Sistema 4-3-3 - A Coachs Guide

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This ebook has been licensed to: Stephen Schrack (schracks26@gmail.com)
A Coach’s Guide to the 4-3-3
A Tactical Overview of the System

Including Training Sessions,
Variations and Functional
Exercises
by
Michele Tossani
Published by
WORLD CLASS COACHING
First Printing April, 2012
WORLD CLASS COACHING

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Edited by Tom Mura
Cover Design by P2 Creative
©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 2 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3
Table of Contents
Page 4 Introduction
Page 7 Formation
Page 10 Player Responsibilities
Page 10 Center Backs
Page 11 Outside Backs
Page 13 Midfield Trio
Page 18 Attackers
Page 22 Defensive Phase
Page 41 The Offensive Phase – How the Best
Coaches Run the 4-3-3
Page 53 The Czech Way
Page 58 The 4-3-3 Around Europe
Page 62 In Depth Look at Offensive
Movements
Page 76 Transition Phase
Page 84 How to Train the 4-3-3
INTRODUCTION
The Brazilian National Team under Aymoré Moreira in 1962 was
one of the first top tier teams to use the 4-3-3 formation. It was a
variation from the 4-2-4 previously employed by the Brazilians.
Subsequently other great teams have made this configuration
famous.
Most know the 4-3-3 formation was utilized by the fathers of the
modern soccer era: the members of the Holland National Team at
the 1974 and 1978 World Cups. The 4-3-3 was also utilized by
Dutch club teams during the European Cups throughout the
1970s.
At the 1978 World Cup, the winning champions of Argentina were

lined up in a 4-3-3 formation by Coach Luis Cesar Playersotti. His
aggressive 4-3-3 style was modelled after the Dutch 4-3-3
configuration. He employed Mario Kempes up top with Americo
Gallego as the holding midfielder in front of the back four.
Johan Cruyff was insistent on using a 4-3-3 formation, pointing

out that a triangle will beat a line. Cruyff’s style is based on the
creation of triangles.
The biggest factor in 2000s soccer has been the switch from a 4-4-
2 formation to configurations with a lone forward. Both the 4-2-3-
1 and 4-3-3 formations focus on three central midfielders and
have become the most utilized patterns in the modern era.
The increased utilization of 4-3-3 formations is due to the

difficulty in finding a defensive solution against the 4-3-3. Playing
a 4-3-3 formation against a 4-4-2 formation gives you the
advantage of having an extra man in the middle and allows your
team to more easily dominate possession against a team playing
with just two central midfielders.
“Look, if I have a triangle in the midfield – Claude Makelele behind

and two others just in front – I will always have an advantage
against a pure 4-4-2 where the central midfielders are side by side.
That’s because I will always have an extra man. It starts with
Makelele who is between the lines. If nobody comes to him, he

can see the whole pitch and has time. If he gets closed down, it
means one of the two other central midfielders is open. If they are
closed down and the other team’s wingers come inside to help, it
means there is space now for us on the flank, either for our own
wingers or for our full-backs. There is nothing a pure 4-4-2 can do
to stop things.” 1
This is Josè Mourinho’s way of thinking. However, he once said

that his 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 configurations are not so different
regarding the players’ positions and the process of building
triangles. Also the principles of play are similar. Mourinho, at FC
Porto, changed his original formation because the original
formation was becoming automated and known by the opposing
players; he opted to build another configuration to use during the
same campaign or even the same game.
With many attackers able to play as a lone forward, the

consequence was the common use of a 4-3-3 formation.
This configuration gives a coach the ability to change the

attacking wingers and to have better coverage in the middle with
three central midfielders.
The 4-3-3 formation provides the opportunity to run a pro-active

offensive game. This configuration lines up balanced lines
throughout the whole pitch, creating triangles of players pivotal
for position play.
Every line is covered with almost 3 players.
But how is this pattern utilized in today? Who are the most
famous coaches employing this system? What kind of 4-3-3 can
you see? That part of the team strategy depends on players’ skills,
coach’s preferences, and the team’s tradition.
“I've always said that Porto had a system base, and has an
established pattern that passes by a set of principles governing
1
G. Vialli, G. Marcotti, The Italian Job, Oscar Mondadori, pp. 159-160,
Milano, 2007.
the tactical organization. The configuration of the team, games,

and players, will sometimes force us to reposition the players so it
seems as if they are playing another system. But the important
thing is that the model does not change, but is becoming
stronger and more stable. Regardless of the system, it is important
that players act in accordance with our principles to defend and
to attack," said former Porto’s head coach Jesualdo Ferreira 2. This
book takes a look into the best 4-3-3s and provides some drills to
train for its use.
2
A. Dias,
O modelo de jogo enquanto referencial orientador da tomada de decisão
do jogador de futebol: estudo da congruência da transição defesa-ataque
da equipa de FC Porto a partir das perspectivas do treinador Jesualdo
Ferreira e do jogador Lucho González, FADEUP, 2009
I -- THE FORMATION
The 4-3-3 pattern is one of the most utilized formations in recent
seasons. The defense starts with a four man back line. The
midfield is lined up in a triangular arrangement. The attackers are
lined up with a center forward and two strikers, one on each side;
the strikers can be close or spread out, depending on the coach’s
preference.
Some coaches, such as Barcelona’s head coach Pep Guardiola,

are asking for more ball control and passing. Other coaches want
less ball retention in order to get to the goal quickly.
Playing a high-tempo offensive style makes it harder to defend

against, even for a team with great defensive organization.
The formation, with three forward up front, is an offensive choice.

The ball has to be played quickly up to the forwards to achieve
the objective of leading the game into the opposition's field as
soon as possible.
The 4-3-3 is naturally suited to creating player triangles which

makes it easier for the team to build up passes. The 4-3-3 main
objective is to make the field bigger, in both width and depth, to
create an imbalance for the rival team.
Teams that won matches or tournaments playing soccer with this

this configuration were:
• Brazil National Team, winners 1962 FIFA World Cup

• Juventus F.C., Serie A, winners 1994/95 and UEFA Champions
League Winners 1995/96
• Rosenborg B.K. of Norway, 3-in-a-row league wins
• Chelsea FC and Barcelona’s latest seasons
• Teams coached by Czech Zdeněk Zeman
Player Responsibilities
Center backs
The defensive back line in a 4-3-3 formation is primarily

responsible for covering space in their zones and then for
marking rival players in this area. The sequence at which a
defender has to pay attention is: ball position – teammates’
positions – rivals’ positions.
Central backs and outside backs obviously have different duties.

The central backs have to cover the depth and they have to be
able to cover each rival player as needed according to the ball
position:
Often the center backs are tall and large but this can also work
with a pair formed by a tall and large center back playing
alongside a small and fast one such as FC Porto did in the 1990’s
with the couple formed by Fernando Couto and Aloisio. The first
one gave the team size and strength; the second tactical
knowledge and speed.
One of the two center backs must have sweeper ability; he has the
duty of leading the defensive back four, calling for the offside trap
if the team utilizes that function.
The center backs must balance the team, allowing one or both of
the outside backs to push forward in the attacking phase. The
center backs need to read the situation of ball/open and
ball/covered, calling for the back line to collapse back or to push
forward.
Outside backs
The outside backs are one of the most important aspects of a 4-3-
3 formation. They are responsible for covering the outside areas
and for gaining space moving forward when on the attack.
Because the 4-3-3 employs three strait central midfielders, there is
a lot of space between the defensive back line and the attackers.
Don’t leave the outside backs on the pitch too long as they have
the duty to support both the defense and the offense. The
outside backs have to judge when it’s time to step forward to help
the midfielders and when it’s time to stay back to prevent an
unbalance behind them.
Usually, the outside backs don’t both press up at the same time,
thus leaving the defensive line compromised. However, some
coaches are comfortable with the idea of having both the outside
backs off the back line at the same time. Czech Zdenek Zeman is
one of those coaches.
For him, the outside backs have to be ready to press forward to

support the offensive phase and to contribute to the coverage
with the line formed by the interior midfielder and the wing.
When the outside back can’t pass forward, he has to pass back to
the center back and stay near him.
Sometimes in the Zeman configuration, the outside back doesn’t

retreat back but remains forward:
Midfield Trio
Very important is the work of the central trio of midfielders.

Because they are the only three in the middle, their defensive
attitude has to be very high. The central midfielders have to be
very aggressive by attacking the ball when it’s appropriate and
they must be able to read the game situation to know when they
should stay in their positions to keep the team balanced.
The central midfield trio is formed by a holding midfielder in front

of the defense and by two other interior midfielders. The work
rate asked of this trio is very high because using the 4-3-3
configuration means that just three players are covering the
entire midfield space. This leads to the belief that the midfield is
the weakest area in the 4-3-3 defensive phase. It requires great
teamwork by the three players. Often the center midfielders will
play facing a numerical disadvantage against a team with four or
five midfielders.
These players are responsible for the middle of the field but must
be able to slide out wide to help out backs and wingers cover the
outside.
The weakest point in a 4-3-3 formation is the wide zone between

the winger and the outside back. The interior midfielder has to be
able to fill the voids in this zone and to work together with the
outside back to prevent an easy maneuver by the rivals.
In the final defensive third of the field, this group should force the
ball laterally or centrally, according to the coach’s tactics. Forcing
the ball inside reduces space for the opponent’s forwards and
forces them to play where the team has accumulated the greatest
number of defenders. However, this tactic opens the central part
of the field, the most dangerous for the opponents. Forcing the
ball to the outside reduces the space for the opponents and gives
the defense the assistance of the sideline. However, this tactic
leaves the opponents free to have help from their overlapping
outside backs and gives them the chance to play cross situations
which can be difficult to defend. So some coaches ask the winger
to force the ball inside to take advantage of having three central
midfielders and to create more turnovers in the central part of the

pitch.
A key role is played by the central holding midfielder, lined up in

front of the back line. This player has to help against the central
attacks and to protect vertically the back line, eliminating central
penetrations, and helping the back four with deflected balls.
The holding midfield job can be assigned to three different kinds

of players:
- to a pure holding midfielder, such as Javier Mascherano;

- to a technical player, a playmaker able to start the play,
such as Andrea Pirlo; or
- to a mixed player, that has some holding and some
playmaking ability, such as Sergio Busquets.
The two interior midfielders are responsible for the vertical part of
the pitch, but they can also go wide to play with the outside backs
and wingers.
They must be able to support the center forward in a way that

gives the team extra players in the rival’s box. They are box-to-box
players and they are the link between the defense and the
offense.
Attackers
The forwards have the first duty to put pressure high and early on
the rivals’ back line while trying to keep the ball in front of them.
As said earlier, they should force the ball outside or into the
middle, preventing the rival team from easily constructing
attacks.
The forwards responsibilities are important in order to avoid

counter attacks.
When a team faces overlapping backs, the wingers have to take

care of the defenders. They have to be able to collapse back in to
reinforce the 4-3-3 midfield. This is a general rule but sometimes
you can find coaches that opt to play a different way. For
example, in his three season stint with the Italia Serie A team of
Udinese, Italian coach Pasquale Marino sometimes didn’t required
his three forwards to come back in the defensive phase. This
decision made the team weak on defense by having to defend
with just seven players, but it also left the team ready to play
dangerous counter attacks by having three offensive points from
which to restart the attack when the ball was eventually won.
There are many ways to involve the wingers during the offensive
phase:
- attack 1 vs. 1 down the sideline;
- cut in with a slant move;
- play a combination with the center forward;
- play a long ball on the weak side;
- play in combination with the overlapping back
II -- DEFENSIVE PHASE
In every defensive phase, the five rules that every single player
has to apply are:
- Marking
- Position taking
- Goal’s defense
- Intercepting
- Tackling
From a collective point of view, the principles are:
- Spreading out
- Aggressiveness
- Temporization
- Closing spaces
- Balance
In general, the number one defending question is how to balance

marking and covering concepts. The main rule is to mark more
when the ball is nearer to the player’s own goal and to cover
spaces more when the ball is far from his own goal.
Due to its nature, the 4-3-3 formation leaves a lot of space

between the wings and outside backs. That means that the 4-3-3
needs to be used in the right way to pressure the defense to avoid
counter attacking goals.
Usually, the 4-3-3 configuration is switched to a 4-5-1 formation

when the ball is lost. This is the method utilized by some coaches.
For example, England’s manager Fabio Capello used it against
Wales in the Euro 2012 qualifying Group G match.
In that match, he played with Scott Parker as the holding

midfielder while Jack Wilshere and Frank Lampard were given
license to go forward and Wayne Rooney played as left wing.
"When we were defending, they stayed wide, when we had the

ball, Wayne [Rooney] came in and it was a problem for Wales,”
Capello said.
“The new system was very positive - the attitude was to get at
them and press them high up the pitch,” captain John Terry
added. But not all teams change from a 4-3-3 to a 4-5-1 formation
when the ball is lost.
At Chelsea, Josè Mourinho’s preferred to make his midfield work

during the first phase. He didn’t want to his three forwards
working hard in the defensive phase. This work was done by the
three midfielders, with the interior ready to slide laterally to cover
the upcoming full back:
The other two midfielders gave coverage to the outside

midfielder.
If the 4-3-3 team wants to play with forward pressure, the

configuration can switch from its original line up.
For example, the 4-3-3 can be modified to a 4-4-2:
or to a 4-4-1-1 mode:
Additionally, the 4-3-3 can defend by just covering the space or

by playing pressure around the ball. In the second situation, the 4-
3-3 has to play narrow around the ball, reducing space and tempo
near the ball controller and also covering the players near the ball:
A recent example of a different 4-3-3 defensive action came from

André Villas Boas’ Chelsea FC. In this case, 4-5-1 aside, we have
other ways to change the pattern during the defensive phase.
When Chelsea defends against a team that accumulates many

players up top, the Blacks are ready to change their line up from a
4-3-3 to a 5-4-1 formation via the movement of the holding
midfielder, Obi Mikel, who collapses back down the middle to the
defensive back line.
Another situation is when the team rises up to play a zone press

defense. In that situation, the team changes from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-
2 configuration by moving up an interior midfielder to press the
opponents’ back line.
But the forwards’ movements are the most important support for
the midfield trio, closing the wings and working in the middle if it
is needed. Another way to defend with the 4-3-3 is to slow down
the wing on the side where the rival’s action starts, thus creating a
four player midfield.
Some configurations can make it hard for a 4-3-3 to defend. This is

not a book about how to defend with a 4-3-3 against all the other
formations, so I will not spend much time explaining that. But I
would like to look at how to defend with a 4-3-3 against a couple
of well know and utilized formations.
Against a 4-3-1-2 formation, the 4-3-3 has an edge in the middle,

where it can line up five midfielders against four.
The 4-3-1-2 can count on having its four midfielders all lined up in
the middle. That means it has four central midfielders against
three in the 4-3-3.
To nullify this disadvantage, the 4-3-3 needs to build a wall in the

center to hinder the 4-3-1-2 play. How is this done?
The solution is to move a player up to the center of the midfield,

to put pressure on the opponents’ holding midfielder, who is
often the playmaker in a 4-3-1-2.
In this case, the wing on the side where the central midfielder
pushes up has to collapse back, covering the middle and creating
central coverage. The movement towards the center by the
opposite winger, on paper, creates a theoretical 5 v 4 advantage
for the 4-3-3.
Against a 4-2-3-1, the 4-3-3 finds a situation of 5 vs. 5 in the

middle. Usually, a 4-2-3-1 has three forwards and half the team up
front. So collapsing back the wingers to the midfield line can
result in a superiority of 5 vs. 3 in the middle.
When pressuring the defense, some coaches like to increase

pressure by moving up an interior midfielder to help the lone
forward, such Andrè Villas Boas does:
Other coaches prefer the wing coming inside to pressure the

opponents’ center back, leaving the duty to put pressure outside
on the interior midfielder:
Coach’s pick aside, the 4-3-3 system requires the contribution of

every player during the defensive phase.
“If you look at Xavi, Iniesta and Messi, when they lose the ball,
they directly apply pressure so the opponent does not have the
time to get the ball. You need the whole team defending and you
need the whole team attacking. It is as simple as that … but if
you’re not used to playing the 4-3-3 configuration, then there are
moments when you’re waiting [for something] to happen and
then you are too late,” said Toronto FC assistant coach Bob de
Klerk. 3
The other way to defend with the 4-3-3 formation is a potentially

dangerous one, both for the team employing the 4-3-3 and for
the opponents. It requires defending with just seven players
behind the ball: the four playing the back line and the three
3
M. Scianitti Toronto FC coaches still believe in their system, The
National Post, 7/26/2011
midfielders. Is it enough? Can a team defend with just seven

players? It depends on the players’ conditioning, on their ability in
the defensive phase and on the rival’s strength. The critical
moment is when a 4-3-3 team has to come back to defend against
the other team’s more risky scoring attempts.
Choosing this method means leaving the three forwards high on

the pitch during the defensive phase. The 4-3-3 team has three
players ready to play the counter attack when the ball is won:
With three forwards up, the 4-3-3 can immediately start a counter
attack action. Obviously, as said earlier, it also means that the
team will defend with just seven players.
In general, with only three midfielders in the center, the problem

arises with defending the wide areas. This is especially true when
the 4-3-3 lines up two attacking wingers. One of the goals for the
flanks is to avoid dangerous 2 vs. 1 situations in the wide areas.
There are two ways to do it:

- advance a full back to play the 1 vs. 1 against the
upcoming opponents;
- slide an interior midfielder towards the sideline to leave
the full back inside the four player back line.
Both those solutions have problems. In the first, the line could be
played very high so that the interior midfielder nearest to the ball
has to quickly come back to cover the space between the center
back and the full back. This allows the back line to spread out and
not leave too much space on the opposite side. In the second
case, the line could play too low and the interior midfielder will
play in a 1 vs. 1 duel, leaving the other two midfielders in a
situation that could be difficult, especially against five midfield
players.
III – THE OFFENSIVE PHASE:

HOW THE BEST COACHES RUN THE 4-3-3
There are many way to employ a 4-3-3 in the offensive phase.
Some 4-3-3 coaches stress width and ball circulation; others stress
depth. In this book, we want to review some of those tactics in
order to give you a detailed look at the different kinds of attack
available to you with this formation.
Some coaches like to change their 4-3-3 configuration when they

have the ball. One example comes from Villas-Boas’ Chelsea. He
will switch his initial 4-3-3 to a 3-4-3 with some player
movements:
- the holding midfielder collapses to the back line;

- the full backs move forward lining up as wingers;
This made a difference between Villas Boas’ 4-3-3 and the 4-3-3
employed by his predecessor at Chelsea, Josè Mourinho. In fact,
Mourinho kept his fullbacks deep and his wingers wide, using
them mainly as players to assist the center forward Didier Drogba.
Villas Boas said he likes to have his fullbacks moving forward as
wings.
This is the Spanish way to approach a 4-3-3. Former Barca B head

coach, Luis Enrique, now AS Roma manager, tried to instill this
kind of approach, before coming back to a more suitable 4-3-1-2.
The experiment remains pretty interesting. It allows a 4-3-3
formation to gain an extra player on defense who can help during
the initial offensive phase and also gives the 4-3-3 the chance to
focus on having their full-backs forward supporting the midfield.
Luis Enrique came to Italy trying to repeat the success he had with
the second Barcelona team, Barcelona B, in the Spanish second
division.
When he was the Barca B’s head coach, Luis Enrique changed his
basic 4-3-3, switching to a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2 depending upon the
best way to attack opponents.
For Italy, he made the transition easier by choosing to use a

particular version of a 4-3-3. His 4-3-3 concept became more
similar to a 4-3-1-2.
With Luis Enrique 4-3-3’s version, he had two central forwards

instead of one. Those forwards play wider than usual with no one
lined up as a pure central striker.
The goal is to make the forwards play between the opponents’

center-backs and half-backs, to cut inside them seeking the net.
With Pablo Osvaldo, Fabio Borini, Marco Borriello and Bojan Krkic
playing those positions, Luis Enrique was free to line up captain
Francesco Totti as a false center forward.
This will always give an advantage against a defending team, which

has to cover the flanks where the full-backs stay and cover the center
of the defense occupied by the three forwards.
The goalkeeper must be ready to support ball possession on the

offensive phase. Maybe he’s not a sweeper like happened in a
version of the 4-2-4 by Italy during a recent season, but he has to
be able to use his feet, giving the team a safety valve against
opponents’ pressure.
The half-backs are the players that need to give width to the
team. In some matches, Luis Enrique utilized a former midfielder
at those positions. For example, he used Simone Perrotta, a
former holding midfielder, winger and also an attacking
midfielder.
The holding midfielder is a key to this 4-3-3 formation; he has to

collapse inside the two center backs in the construction phase. He
also plays a pivotal role in the transitional phase by covering the
central zone and being able to slide from the left-to-the right
covering the flanks and providing supporting help to the backs.
The internal midfielders can move wide open or stay inside

between the rivals’ defensive and midfield lines. They can give
width and put pressure on the opponent’s center back line
providing a link between the defenders and the forwards. They
can give support to the outside backs with their forward
movements.
This means that Luis Enrique’s team has a lot of players in front of
the ball. The consequence is that the passes have to be very
accurate or the team could be exposed to the opposition’s
counter attacks.
In the defensive phase, there is a new aspect to the Luis Enrique 4-

3-3 formation compared to other more classic 4-3-3’s. In fact, the
Spanish manager wants the middle covered by the center
forward/attacking midfielder with the other two forwards sliding
laterally to cover the opponent’s backs:
After his team played a true 4-3-1-2 but with the same concepts,
the Spanish coach changed his philosophical view, coming back
to a 4-3-3 configuration but with some changes. His new 4-3-3
formation had the full-backs pushing forward less, a holding
midfielder staying in front of the defense when the team
attacked, and more emphasis was on vertical play than positional
play. On Dec. 2011 vs. Bologna, match stats state that AS Roma
had 67% ball control, 69% territorial supremacy, 16 shots on goal,
and 9 scoring chances. 4
Against Naples in a 1-3 victory on 18 Dec. 2011, AS Roma had only

49% ball control and only 6 shots on target but still won the
game. 5
Another key factor with this kind of 4-3-3/4-3-1-2 is that the

Spanish coach wants his players to be able to regain the ball
immediately when it’s lost. He also requires that all eleven players
apply pressure during the defensive phase of the game.
Josep Guardiola’s 4-3-3 formation is a mark for the Catalunyan

side. From 2008/09 when Barcelona announced the hiring of
Guardiola as new first team manager, Barcelona won three times
La Liga and added two Champions League titles. Despite the fact
that he sometimes switched to the 4-2-4 or 3-4-3, the 4-3-3
formation remains a mark of recognition of Barca from the Johan
Cruyff’s days.
It was the former Ajax’s No. 14 jersey who instilled a rule that “all
age levels must be trained to control the ball, have vision to know
where they will put the ball with one touch when they get it, and
have the ability to pass well and to play in a 4-3-3 system”. 6
But, truth is that over the last forty seasons, the Catalans
employed five former Ajax members as coaches: Vic Buckingham,
Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff, Louis van Gaal, and Frank Rijkaard.
4
L. Valdisseri, Possesso palla, entusiasmo e fiducia in Luis Enrique. Una
squadra stile Barcellona, Corriere della Sera, Dec. 2011
5
www.direttanapoli.com
6
G. Hunter, The truth about Barca's system, ESPN.com, 11/1/2011
When Arsenal’s coach Arsen Wenger was accused of copying

Barca’s 4-3-3, the French coach pointed out that he employed the
4-3-3 at Monaco two decades before.
“I played 4-3-3 before Barcelona. I played 4-3-3 at Monaco and I

think Barcelona has not created that system. That system is a
Dutch system.” 7
Wenger admitted that Barca plays a pure 4-3-3 formation. For

Wenger the difference between a pure 4-3-3 and a 4-5-1 depends
on the wingers’ skills: if you line up pure forwards on the flanks,
you have a 4-3-3; if you line up two true midfielders, you have a 4-
5-1.
Former Arsenal player, Dennis Bergkamp, confirmed: “When I was

at Ajax, there was only one team in the whole of Europe similar to
us and that was Monaco.” 8
At the start of his adventure as Barca’s manager, Guardiola lined

up Argentinian Lionel Messi as an attacking wing. One of the
three center midfielders was Yaya Touré. It was not unusual to see
Messi playing more in the middle, with Touré moving out wide.
When this happened, the formation switched from a 4-3-3 to a 4-
2-3-1 pattern.
“The methodology and style of play of Guardiola is based on the

system that he has learned from Johan Cruyff. Compared to Frank
Rijkaard, he gives much more importance to the ball. As coaches,
we just changed our emphasis, what has really changed is the
work you do while soccer training, which is greater and more
complete than those with Rijkaard, "said Paco Sei-rulo , the
7
Quotes from Arsenal website
8
D. Winner, Arsenal v Barcelona: Dennis Bergkamp defends Arsène
Wenger's beautiful vision, The Telegraph, 3/30/2011
Barcelona’s fitness trainer under Johan Cruyff and again under

Guardiola. 9
The revolution of Spanish soccer has also been contributed to by

two other managers. Spain introduced a good combination with
one striker and many midfielders.
The first was Juan Manuel Lillo, former coach of Real Sociedad,
which since the time when he was driving the Cultural Leonesa,
Segunda Division in 1991-92, employed a similar attitude. "My
goal was to press and try to steal the ball in the opponent’s area
of the field," explained the Spaniard. "It was the most symmetrical
way I could find to play with four strikers. One of the advantages
of a true four striker lineup is that it allows you to play up with the
midfield and defense, so everyone benefited. But you must have
the right players. They have to be very mobile and must be able to
play when they have the ball. We must remember that forwards
press up to play, and not play to press. "
The second coach was Javier Irureta, who introduced this type of
play at the highest level with Deportivo la Coruna at the
beginning of 2000. The 4-5-1 was a version of Irureta’s offense
with Victor, Valeron, Fran and Makaay.
It's obvious that this configuration with five midfielders, or four

and an attacking forward, was developed in these contexts in a
different way than that of Otto Rehagel with Greece’s 2004
European champions, which also employed five players in the
midfield.
For Greece, the purpose of the five midfielders was to collapse

back to create a block 4 +5 when in its defensive part of the field
and then explore the counter attack. The Greek’s wanted to
exploit the weaknesses of opponents, playing reactive soccer
which leads to only reacting to the opposing team. The Spanish
instead plays pro-active soccer, where one tries to create
imbalance and problems for the opponents through the attack.
9
Sport.es, 27 agosto 2008.
"After more than twenty years, we are trying to play soccer in that
way. We have variables, sometimes Sergio Busquets gets free,
sometimes we have Xavi as center midfielder ... to have players
that play centrally we have a lot of ball movement. We have to
start play from the bottom. The goalkeeper passes to defender,
the defender to midfielder, midfielder to striker ...,” said
Guardiola. 10
Tito Vilanova, Barca assistant coach said about Pep Guardiola's

Barcelona, "We adapt to the opponent on offense, while on
defense we never adapt. On most teams if not all, the defenses
play kick and run soccer. We don’t. The others, when the
goalkeeper saves, have central defenders in the midfield. We
advance from behind with the ball. This is to attack. Even the ways
to defend are different. Most teams, when they lose the ball, lower
themselves to defend. We try to force the ball towards the penalty
area to steal it as soon as possible and to play a possible quick
attack when the opponent tries to get organized. During these
two years we have reinvented ourselves. Every year we reinvent.
And it’s logical, the teams we studied a lot and the 4-3-3 are not as
static as they were before. " 11
Much has been written about the difficulties of Sweden's Zlatan

Ibrahimovic in the 2009/10 season. Vilanova said, "Playing in the
Barça is very hard. Why? Because of the playing style that we
have. On most teams, the attacker has a lot of space behind him
and much larger spaces. Not here. Here we find ourselves in many
situations where in 20 or 30 meters, twenty players have
accumulated. Our ten and the rivals’ ten, who are waiting in their
area. And it’s normal that smaller players find themselves more
adaptable to these smaller areas. It’s a matter of anthropology,
including physical if you want. " 12
10
M. Lopez, D. Torras, Tito Villanova: “El Barça juega al revés que los
demás”, El Periodico, 9/6/2010.
11
M. Lopez, D. Torras, Tito Villanova: “El Barça juega al revés que los
demás”, El Periodico, 9/6/2010.
12
Ibidem.
A different way to play a 4-3-3 is that run by Juventus’ coach

Antonio Conte. Coming to his former team after a brilliant
coaching career, the former Italian midfielder at the USA 1994
World Cup was well known for using a 4-2-4 formation. He
changed his mind with Juventus where he found a player that
maybe he didn’t want initially, the National Team playmaker
Andrea Pirlo. With such a good midfielder that isn’t a holding one,
Conte changed his soccer strategy to stay with Pirlo and take
advantage of his excellent technical skills. To do it, Conte opted to
switch his initial idea of a 4-2-4 to a hybrid 4-3-3, sometimes called
by analysts 4-1-4-1 with Simone Pepe and Mirko Vucinic out wide:
To support Pirlo, Conte picked two holding midfielders in Claudio

Marchisio and Arturo Vidal.
In this way, Pirlo has more freedom and less defensive duties. The
play starts with him. When the ball is on the opponent’s feet, Vidal
is the man charged with adding pressure to the opposite team,
while Marchisio stayed back for Pirlo.
The 4-3-3 is hybrid because Conte lined up a forward, Mirko

Vucinic, as left winger.
It’s not an unusual position for Montenegrin but with this

midfield, he has more coverage on his back line. In fact, if he
doesn’t participate in the defensive phase, the sliding of the
midfield allows the team to line up in a 4-4-2 configuration that
can cover the whole pitch.
This solution was also used by the new Italian National Team
coach, Cesare Prandelli, when he was the coach of Fiorentina. In
that situation, he sometimes lined up Adrian Mutu as left wing in
a 4-3-3 formation, but didn’t ask to him to collapse back to the
midfield during the defensive phase, switching the pattern from a
4-3-3 to a 4-4-2.
Hybrid versions of the 4-3-3 configuration are not new in the

soccer world.
One can be found 1978. After a terrific 1974 World Cup

campaign, the Brazilian soccer confederation dismissed coach
Mario Zagallo. After a brief stint with Oswaldo Brandão, the
Federation called up Cláudio Coutinho, a former assistant fitness
trainer of coach Carlos Alberto Parreira during the 1970 World
Cup. Coutinho had no experience as a soccer coach but he was a

soccer student and a tactical expert. He started to renovate the
1974 team, leaving just goalkeeper Leão and left wing Rivelino as
the only members of the former team to play on the new squad.
Coutinho introduced to the National Team some rising young
players such as Zico and Cerezo. From a tactical point of view,
Coutinho introduced some new situations in Brazilain soccer like
counter attacks played with the outside backs. He was thinking
that the better way to beat the stronger European defenses was
to overlap them.
So he played with midfielders overlapping attackers and with

outside backs overlapping midfielders. His system was hybrid
because he lined up Eder as left wing alongside the center
forward Reinaldo, while the other attacker, Roberto Dinamite, was
lined up wider on the right.
Another example came from the 2011 Copa America, where the
finalist Paraguay’s coach Gerardo Martino lined up three central
midfielders, with a forward as winger on one side and another
forward near the central striker.
One key to supporting three forwards is the ability to maintain

balance. That is especially important for some coaches and for
some coaching schools. Balance is the key to Villas-Boas’ Chelsea
such as it was with FC Porto, his former team. The Villas-Boas’
approach is based on sending up no more than five players
offensively, with the other five staying behind the line of the ball
to prevent counter attacks.
This is a new and more balanced approach compared to the more

well-known approach that Czech manager Zdenek Zeman had.
The Czech way
Zeman is one of the most brilliant offensive minds of all the last
30 years. Zeman is the coach that in the 1990s, with as small a
town as Foggia was, built an attack that scored 15 more goals
than the next best Italian Serie A offense in his first season. His
attacks were often the best in the league.
He’s the coach who can take unknown players and turn them into
international stars. He has done it many times.
His approach is very offensive-oriented, very attractable, very hard

to contain. It’s founded on some keys principles:
- high intensity;
- high attention;
- high searching for depth
His forwards are true attackers. Their first objective is to cut inside
to explore the field behind the opposite defensive back line. In
other words, they want to move towards the goal as soon as
possible.
He strongly believes in his 4-3-3 configuration. “I will never

change my formations or my training methods. In order to cover
the pitch, there does not exist a better configuration than the 4-3-
3,” he said.
His teams need to be in very good shape to run his system, “It
doesn't matter how long you run, but where and why you run.”
He looks to a team as whole, starting with the goalkeeper. “The

goalkeeper, as a concept of man between the posts, does not
work for me. In fact, if a goalkeeper is positioned between the
posts that his team is defending, we are wasting him; my game is
based only on the offense, so my keeper should never stand
between the posts. My goalkeepers should always train with the
team, as players that sometimes use their hands! I do not think
they should have a specific trainer!’
Many times Zeman said that he thinks the 4-3-3 formation is the
best way to cover the entire field. This formation naturally fits well
with building a lot of triangles around the pitch to give the player
with the ball almost two different pass options and to allow his
team to easily attack the rivals when the ball is lost. In fact,
according to coach Zeman, his ideal team has to immediately
regain the ball when it’s lost. To do it, the player nearest the ball
has the duty to attack the ball and not to collapse behind. His
teammates have to control the spaces around the ball and to
cover and press the players alongside the ball. Zeman likes the 4-
3-3 and is against the use of an attacking midfielder behind the
forwards, as the 1-4-2-3-1 does. According to Zeman, an attacking
midfielder could limit too much the play of the lone forward, who
can come back in the zone between the rivals’ midfield and
defensive lines to play like a basketball high post pivot.
Despite the fact he always used in a 4-3-3 formation, often

opponents were unable to stop his offensive scoring machine.
By the way, his 4-3-3 is not always the same. The formation is, but
the 4-3-3 is different because different players are running it.
“Our maneuvers are effective because the opponents are not

lined up yet defensively, but against a close defense it’s more
difficult. This is because I ask to my players to always be fast and
accurate.” 13
His right forward at Pescara, Marco Sansovini said, “I don’t know

what our secret is, I just know that, when Lorenzo Insigne [the left
forwards, N.D.A.] has the ball open [he can play the ball, N.D.A.], I
cut inside without thinking, because he always invents
something.” 14
The wingers have to cut inside leaving space open for the
overlapping backs. A winger, an interior midfielder and an
outside back have to form a triangle with the forward who has to
lead the movements of the other two teammates.
The interior midfielders have to cooperate with the wingers and

the outside backs. They have to accompany every offensive action
until they occupy, in the final stage of action, the zones in front of
the opposing team’s box.
13
Corriere dello Sport, 11/3/2011
14
Corriere dello Sport, 11/3/2011
Zeman wants three players inside the penalty box during a cross
action. So, if an outside back or a forward is outside the box, there
are always three other players inside. The playmaker has to be
ready for a long distance shot.
Zeman’s concept is to play with short passes constantly searching

for the depth. If it’s not possible, he can utilize the center forward
as a target to reach with a long ball.
In the locker room before every game, Zeman often tells his
players that he doesn’t want to see anyone throw the ball away.
According to him, the ball has to be continuously moving and
never planted. He wants ground play and the passes to occur
while the ball is in motion and to never have the ball standing still.
For him the ball has to be played from the goalkeeper to the
defenders: it makes no sense to have the whole team pushing up
and then to throw the ball long.
With the ball in the goalkeeper’s hands, the ball control is with his
team. From the moment when the ball is kicked long towards the
midfield, the possession of the ball is no longer as reliable and

secure as before. On the other hand, if the team plays the ball
short on defense, the coach is confident that the team will
maintain possession and it can orchestrate the game with the ball
on the ground.
His offensive vertical movements are inspired by hockey offensive

movements.
In the defensive phase, the fundamental movements of his 4-3-3

are pressuring the ball and covering the spaces. He seems to not
care too much about the defensive phase, due to the fact that his
teams have always allowed a lot of goals. But this isn’t true.
Zeman wants to play an aggressive defensive mode to
immediately try to regain the ball. If it doesn’t happen right away
and at the right moment, the team can have problems and
remain unbalanced.
In past seasons, his team was often unbalanced with a continued

application of the offside trap, even in a ball open situation. This
has changed a bit recently with a defense that paid more
attention to those situations. The key point is that the offside trap
isn’t employed to put the opponents in offside position but as a
consequence of high pressure. Zeman wants to play high,
pushing forward, both defensively and offensively.
Many times Zeman was accused of being a 4-3-3 fundamentalist

but he’s even stated about his 4-3-3: "It’s the most rational way to
cover the spaces."
The 4-3-3 around Europe
Chelsea’s coach Villas Boas was sometimes accused of being a 4-

3-3 fundamentalist. He tried to cut and copy his Porto’s playing
style at Chelsea. But while Zeman stayed with his particular 4-3-3
approach everywhere, despite some flops, Villas-Boas modified
his ideas in the long run. After the win against Valencia in the
2011/2012 Champions League, he said, “Our No. 6 sometimes
became a more like an attacking midfielder and we tried to do
that here. We decided it didn’t work here, so that’s one of the
things I have adapted. You lose a little bit of balance in the
Premier League if you play that way. Transitions here are much
more direct, making the importance of the No. 6 staying in
position more decisive.” 15
In this game, the Portuguese manager left behind his much loved
concept of a high defensive line, with Chelsea playing deeper
than usual.
On this match, Villas-Boas’ team was more similar to Mourinho’s

version, which stressed defending deep and playing fast offensive
transitions.
As you can see, Villas-Boas was forced to change his 4-3-3 shape
due to the players’ skills and age.
His initial idea was different. Andre Villas Boas is a 4-3-3 fan and he
tried to bring in some of Mourinho’s tactics. Some players liked
this. This is what captain John Terry said earlier 2011/2012 season,
“Personally, I prefer the 4-3-3. To me, this system is more about
our opponents and allows us to find spaces that hurt a team less
beefy than us.”
15
R. Smith, Why isn't Villas-Boas's philosophy working yet?, The
Indipendent, 12/6/2011.
Andre Vilas-Boas has it changed since his last visit to the

club (as assistant)?
At the time (2004 to 2007) Mourinho took care of everything and

Andre did not have the freedom to do what he wanted. Today he
does things that that make you think: "It is very Mourinhesque.
He has confidence in him, believes deeply in what you say and
knows how to communicate this belief. When he speaks, he
convinces you that what he says is right, whether about the way
he wants you to play or your behavior. His attitude is perfect. I was
really impressed by the emphasis he focuses on training. In
preseason, generally, on court. There, on the first day he showed
us how he wanted us to play, you do the math. They told us it
would take time and games to incorporate that. He is already
thinking about the second and third games. To expedite
transitions, we play high, by pressing more ... Here we worked on
it.” 16
Like Zeman, Villas Boas believes that a team has to reach the goal
as soon as possible:
“In Portugal we have this idea of match control based on ball

circulation. That’s what we in Portugal want to achieve in our
soccer: top teams that dominate by ball possession, that push the
opponent back to their area. If you go find the top English teams
pre-Arsene Wenger, they tell you how to control a match in the
opposite way without much ball possession, direct soccer,
searching for the second ball. Maybe now, controlling possession
is the reference point for a top team, but that happens because
they have many more quality players than the other teams, so it
would be wrong not to take advantage of those individual
skills.” 17
By the way, the 4-3-3 formation isn’t a new brand for Chelsea.
16
France Soccer, 8/23/2011
17
D. White, Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas's soccering philosophy,
The Telegraph, 8/13/2011
“It was Jose Mourinho who initiated the 4-3-3 formation’s rise to
prominence as part of the identity of Chelsea Futbol Club in the
2004-2005 season. Mourinho wanted it embedded in the soccer
philosophy of the club, giving instructions for the formation to be
used at the youth and reserve team levels”. 18
A particular 4-3-3 philosophy is that of Dutch coach Louis Van

Gaal.
He wants his team building depth lines, i.e. creating the maximum
possible line of depth.
According to his soccer philosophy, wanting to create triangles

around the ball as the Dutch school does, Van Gaal thinks the 4-3-
3 is the best system available. Also Van Gaal can invert the
midfield’s triangle, playing a kind of 4-2-3-1. 19
18
B. Viner, Brendan Rodgers, The day Jose left Chelsea, it felt like
someone had died , The Independent, 22/4/2011
19
http://zonadepressao.blogspot.com
Van Gaal switched his formations from 3-3-1-3 to 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1

during his career. The things fixed by those changes were in an
effort to control the ball and the game.
The midfielders have to support the forwards but are not to

overlap the wingers. They have to face the net and switch the ball
from one side to the other.
IV – IN DEPTH LOOK AT OFFENSIVE MOVEMENTS
Here’s a look at some offensive schemes, both general and partial,

depending upon the zone where the ball begins.
Essential is the coordination between all the players involved;

especially that of the three forwards. How to play offensive
moments depends upon the players’ skills. With a lone forward
able to play as pivot, you can attack the depth with the winger
and the interior midfielders. With a forward able to go deep, you
have to make the wingers play as assistant players. With a center
attacker being an able header, you can play with a left-footed
player on the left and a right-footed player on the right. With an
attacker able to go deep, you can play with a left-footed winger
on the right and with a right-footed flanker on the left.
The number one objective for the attackers is to find open spaces.
They have to find them through vertical and cut movements. To
run those routes correctly, it’s necessary that the attackers be able
to move at the right time.
This is especially true for the wings. Every wing has four
movements available:
- moving towards the ball

- moving towards the center of the field
- cutting towards the net
- going towards the corner
All three attackers have to know how to get free from the
opponent’s coverage. The movements to escape coverage are:
A winger has to know that by starting with those movements, he

can build all the offensive movements for the whole team.
The wing comes to the center back that has the ball. He receives
the ball and passes it to the interior midfielder. Following up with
a triangle pass to the holding midfielder and then a pass to the
other interior midfielder who plays a one-two pass with the
winger to send the right back into an overlapping action:
The wing received the ball and passes it to the interior midfielder
in a triangle pass, then the ball goes to the holding midfielder
who passes to the upcoming interior midfielder. He passes to the
overlapping back for a cross inside the box:
Ball circulation is between the center backs and a holding

midfielder with the ball going to the wing. A one-two pass
between the winger and the interior midfielder with the ball
going to the holding midfielder who plays a deep ball to the
upcoming interior midfielder who passes to the overlapping back:
The wing on the ball side cuts inside receiving the ball from
the outside back, then he passes to the interior midfielder
who has three pass options: to the overlapping back, to the
center forwards, or to the opposite winger:
The ball goes from the holding midfielder to the interior on his
side.
The wing comes inside, opening the space for an overlapping

move by the outside back:
This movement creates issues for the opponent’s outside back

who has to opt to follow the cutting movement by the winger, or
to follow the overlapping movement by the right back:
The outside back passes to the interior midfielder coming in to

support:
The interior midfielder plays a long ball to the center forward

moving towards outside:
The center forward plays a head pass to the overlapping outside

back ready for a cross action:
Those schemes are suited to a cutting inside winger. If a team has

wingers suited to playing 1 vs. 1 situations, the alternative is to
build schemes around the interior midfielders to put them in the
best situation to support the lone striker.
Here are some options for an interior midfielder to support a lone

forward with the ball on the outside:
Transition Phase
Transition is more than merely the third part of the game.

“Everybody says that set plays win most games, but I think it is
more about transitions,” Josè Mourinho said.
The Portuguese coach wants his team thinking defensively when

it has control of the ball and thinking offensively when it does not.
Some concepts are similar between the 4-3-3 and other

configurations although the way to play transitions is different.
For example, what Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona accomplished in 7-8
passes, Mourinho’s Chelsea did in 3-4.
“My idea as coach is simple: it’s to defend well so we can attack

well,” said Jesualdo Ferreira’s.
The team needs to be balanced when the ball is lost so that it can
regain it immediately.
The 4-3-3 of former Porto’s head coach, was built defensively. The
players near the ball on the strong side had to play according to
ball positions, while the players on the weak side had to make
positional adjustments to the situation.
According to former Leixões S. C.’s head coach, Jose Mota, "It is

more important to learn to utilize quick attacks because we
understand that it is increasingly difficult to find places to play. It
can be seen that there are now more and more goals from quick
transitions or set pieces than from continued attacks."
The main movement when the ball is lost is that done by the
player nearest the ball. His movement towards the ball is needed
to try to regain control of the ball, or to stop an immediate
counter attack so that the rest of the team can reorganize itself.
A good number of coaches like to have numerical superiority on

defense when their teams are attacking. It means that, with the
opponents leaving three players forward during the defensive
phase, the team needs four players covering them.
During defensive transition, there are several options

that teams need to consider: the zone where the ball was lost, the
number of players around it, and the score.
“Depending upon the area where I gain the ball, the tactical
behavior of my players is different,” said Jesualdo Ferreira 20.
Basically, there are two ways to answer losing the ball: immediate
pressure or collapsing back.
A good factor to determine what to do when the ball is lost is the

number of players around the zone where the ball is lost. With
numerical inferiority, the team collapses back. With numerical
superiority, the team can attack immediately if that is the coach’s
preference.
By the way, this is not a strict rule and some coaches like to attack
in any situation.
“On my team, exactly where the ball is lost, I want the man closest
quickly giving pressure. I often say that if the left side of the
opposing team recovers the ball, the player with the most
responsibility is the closest man, which, in a 4-3-3 structure, will
be the interior right midfielder who will have the task of being the
first to make the pressure. After that, the entire team has to
organize and then realize that it's time to join the area," said Jose
Mota. 21
20
A. Dias,
21
F. Festa, Importância, comportaplayerstos e operacionalização da
transição ataque-defesa no futebol inserida num contexto de jogo
colectivo: a perspectiva de treinadores da primeira liga, FADEUP, 2009
"We must also be prepared to react quickly, knowingly

causing contention on the ball carrier, confronting the
opponent's offensive maneuver until we regain possession," said
Heats of Midlothian’s manager, Paulo Sergio.
“Players know the behaviors they have to assume by analyzing

the opposing team and playing a given system. They know what
type of coverage they have to use, they know the type of
positions they have to assume. This is pre-established, because
nothing is done randomly,” said Ricardo Chéu. 22
During an offensive transition, the first pass is the key. When the
ball is gained, this first pass can be a forward pass to gain field
position; a diagonal and short pass to maintain control of the ball
and avoid the opponent’s pressure; or a pass back to get away
from the pressure zone.
This is an important note: every time a team gains the ball, it

switches immediately from the defensive to the offensive
phase. So, when the ball is gained, a team must immediately
be ready to face pressure in the zone where the ball was won.
To exit from the pressure zone, the team with the ball has to make
the correct first pass in the correct mode and in the correct
direction. Sometimes the idea is to gain the ball on one side and
to quickly switch to the other side of the field.
We have talked about the direction. As for the style, it could be a

direct and long pass, a short pass or an intermediate one.
So as noted earlier about former Barcelona and Chelsea styles, the

number of passes determines the speed with which a counter
attack is played.
22
Ibidem.
Coming back to the 4-3-3, another key factor is the zone where
the ball is conquered. The pitch is divided into three zones: first
third, second third, and third:
Depending upon the zone where the pressure is given, you can
have a defensive block pressure, a medium block, or an offensive
block.
When and where to put pressure depends upon the players’ skills,
the situation, and the opponents’ skills.
The coach’s preference is the final factor. For example, in the

middle, some coaches like to lead the opponents inside to create
more chances to put pressure on the other team because in this
zone a 4-3-3 configuration lines up three players.
Barcelona’s Josè Mourinho opted to stay low and play a low block
defense against Inter while he chose to stay high and play a high
pressure with Real Madrid.
In the offensive transition, the zone where the ball is gained is

critical when deciding what to do with the ball.
If the ball is gained on the right side near the midfield line, the
player with the ball has to think about where he is, where his
teammates are, where the opponents are, and where the
opponent’s defensive back line is (high, low).
Another factor to consider is: how far is the distance between the
ball and the players in front of the ball.
There is a difference between a situation where a 4-3-3 team

gains the ball in the middle with an interior midfielder and with a
lone striker; than if two or all the three forwards are in front of the
ball.
The way to play an offensive transition depends on the

opponent’s formation and tactics. It is different if a 4-3-3 team
gains the ball in the middle against a three player back line than
against a team lined up in a 4-2-3-1 configuration.
There are differences if a 4-3-3 squad gains the ball on the offense
after immediate pressure against a 3-5-2 team or against a 4-3-3
team.
If the 4-3-3 team wins the ball in its own third, it would be more
difficult to play the first pass as a direct long ball to the forwards.
Maybe in this case, it would be better to play the first pass as an
unload one to the midfielders, which allows the forwards to gain
field position by pushing up and to see if there are spaces
between the opponent’s midfield and defense line.
The general thought is to gain field position as soon as possible,

but it’s not always an option. However, a team doesn’t have to
give up the newly won ball.
“When we regain the ball, we try to organize a speedy transition

but if we see the opponents are well positioned and a quick
transition is impossible, our goal is to maintain the ball and create
an organized attack,” said Jesualdo Ferreira. 23
Jesualdo Ferreira’s plan at Porto was to close the spaces around

the ball, to try to win it, and then to play quick counter attacks or
at least to retained possession of it.
He wanted to have five players around the ball’s area and the
other players ready to support the transition.
The key is to decrease offensive transition time and to have

players in good position to make this transition.
For Ferreira’s 4-3-3, it is fundamental that the two wingers are in a

good position to play the transition mode.
The wing is in the central position. This player can run a fast break
in three directions. If the winger is on the flank, he can run in just
two directions.
23
A. Dias,
When the players know their teammates field positions the

moment when the ball is won, this allows the team to organize
better counter attacks.
According to Ferreira, the purpose of a fast break when the ball is

won is to immediately find the teammate in the best field position
and the best way to go immediately to the opponent’s goal.
So, if the opponents are unbalanced, a fast break could be played

on the same side where the ball is gained, with a first pass in this
direction and not searching immediately for a change of field.
If the opponents have the equivalent number of players or more,

this is not a problem for Ferreira: it’s a risk, but a calculated one.
Ferreira stresses that his team make good decisions; the team
must be able to recognize when it’s time to play a fast-break and
when to slow the pace to keep ball control.
As you can note on the diagram, if the player gains the ball in a
situation where he has three supporting players in which to pass
the ball but they have no space to run forward, the player with
the ball has to choose an option other than playing a simple
direct ball forward.
If at the moment when the ball is gained we have a numerical

inferiority up top, the direct ball isn’t a good idea. Per Ferreira, a
much better option is to retain ball control and play differently.
According to Ferreira, the three players in the midfield must stay

in a triangle. One of those midfielders must always play below
the other two. This line up remains the same during transition.
One of Ferreira’s fast-break’s principles is to have a clear defensive

position when the team loses the ball. At all times, Ferreira wants
to have all the players not involved in the offensive phase be
ready defensively.
V – HOW TO TRAIN THE 4-3-3

If you want to build a defensive team, you have to start from the
defensive phase, then work the offensive and the transition
games.
But if you want to give the team an offensive identity, you have to
start with the offensive phase. As former Palermo Coach Delio
Rossi once said, starting from the offensive phase means giving
the team a precise message: you want an offensive oriented team.
One of the best ways to build a 4-3-3 identity is to start playing

with the hands in small spaces. Playing with their hands forces
players to stay close, because passing the ball with the hands
doesn’t allow to the players to cover large distances as when
playing with their feet.
“With all the players involved, the work starts by the single
position movement, then step to the department, then to the
merger of departments and finally to the movement of
the whole team. The main purpose is to understand the distance
coverage concepts and the right movement times.” This is the
Zeman way. Zeman starts to teach his 4-3-3 from the connections,
left and right, formed by outside back – interior midfielder –
winger. The Czech coach shows to his players all the solutions
available to the player with the ball. All the 4-3-3’s movements
are combos coming from the connection play. Take a look at
some examples:
Delio Rossi also starts from the basic connections, then he

switches to incorporating more players by adding the holding
midfielder, the playmaker, and the center forward and also
training the change of play by linking the left and right
connections.
This is important because, like Zeman said, the playmaker and the
center forward are the key players in a 4-3-3 system.
Zeman’s ideal playmaker must have confidence in the team,

understanding his teammates’ movements, and have the ability
to move the ball deep.
The forward movements are a key for the 4-3-3 offensive phase.
They have to be combined. A good solution is to have a forward
move to the ball while the others search for depth.
But if the opponents’ defensive line is high, all the forwards can
move in the same direction:
One of the problems with teaching the 4-3-3 offensive phase is

finding a way to train the interior midfielders to push forward in
support of the attack.
A drill to train the interior midfielders how to support the

forwards is to play a 5 vs. 5 match. The four player back line with
the playmaker in front of it plays against the three forwards and
the two interior midfielders that are supporting the forwards in
order to score. The defending team has to gain ball control and
move to the midfield line:
A good strategy could be to have the forwards, or two of them

and the flankers, change their positions to avoid giving the
opponent’s defense fixed targets.
Here are some examples regarding movement options for the

forwards:
Ball on the flank:
- the attacker nearest the ball comes towards the ball; the
others go downfield:
- after a counter movement, the forward nearest the ball

goes downfield; the center forward moves towards the
ball, the opposite forward occupies the central position:
- the winger cuts inside, the center forward comes to the

flank and the opposite winger goes deep:
Ball in the middle:
- the center forward comes towards the ball with the

wingers cutting deep:
- the center forward and a winger cross their routes with

the opposite wing going deep:
To teach this pattern, you can also use collective drills, those with
all 11 players deployed.
The first and foremost of these drills is the well-known 11 vs. 0,

which is used to teach offensive movements without opponents.
It’s clear that this kind of drill has to be done in the proper way.
The players must learn to run diagonal to the ball, to use their
bodies to defend the ball, and to gain field position.
The movements can be pre-ordained to acclimate the players

with the coach’s preferred solutions.
The team must be ready to play according to the coach’s

instructions, to create situations with the ball in the construction
zone, in the middle of the field, and on the last part of the field,
near the net…
The solutions must accommodate the players’ skills, the

opponents’ style of play, and the coach’s preferences.
Another drill is as follows:
In a pitch of 75x60 meters, with a smaller field inside the first one,
two teams play each other in a 4-3-3 formation. There are some
rules:
- the players can or can’t go inside the smaller field. For
example the wingers can’t go inside it on the offensive
phase but just on the defensive;
- some players have free touches inside the smaller field,
while others have a limited number of touches;
- the lone forwards can’t go inside, just the center backs;
they can go inside just in the defensive phase to obstruct
the opponents.
Some coaches like to add specific drills to reduce the amount of

players. In this case, a good one is an 8 vs. 4 drill including two
outside backs, three midfielders and three forwards against four
defenders:
Another good drill is to play 5 vs. 5 where the interior midfielders

and the attackers play against the four player back-line and the
holding midfielders. This drill is specific for training the interior
midfielders to support the attacking trio and to train the holding
midfielder to help the defensive back line:
Another drill is to play 8 vs. 8 with the rule that the players must
pass the ball with no backward passes and can only use diagonal
passes. The objective is to get to the net as soon as possible.
Another drill can be an 11 vs. 0 with the same rule.
In a pitch between the midfield line and the box, two teams play 9
vs. 9, first with the hands (but they can score with their feet with a
one-touch shot), then with the feet:
There are two other drills you can use. In a small pitch, two teams
play 7 vs. 7 with the hands but a goal is only valid if scored with a
one-touch shot with the feet:
To stress the search of depth, you can play 8 vs. 8 on a small pitch
with the rule that neither lateral nor back passes are allowed; the
ball has to be moved forward.
To train a 4-3-3 focus on ball control, there are some drills that can
be beneficial. On a small pitch, 40x40 meters, three teams play
an A and B vs. C team game. Two teams have control of the ball
and the third one tries to gain the ball. When the ball is lost, the
team that lost it plays against the other two teams.
In a square pitch, two teams of four players play a drill that

focuses on maintaining control of the ball using four players that
stay outside the field and play even with the team that has control
of the ball.
Use the same drill but with a neutral player inside the field playing
with one team, while the other team plays with the help of the
players outside the box. It’s a kind of 4+4 vs. 4+1.
Drills for the playmaker in front of the defense:
One key element in a 4-3-3 pattern is that the holding midfielder

or playmaker in front of the defense has to be trained to play
effectively in both the offensive and defensive phases. The team
has to be trained to utilize passes to the playmaker in order to
switch the field.
An important skill of the playmaker is to be able to turn his body

correctly to gain time with the ball and to build the right
synchronicity with his teammates. In fact, a playmaker that
wastes time to control the ball and turn his head in the right
direction, can negatively affect his team’s momentum.
It’s not important to have a playmaker with great technical skills,

but it’s necessary to have a playmaker that can make short passes
with precision and with no fear when managing the ball.
In the defensive phase, the playmaker has to be able to slide into

the defensive back line or to stay up depending on the coach’s
preferences. By the way, the playmaker has to play with the
defensive back four. For example, if the ball is open and the
coach wants his team to collapse back in those situations, the
playmaker also has to collapse back to prevent creating a big
space between the defensive and midfield lines.
Following is a basic drill you can use during warm-ups. In a pitch

of 10 by 10 meters, the playmaker stays in the middle while four
other players, defenders, midfielders and forwards, play outside
the field. The playmaker receives the ball and has to play in two
touches a simple forward pass to another player. The play is
continuous. This is a drill to train the playmaker to correctly direct
his body.
In a pitch built horizontally between the two penalty boxes, two

teams play against each other trying to score in two little goals.
The teams have to try to find the playmaker. We can add the rule
that the playmaker has to play side passes or that the goal is valid
only if the whole team is on the side where the goal is scored.
To train for timing and synchronicity between the players, a good

method is to use drills with six, seven, or nine players against zero.
During matches between two sides in a small pitch, a good

solution to train 4-3-3 tactics is to play 7 v 7 (1-3-3) and 9 v 9 (1-3-
2-3) games.
REFERENCES
Internet
www.zeman.org
www.calciatori.com
http://zonadepressao.blogspot.com
Conferences and interviews made by Zdenek Zeman during the

years.
Newspapers and magazines
Il Nuovo Calcio, Editoriale Sport Italia, Milano.
Corriere della Sera,
Corriere dello Sport,
The Guardian,
The Telegraph,
NY Times
O Jogo
A Bola
Record
Books
S. Marsiglia, Zeman, l’ultimo ribelle, Malatempora, Roma, 2005
G. Vialli, G. Marcotti, The Italian Job, Oscar Mondadori, Milano,

2007
The Coaching Philosophies of Louis Van Gaal and the Ajax Coaches
by Henny Kormelink and Tjeu Seeverens.
L'educazione dello spazio e del tempo nel sistema di gioco 1-4-3-

3 secondo la metodologia operativa, Raffaele Di Pasquale, 2011
The 1-4-3-3 formation, Soccer Federation Australia, Kelly Cross,

National Coach Education Manager
Principles of Brazilian SoccerGoncalves Thadeu

Editore: Cardinal Pub Group
Pubblicazione: 08/1998
O modelo de jogo enquanto referencial orientador da tomada de

decisão do jogador de futebol: estudo da congruência da transição
defesa-ataque da equipa de FC Porto a partir das perspectivas do
treinador Jesualdo Ferreira e do jogador Lucho González, FADEUP,
2009
António Dias
Importância, comportaplayerstos e operacionalização da transição

ataque-defesa no futebol inserida num contexto de jogo colectivo: a
perspectiva de treinadores da primeira liga, FADEUP, 2009
Fernando Festa
Caracterização da transição defesa-ataque de uma equipa de

sucesso no futebol contemporâneo : estudo de caso na equipa do
Manchester United F. C., FADEUP 2008
Pedro Nasciplayersto

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A Coach’s Guide to the 4-3-3

A Tactical Overview of the System

WORLD CLASS COACHING

First Printing April, 2012

WORLD CLASS COACHING

All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be

Edited by Tom Mura

Cover Design by P2 Creative

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 2 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 3 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

At the 1978 World Cup, the winning champions of Argentina were

Johan Cruyff was insistent on using a 4-3-3 formation, pointing

The increased utilization of 4-3-3 formations is due to the

“Look, if I have a triangle in the midfield – Claude Makelele behind

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 4 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

Makelele who is between the lines. If nobody comes to him, he

This is Josè Mourinho’s way of thinking. However, he once said

With many attackers able to play as a lone forward, the

This configuration gives a coach the ability to change the

The 4-3-3 formation provides the opportunity to run a pro-active

Every line is covered with almost 3 players.

the tactical organization. The configuration of the team, games,

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 6 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 7 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

Some coaches, such as Barcelona’s head coach Pep Guardiola,

Playing a high-tempo offensive style makes it harder to defend

The formation, with three forward up front, is an offensive choice.

The 4-3-3 is naturally suited to creating player triangles which

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 8 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

Teams that won matches or tournaments playing soccer with this

• Brazil National Team, winners 1962 FIFA World Cup

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 9 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

The defensive back line in a 4-3-3 formation is primarily

Central backs and outside backs obviously have different duties.

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 10 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 11 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

For him, the outside backs have to be ready to press forward to

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 12 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 13 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

Sometimes in the Zeman configuration, the outside back doesn’t

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 14 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

Very important is the work of the central trio of midfielders.

The central midfield trio is formed by a holding midfielder in front

The weakest point in a 4-3-3 formation is the wide zone between

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 15 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

midfielders and to create more turnovers in the central part of the

A key role is played by the central holding midfielder, lined up in

The holding midfield job can be assigned to three different kinds

- to a pure holding midfielder, such as Javier Mascherano;

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 16 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

They must be able to support the center forward in a way that

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 17 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

The forwards responsibilities are important in order to avoid

When a team faces overlapping backs, the wingers have to take

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 18 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

- attack 1 vs. 1 down the sideline;

- cut in with a slant move;

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 19 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

- play a combination with the center forward;

- play a long ball on the weak side;

©WORLD CLASS COACHING Page | 20 A Coach’s Guild to the 4-3-3

- play in combination with the overlapping back