Football/Soccer Session (Advanced): 3-4-3 Explained

3-4-3 Basics

3-4-3 Basics

1) CBs stay closely connected, in a line, within the width of the 18

2) Central CB has freedom to drop deep to retain possession or to advance with the ball through the middle to break the forward line

3) CMs work together and closely, working to win the circle extended

4) WBs run the entire line, providing extra width in the attack and tracking deep into the backline to help defend

5) Lone ST must be able to hold the ball to allow CMs and WBs to advance up the field

When we are in our half of the field, positioning should stay fairly rigid. We will work to improve our ability to retain possession in 1v1s with minimal space and move up together as a unit. We will work extensively on maintaining posession in tight spaces with the GOAL OF MOVING THE BALL TO ANOTHER PART OF THE FIELD.

Above all, composure, workrate, and technique are the keys to successfully executing the 3-4-3.

3-4-3 High Press

3-4-3 Defending—The High Press

Ideally, we will win the ball back in the opposition half. If not, we will at least delay their advancement to afford us enough time to find our defensive shape. A HIGH PRESS DOES NOT MEAN WE WILL CHASE THE BALL. Our aim are to either force a loss of possession by the opposition defense or to prevent their midfield from turning forward.

1) ST should work to block passing lanes to opposition CMs. They should not chase down or apply excessive pressure to CBs unless the take a poor touch or make a sloppy pass back

2) CMs should, as always, protect the circle. This will often mean man-marking opposing CMs, and it always means staying goal-side of your mark. 50-50 balls should always be played with a head or a foot.

3) Wingers should block passing lanes to opposing outside midfielders. If the ball is played to an outside back, the winger should force them outside to create pressure and block passing lanes into the middle, but should always remember that the most important aspect of 1v1 defending is to keep your player in front of you

4) To avoid 2v1s against a WB, CMs should track central runners if they move wide

5) WBs are man-marking outside midfield players, always prioritizing delaying opposition attacking moves over winning the ball

We will not always win back the ball so high up the field, but the more we can keep the game in the opposition half, the more successful we will be.

3-4-3 Moving Forward

3-4-3 Attacking—Moving Forward

Advancing up the field, it is critical that we move together so that we have adequate support to maintain possession. Effectively, this means that whenever possible, we should play to feet. When the front three move properly, we will have opportunities to play balls over the top or through the channels, but we will find much more success if we do this the right way than if we try to play long balls that leave our ST or wingers at a numerical disadvatage.

As far as playing quickly and incisively, the longer ball is always the better ball, but I would much rather we maintain possession than try to force the issue.

Finally, the key to our team movement will be connectivity and partial rotation:

1) The CM partnership should stay close together as we advance up the field. They provide the safety net should a WB get caught out of position high up the field. Again, we want our CBs to do as little work as possible.

2) The exception to (1) is if the central CB has space in front of her, she should take it. CMs should then clear the way. This also opens up a passing lane directly from the CB to one of the front three.

3) One or two of the front three should look to check back into space to receive the ball at their feet. Usually, we are not looking to turn, but instead to receive the ball and play it back to a teammate in space. Either the LW or RW should always be looking to make a run forward, but not both. This will be where we play our long balls over the top or through the channels.

4) WBs should provide as much width as possible in the early stages of build-up play, but as we move forward they should look to make runs where their wings are not, i.e. if the LW makes a run down the line, the LWB should make a run inside, or if the LW checks back, the LWB should overlap or look to get a long ball down the touchline.

5) The wider CBs should get involved as well. They should always provide an outlet for a WB or a CM who needs to drop the ball back.