good goal-scoring positions. Saw his one effort at goal thwarted by Schmeichel. Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Substitute: Fabregas - 6 out of 10 Did well to spark the visitors back into life after being dropped from the starting line-up for two consecutive games, linking up well to set up a Costa shot. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Substitute: Remy - 7 out of 10 Provided much more of an attacking threat after being brought on in the second half and went on to score Chelsea's consolation goal. 2015 Getty Images Leicester 2 Chelsea 1 player ratings Substitute: Pedro - 7 out of 10 Did not initially provide the same kind of threat Hazard had before he came on to replace the injured Belgian, but he grew into the contest as it progressed and then sent in the cross that led to Remy scoring.

Leicester do not get counter-attacked down the sides, and neither do Watford. But they know that, when the opposition’s attack breaks down, they can counter them in that way. Deeney and Ighalo make those runs outside the opposition centre-backs so well that their Watford team-mates barely have to look up to find them.

This is why a 4-4-2, if played properly, has so many advantages over a 4-2-3-1.

Over the last 10 years in England we have tried to model our football on other European countries. We have always been a 4-4-2 nation but it has become unfashionable here. British managers have tried foreign approaches with mixed success. This year it has taken an Italian and a Spaniard, Claudio Ranieri and Quique Sanchez Flores, to show us how to play the British way again.

The innocence of youth has cost Tottenham of late

Tottenham Hotspur go to Southampton today hoping to end a run of throwing away points from winning positions. They were 1-0 up against Newcastle and lost 2-1; leading 1-0 at West Bromwich and drew 1-1; ahead 1-0 at Arsenal and drew 1-1. They have dropped 11 points from winning positions already this season.