The Manchester United manager has been pilloried for chopping and changing his system and he sits joint fourth in the Premier League tinker table, having used six different formations this season. José Mourinho has used one the whole season, 4-2-3-1

So, the formations have all been logged and verified, by Opta, and the results are in. The most popular line-up in the Premier League is … 4-2-3-1. It is the starting formation in every single game for Chelsea, who are top of the league, and the team in second place, Manchester City, have used it in almost half of their league games. For good measure, Arsenal, who are third, have also used it most of the time, in 15 out of their 28 games.

All told, 11 managers this season have used 4-2-3-1 the majority of times. Some really go for it: apart from José Mourinho, Garry Monk, at Swansea, has used it 26 times, the same as Mauricio Pochettino, at Tottenham. But it is also worth pointing out that 4-2-3-1 is not the panacea for everyone. Arsène Wenger, Manuel Pellegrini and Mourinho may favour it, but so did Alan Irvine, and it didn’t stop him from losing his job.

And what of Louis van Gaal then? Pilloried or praised, depending on your point of view, for his tactical flexibility and ideas, the Dutchman has used six formations. Only Nigel Pearson, Steve Bruce and Harry Redknapp have used more - and two of them are at the wrong end of the table while the third left his club in February. Three at the back was Van Gaal’s big innovation at Manchester United this season, and he used it 12 times: six each in a 3-1-4-2 and then a 3-4-1-2 formation, but he has also used the classic diamond formation of 4-4-2 nine times.

But if 4-2-3-1 is favoured at the top of the tree, how about at the bottom? Well, propping up the league are Leicester City. Nigel Pearson leans towards 4-4-2 (in 13 games) but most tellingly, he has tinkered with his starting XIs the joint-most of anyone in the Premier League this season.

Bottom of the league and a tinker. Coincidence? Pearson has used eight different starting formations, the same number as Steve Bruce. Bruce, whose Hull team are five points outside the relegation zone, has used 4-4-2 eight times and 3-5-2 seven times.

Of the other teams in trouble, Paul Lambert, before he was sacked by Aston Villa, used 4-3-3 18 times, but used five other formations as well. A good measure of tinker-itis there too.

Burnley, 19th in the league and three points from safety, have stuck with Sean Dyche and he has largely stuck with 4-4-1-1, a system that is in decline: only three managers use it as their preferred system.

Premier League tinker table

1= Nigel Pearson – 8 different formations: 4-4-2 Classic (13 times); 4-5-1 (three times); 5-4-1 (three times); 4-4-2 Diamond (two times); 4-3-3 (two times); 4-4-1-1 (two times); 4-1-4-1 (one time); 4-2-3-1 (one time)

1= Steve Bruce – 8 different formations: 4-4-2 Classic (eight times); 3-5-2 (seven times); 3-5-1-1 (five times); 3-4-2-1 (two times); 4-4-1-1 (two times); 5-3-2 (two times); 3-4-1-2 (one time); 4-2-3-1 (one time)

3 Harry Redknapp – 7 different formations: 4-4-2 Classic (10 times); 4-4-1-1 (five times); 3-5-2 (three times); 4-5-1 (two times); 4-4-2 Diamond (one time); 4-1-4-1 (one time); 4-2-3-1 (one time)

4= Louis van Gaal – 6 different formations: 4-4-2 Diamond (nine times); 3-1-4-2 (six times); 3-4-1-2 (six times); 4-1-4-1 (four times); 4-2-3-1 (two times); 4-3-3 (one time)

4= Alan Pardew – 6 different formations: 4-2-3-1 (17 times); 4-1-4-1 (four times); 4-4-1-1 (three times); 4-4-2 Diamond (one time); 4-4-2 Classic (one time); 4-5-1 (one time)

4= Brendan Rodgers – 6 different formations: 3-4-3 (10 times); 4-2-3-1 (eight times); 4-3-3 (four times); 3-4-2-1 (three times); 4-4-2 Diamond (two times); 3-5-1-1 (one time)

4= Paul Lambert – 6 different formations: 4-3-3 (18 times); 4-5-1 (two times); 5-3-2 (two times); 4-2-3-1 (one time); 4-3-1-2 (one time); 4-4-2 Classic (one time)

8= Sam Allardyce – 5 different formations: 4-4-2 Diamond (14 times); 4-2-3-1 (seven times); 4-3-3 (four times); 5-3-2 (two times); 4-3-1-2 (one time)

8= Ronald Koeman – 5 different formations: 4-3-3 (15 times); 4-2-3-1 (10 times); 3-4-3 (one time); 4-4-2 Diamond (one time); 5-4-1 (one time)

8= Gus Poyet – 5 different formations: 4-1-4-1 (20 times); 4-3-3 (four times); 4-4-1-1 (two times); 3-4-1-2 (one time); 4-1-3-2 (one time)

11= Tony Pulis – 4 different formations: 4-4-2 Classic (four times); 4-2-3-1 (two times); 4-3-3 (one time); 4-5-1 (one time)

11= Neil Warnock – 4 different formations: 4-4-1-1 (eight times); 4-3-3 (five times); 4-1-4-1 (two times); 4-2-3-1 (one time)

11= Mark Hughes – 4 different formations: 4-2-3-1 (25 times); 4-3-3 (one time); 4-4-1-1 (one time); 4-4-2 Classic (one time)

14= Manuel Pellegrini – 3 different formations: 4-2-3-1 (11 times); 4-4-2 Classic (11 times); 4-4-1-1 (six times)

14= Sean Dyche – 3 different formations: 4-4-1-1 (16 times); 4-4-2 Classic (11 times); 4-5-1 (one time)

14= Arsène Wenger – 3 different formations: 4-2-3-1 (15 times); 4-1-4-1 (eight times); 4-3-3 (five times)

14= Sean Dyche – 3 different formations: 4-4-1-1 (16 times); 4-4-2 Classic (11 times); 4-5-1 (one time)

14= Roberto Martínez – 3 different formations: 4-2-3-1 (22 times); 4-3-3 (five times); 3-4-3 (one time)

14= Alan Irvine – 3 different formations: 4-2-3-1 (13 times); 4-4-1-1 (four times); 4-4-2 Classic (two times)

14= Chris Ramsey – 3 different formations: 4-4-2 Classic (three times); 4-2-3-1 (one time); 4-4-1-1 (one time)

14= Keith Millen – 3 different formations: 4-4-1-1 (two times); 4-1-4-1 (one time); 4-3-3 (one time)

22= Mauricio Pochettino – 2 different formations: 4-2-3-1 (26 times); 4-4-2 Classic (two times)

22= Tim Sherwood – 2 different formations: 4-3-3 (two times); 4-4-2 Diamond (one time)

22= Garry Monk – 2 different formations: 4-2-3-1 (26 times); 4-3-3 (two times)

22= John Carver – 2 different formations: 4-2-3-1 (seven times); 4-4-2 Classic (two times)

26= José Mourinho – one formation: 4-2-3-1 (27 times)

26= Rob Kelly – one formation: 4-2-3-1 (one time)