There are too many parameters in play.
Your number of good captains for example.
The opponent.
The terrain.
Your forces, archers, type of foot troops. Shieldwall don´t protect your two handed troops.
But look at the terrain if the enemy has many archers. Maybe you can use a hill or a pit to shorten the archers range.
Use a smal group of horses to keep the enemy archers busy while you fight their foot troops and approach the bloody archers.
Lerning how to flank the enemy is better then what formations. Have 3 formation with infantry. Let the enemy engage one, the largest, formed as shieldwall. Flank with the other two.
Enemy cavalry will engage your archers, usually devided in 2 formations. Counter that. And have one in reserv to harass the enemy archers or to flank enemy infantry.
Horses slow down in water. Use that. Have archers in front and infantry behind to finsh them off.
Enemy as too many horse archers. Find a banner that speeds up your cavalry so they can catch up easier.
I always feel safer with ranged in loose formation.
In the end when you press charge formations don´t really matter. It´s when you press charge that matters.
