Is the English Premier League Going Through a Formational-Trend Shift?

Is the traditional 4-4-2 making way for the 4-3-2-1 without it being widely noticed? Liverpool have been playing that way regularly for some seasons now, with a very defensive flavour to it, as did Chelsea under Mourhinho, but are we now starting to see it adopted in its attacking version by teams like United, Tottenham, and the new-look Chelsea? United aren't buying Berbatov to put him on the bench, nor Rooney or Tevez, and he'd surely not play any of those three on the wing. So surely he is looking at them as the "2-1," with Berbatov at the front. That leaves three across midfield, (although Rooney and Tevez will no doubt be getting stuck in midfield), and a back four. Chelsea lined up pretty much the same on Sunday: Anelka with Deco and Lamps behind. Tottenham had a go at it, with Modric and Dos Santos behind Bent. So it begs the question: Why, and why now? I can think of a few reasons. Centre backs have gotten very good at defending, and some of the best defenders in the world ... (link)