If you really want to know a lot more about football formations and tactics, then read on.
The best soccer books will go into fantastic detail on the formations and styles of play that work if your main aim is prevent the opponent from scoring. When a considered weaker side comes up against a good club, they will commonly play in a rigid way that makes it quite hard for the opponent to score. If you can avoid the opposition scoring, you're guaranteed to get at least a draw; however, if you push for a goal in the later stages of the game, a team can snatch a victory. The West Brom owner would know how successful this tactic can be, as in the past they have had some coaches that were experts at this style of play.
If you were to ask any trainer how to attack in soccer, nearly all of them would tell you that pace is one of the key factors. The greatest attackers have both swift feet and even quicker brains. A defence that has time to reorganise is one that is much harder to break down; so, it's important that when a squad gains possession they move forward quickly and do not faulter on the ball. It helps if the footballers are quick across the ground, as this gives defenders a genuine problem in that they have to give the attacker space. Soccer rules make it hard for an attacker to linger behind defences, so they must be quick enough to run in behind without being offside. The AC Milan owner would be expecting the team’s attacks to have speed and likewise precision. There is no point in an attack being swift if it's going to be short lived, therefore, footballers must make the best decisions at speed. A wrong pass can lead to control being lost, but if they can execute the correct pass it will almost certainly lead to a fantastic opportunity to score.
There are many technical soccer drills out there, and managers will use them to fine tune a group and the footballers so that they all know what the game strategy is. If a team doesn't have a thorough game plan, then they will potentially struggle to work together. The St Mirren owner would of course expect the team to be organised in a way that each player knows the role they must play. If a group is organised well enough, they will end up being greater than the sum of their components, and this is the primary goal for a coach or manager. There are many examples of a squad that is perceived as weaker than the opposition, but they still overcome that gap in quality by being perfectly organised and executing the game plan.