The 4-3-3 Formation Tactics Explained | Formation Principles #3

By far my most requested video on this channel with a total of two comments. In today's video we will see the 433 and why it has been one of the most used

formation

s during the last decades. The 433 has been used by some. of the best clubs in the history of football, from Louis van Gaal's IX in 1995 to Pep Guardiola's Barcelona in 2009 and passing through Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in 2019, it has been one of the best defensive

formation

s for decades and in the modern game many big clubs are still using it, Manchester City are running away with the title having lost just one game when playing a 4-3-3 last season, champions Liverpool are not having the best season, but their performances last season with these formations were some of the best in recent history.

PSG leads the league on goal difference and their incredible offensive statistics are an example of how lethal the 4-3 can be. -3 and finally Barcelona is currently in second place and has not yet lost a game when they line up at 4. -3-3 and little by little they are closing the gap with Atlético de Madrid. To get the most out of this formation, many specific players are needed, so let's take a look at each player's roles within the 4-3-3, first. The goalkeeper must be an excellent ball player, as this formation will require the team to develop play from the back and, as a result, we will need to be able to choose a pass when we are under pressure from the opposing forward.

Andrea Tustagen from Barcelona is an excellent player. example of this, able to support the first phase of Barcelona's attack and select players with precise passes, the center backs must also be excellent ball players, able to move the ball up under pressure and select a pass to midfield to break the first goal offensive pressure line will sometimes also need to have good precision on long passes to find wingers or forwards if the opposing defense is not set up properly; The most important thing is that they must be excellent defenders with a strong physical presence and good aerial control since in opponents' counterattacks they will be asked to close down the forwards and not give them space to play this season.

The defensive partnership of Stones and Diaz and Manchester City have been outstanding with the team's best pass completion stats and by far the clearest being 90. Next, the full-backs need to be athletic and help support the attack and defense throughout the game. Unlike a 3-man lineup, the full-backs have a much more important defensive role with a 4-3-3 and will need to have a good understanding with their teammate on the other flank by adapting to each other's position, for example if the left back has pushed up to support the attack, so it is common for the right back to move inside and support the defensive line last season.

Between Trent Alexander Arnold and Robertson he was one of the best in Europe with 25 assists between them and also helped Liverpool achieve the league's best defensive record in midfield. Three is where we can start to see the major differences in how the teams line up. Depending on the players they have at their disposal, it can vary from a flat three, a triangle with two defensive midfielders and one offensive midfielder, and a triangle with one defensive and two offensive players. All three midfielders must have excellent passing accuracy and the ability to pick out players. Between the lines they will need to support the defense during the build-up and pick out the forwards in attack with late runs towards the edge of the area or with precise passes.

The three-man midfield is generally assigned three roles: the defender, the controller and the creator, the defender, is the defensive midfielder who protects the four defenders, the controller sets the pace of the game and can be considered a defensive midfielder. area by area and finally the creator links the midfield with the forwards in front of him, usually creating the most opportunities. For the team, this is extremely evident in Manchester City's three midfielders this season, an excellent CDM in Rodrigo, a great controller in Gundagan and one of the best creators in the world in Kevin de Bruyne, currently with the second most assists in the league, finally all three.

Forwards are the key to all offensive success in the 4-3-3. Firstly, the wingers will need to be excellent dribblers and be extremely fast, which will allow them to excel in 1v1 situations. They will need to have a good understanding with the forward but also with the rest. The backs, whether cutting inside to give the fullback space or staying wide and allowing overlap, the forward in the 433 can vary greatly depending on the coach's

tactics

. In some teams, they rely on a strong goal to catch long balls and play with the wingers behind or to get on the end of any crosses into the box, while in other teams the centre-forward is much more dynamic, often playing as a false nine and frees up the area for the wingers to move with a strong aim. man we can see this with antoine griezmann in barcelona with messi and dembélé looking for the lay-off or crossing the ball to griezmann for a headed goal with a false nine we can see this in psg with keane falling short and freeing up space for umbape and di maria to move, so 433 will not work for everyone and requires the team to make excellent passes and be able to move the ball through tight spaces.

Now let's examine this further by taking a look at the top attack threats. that it possesses before looking at the main attack dynamics, there are two key words that you should keep in mind when talking about the 433. The first word is triangles. Just by looking at the basic shape of a 433 you can see how many triangles it has. creates there are triangles in defense there are triangles in midfield and there are triangles in attack by dividing the field horizontally we see that these shapes provide excellent coverage throughout the field which helps the team to move the ball up the field acting as a A kind of ladder from one zone to the next and by dividing the field vertically we can see that this formation will always have players in key positions, such as the half spaces with at least two players in each of the five zones.

Triangles are a fantastic way to avoid opposing players as a player receiving the ball will always have at least two options available. The second word to keep in mind is interchangeability, although I'm not sure if it's a word, I'm sure of the importance this plays within training. For the 433 to actually be used effectively it requires the team to constantly move and cover the runs of other teammates, for example if the back pushes up then the cdm will move outwards to cover any defensive hulls , if the winger moves inside then your central attacking midfielder can move towards the wing to stretch the opponent the constant movement and positional changes are what really makes this formation effective.

Now let's move on to the main attacking dynamics, since with all modern

tactics

, 433 is at its best when building play from the backline. Compared to other popular formations in the modern game, the 433 is a narrower and more direct formation and will attempt to create passing lanes through the midfield to reach the forward at the start of play. If the opponent is putting pressure on the two centre-backs, then the CDM can fall between them. and help move the ball since if the rival midfielder now presses with a forward three, he will be outnumbered in the midfield or if the CDN remains a little higher up the field, one of the full-backs can drop next to the center backs to create a 3 on 2 situation. and overcome the first offensive line, the most important task for the midfield is to move the ball quickly against the 442, the 433 will always outnumber the 2 in the midfield and force the opposing wingers to assist the two central halves, subsequently freeing up the wing for Full-backs moving to the three midfielders should also aim to be in staggered lines and create triangular passing options, given the importance of the three midfielders, it is vital that they are in constant movement and moving towards high areas of the field.

Let's take a look at some. of the movements that are common with the ball moving outwards towards the full-backs, from here the winger could come up short to drag the opposition full-back out of his position, freeing up space for the centre-half to move. By doing this the team can create an overload on the wing and will also free up the center for the striker to drop deep and pass the ball to the midfielder from box to box or even to the other winger cutting inside. Another example could see the winger move into the half-space and with the full-back unloading the ball into the overlapping midfield on the wing and stretching out the four opposition defenders, the 4-3 is also an excellent formation to leave space on the opposition wing.

The term tikitaka is not only a fancy word used to describe complex passes but it is also a fantastic tactic that forces the opposition to commit more and more players to stop movement on the wing and by doing this we will usually free up space on the other flank. for a quick change of play, whether the winger or the back can find themselves. In a 1v1 situation, further up the pitch as you enter the final third, this is where the Boxster box midfielder and central attacking midfielder have a big impact on your attacking creativity, the attacking center will usually move from one back and forth to support the transition phase before providing. precise passes behind whilst the box to box midfielder can act as a back pass if necessary if there is little room to move when entering the opposition box it is common for the 433 to have an incredible amount of attacking players available for the front three They will occupy the area, the two midfielders will be used as support on each flank and the width will usually be provided by one of the two full-backs, while the other will often move further up the pitch and add to their defensive numbers with the inverted backing we see continuation.

Pep Guardiola is an excellent example of this. This final position leaves many options available for the team to exploit. The full-back could cut the flank and cross towards the striker or he could choose to leave the ball to one of the attempting centre-backs. some quick overlaps and two passing plays or even making an effort from outside the box, as many creative pitches are capable of doing this from this position. The advantages of this formation is that the attacking threats it possesses in the final third cannot always be structured. or analyzed and can be created by a moment of individual genius on the part of one of the players, which makes it extremely difficult to defend now, although it compromises many players in the attack, it is still a very reliable defensive alignment, as we saw in the final.

Thirdly, there may be many players pushing the opponent's defensive line, but the 433 is still able to maintain its defensive shape, usually with the two centre-backs as the holding center and sometimes one of the full-backs. These three or four players are usually enough to close. bringing down the opposing team's forward and winning loose balls and as a result, the 433 is an excellent formation for pinning teams down and putting pressure high up the pitch. No formation embodies high pressing better than iax's 433 in 1995 to Liverpool in 2019. This lineup is excellent for regaining possession early and easing any attacking threat with the ball in the goalkeeper's possession.

The striker will usually close the space and force the goalkeeper to go in one direction with the ball moving towards the central defenders. One of the central midfielders can press. the other central defender and the winger will cover the full-back; In this case, the CDM will cover the attacking midfielder who has moved up and try to block any passing lane towards the middle of the field by blocking the team in a specific area that forces the opponents to think quickly or go long, which It can often lead to an error and help the team lose possession frequently and when the team is able to regain possession, the player in possession of the ball will immediately have players around him to help him start his attack if the opponent is able to break the press, then the 4-3-3 will normally change to a 4-5-1 or 4-1-4-1 formation.

The wingers will be positioned next to the midfielders and together we will try to press. playing wide Another advantage of this formation is that having three midfielders will create a lot of congestion in the middle of the field, making it difficult for teams to make substantial plays on the edge of the area and, as a result, try to attack on the flanks, where it is easier to defend as they can use the touchline as additional defense in the final third. The two center backs will have the task of clearing the headers and the three midfielders will try to collectthe loose balls to start their game.

Attack phase and potentially hit teams on the counterattack. Teams in a 433 can sometimes choose to defend with seven players and the three attackers can remain high up the pitch as if they defend effectively this can immediately create a counter-attacking opportunity. and put the opponent on the defensive as with all formations, the 433 is excellent when all parts move together and the team works as a unit; However, if this unit breaks down, it may be vulnerable to some specific attacking moves first if the While the midfield will always have good cover, the flanks can often be exposed to balls. on the midfield line and in the spaces behind defenders;

Secondly, this formation requires constant work from the central midfielders and will require excellent stamina and a fantastic work rate to support the team if the opponent is able to shut them down effectively and not give them any space then the 433 will have no attacking power and will have difficulty getting the ball into the final third. Finally, another problem that this formation can bring is if the wingers do not drop back while it is a. Players with an excellent attacking formation can often get stuck in this mentality of constantly attacking and can often find themselves too reluctant to carry out their defensive tasks. .

In a scenario like this, it would be too easy for the opponent to be in a 2v1 situation and throw balls. In the box, to summarize, the 433 is an excellent offensive formation for teams that like to move the ball quickly and attack with high numbers. The natural shape of this formation allows players to always have a passing option available and exploit spaces in the opponent's backline. while having a strong defensive backbone to rely on now, although 433 seems to have lost some of its popularity to other formations such as 4231 or 343, it will definitely remain one of the most used formations for years to come. .

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