what tactics should i use with 4-1-2-1-2 narrow diamond against 4-4-2

i had a game yesterday against a team whos average was 25.6 while my average was 35.7 now im wondering how he beat me 2-1. i was confused because there is such a huge gap between out teams. then i saw that he was using a 4-4-2 formation, and i was using the 4-3-2-1 christmas tree formation. now i have more games against people that use a 4-4-2 and i know that a good counter formation for that is the 4-1-2-1-2 narrow diamond. but i do not know what tactics to apply with the formation. if anyone has any ideas i would be very thankful for the help.