Establishing a tactical training beforehand is not the real solution for the development of children. Player to 10/11 years should not be influenced tactically in order to allow them to develop a natural instinct of play. A good coach adjusts his game tactics in relation to the capacity of its players. In the regional football you can appreciate the parody that organize some coaches with a 1-4-3-3 formation. The ball moves from the base line (Fig 1) up to the 3 front players untouched by the 3 mfd. It would be interesting that the coaches understand that this tactic should not be played vertically. (Kick n' pray) Regardless of the player's age is essentially the control of the ball. More than the elementary tactics is the communication between players with the ball. The ability of controlling the ball gives you the ability of controlling the game. Whatever your tactic may be.


What do you think about the FourFourTwo blog Pros and Cons of the 1- 4-3-3 System of Play?
The National Curriculum is much more than a system of play. It is method of teaching modern football and moves us away from "wrestle ball" and "kick and chase". The NC has mandated that all our youth ...

Have your say.

I will put my 2 cents in before people try and over complicate things. Just a simple con I have found with it.

When using this with younger sides, playing 4-3-3 increases the chances of cheating from the wide men. They can sometimes think that because they are a part of a front 3, they think they are strikers and fail to track back and tuck in.

If the players have the tactical awareness and are willing to work, this works otherwise teams can be exposed big time.

Constantly reminding wing forwards to do this job is one of the most common coaching points.ie recovery back and tuck in to make a compact 4-5-1. I name the forwards as wing forwards and centre forwards to help (not strikers). Every player must have well defined "jobs" in defence and attack.

Busbybabe..Try to encourage the player to be goal-side of the ball then playing with him when in possession of it.
One of the clear reasons why they remain at the forefront is because defenders tend to play long. This is a coaching problem. You can not expect players to trackback n' tuck-in then run 30 yards to get 2 the ball because the coach wants 2 play vertical n' in the opposition' half :-(

Hardly rocket science, is it boys.

That said, there remains an unhealthy obsession amongst new dawn coaches to rely exclusively on some mandated paper formation for junior player dev. What a croc.

I think one of the most difficult things here is to actually preserve the attacking capability of the system. We play it from time to time in an u16 side with a wide skill gap between the top players & the lower ones, & it seems to me that any player deficiencies in the midfield or backs, tends to have the effect of drawing the wide forwards back all the time, leaving your central attacker isolated & waiting for help to arrive. You end up with a defensive system rather than an attacking one.

So the how, when & why questions you raised, are the key. How to respond when a certain situation occurs, where the responsibilities lie etc etc

Yep, a common prob at many levels.

This scenario invites oppo back four to push forward.

Twin striker system, playing no more than 20m apart, is generally a safer bet. Particularly at amateur level.

i agree that is this scenario you need very capable,committed and fit wide midfielders to operate succesfully, and you comment re breaking through the centre is spot on.......

the 4231 is best against the lump and leggit 442 who play narrow and whose back 4 never go past the halfway line.

Out of interest guys to any coaches out there can anyone explain to me the purpose of the number 10 in the 4-3-3 system, what its purpose of the number 10 in the system is it the playmaker? or has a different purpose anyone knows?

I believe it depends on the team and the dynamics of the players with in the team.
Messi is barca's present #10 but he is not only a playmaker he is also a finisher.
Personally (leaving my self wide open) I liked Ronaldinho as a #10 but that’s football.

Yeah it comes down to personal opinion at the end of the day...

I think a true #10 has some major character traits. Rohnaldino and pele had them and another similarity was that they always looked like they where smiling.

The purpose of the number 10 in the basic 1-4-3-3 system is:
- A play maker in the traditional sense who makes things “happen” in and around zone 14 eg. Zidane
- Support play and play off the centre forward
- Must be available for the pass forward option
- Ball distribution
- Attack on goal
- Create checking runs to draw central defenders in front 1/3 (zone 14)

Generally this player is technically and tactically gifted. However the role of the number 10 is now changing. We now have wide players who cut inside performing number 10 roles. Eg Ronaldo, Messi. It is all changing, as is formation, hence my comments on the total footballer in earlier blogs. Please read the following links for an in depth analysis of what is occurring in modern football.

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/03/26/trequartista-engance-classic-no-10sstruggle/

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/07/30/central-midfield-role/

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/12/03/introducing-the-central-winger/

Last night I was at a game.

One of our local premier league coaches was complaining how difficult it was for his team to play a 4-3-3, particularly with the absence of effective wingers.

He said he was happy with a 4-4-2 with a 1:3 formation in midfield ATM. He has a former Matilda in the team too. They won the state senior title a two seasons ago.

I have close contact with this club. I would be happy to take them through the incremental stages of playing the 4-3-3 on the training ground. The only problem is that I have a relative who plays in the team, who wouldn't want me instructing players how to play the 4-3-3. Last year I passed on advice via correspondence. I really needed to be on the training track though.

Of course I'm biased towards 4-3-3, because I've been trained in 4-3-3, the variations in midfield and defensive line, and its nuances, 4-2-3-1, 4-5-1, etc.

If it is difficult for a team like this to learn the triangles in midfield, with some adult footballers who work in professions, then it must be very difficult for some young players and coaches too, without thorough education of coaches.

Many local coaches are still avoiding 4-3-3 at senior level in the northern and southern premier leagues. The coaches are not confident with the system.

Of course any formation depends on a team holding its shape. Any team at some time can lose its shape. A team playing a flat 4-4-2 in midfield and always holding its shape, is more effective than a team playing a 4-3-3 and frequently losing its shape.

I felt that when I had an under 12 rep team playing and holding the 4-3-3, with one defensive midfielder, it presented problems for the opposition, all playing 4-4-2s. I also think it helped just having one defensive midfielder able to position the two attacking mids in front of DM.

KNVB strongly believes in the defensive players coaching/advising players in more advanced positions, with each line assisting/mentoring the more advanced line in front of it.





Edited by Decentric: 16/6/2011 09:14:28 PM

Wesley Schneijder plays this for the Netherlands as the attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3.

Sometimes i think it maybe easier because o no preconceived ideas.

Nice to see some intelligent comments. Seeing some Premier League teams (North and South) playing basic 4-4-2 with a sweeper at times amazes me. (from personal experience)

Coaches often complain about their players. It is 50, 50. In the end the coach takes responsiblity for how the team performs. The only way players learn (adult or children) is to put on sessions that are game related. Deccentric spot on with giving sessions based on formation and triangualtions. I will relate my experiences with formation training from SSGs to half field games in latter blogs.

Because of a lack of knowledge all humans revert to what they feel comfortable with. They then complain when the outcomes are the same. Insanity!

Recently I prepared to instruct the Youth Community Licence. There is nothing in the content on how to play 1-4-3-3 even in its most basic form. I will spend some time with these coaches givining them the basics so that they feel at least comfortable with giving it a go.

Gregory, I've asked a question about the skip, when receiving the ball in your thread about the coaching under 9s.

I hope to see a response there. I really enjoyed that article you wrote.

Again, I think that depends on the players you have. You may not have the kind of incisive passer with brilliant skills, but you may have a hard running midfielder with an eye for goal (like a Tim Cahill). So you can still play him behind the striker in a 4-3-3, and rely on the creativity of your wide players. I'd say if you play a 4-2-3-1 you'd want your #10 to be more creative than that.

I've said it elsewhere, but in case you missed it, welcome to the 442 forum, Thupercoach.

:d

I'm not sure where Cahill is best deployed in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 to be honest. He doesn't engage in build up play consistently enough. He doesn't defend from the front consistently enough either.

Cahill just happens to be brilliant at scoring goals.

If anyone has been watching the women's World Cup, they are certainly playing the 4-3-3 well.

If one looks past the women's inferior technique and speed compared to men, focus on the system and mode of play.

Tom Sermanni has coached well.

Yes there is some poor technique and tactical decisions, but this happens in the mens as well. I have great respect for womens football and the improvement is visible year by year.

Sermanni has been coaching the women for some time now. Are there any new talented up and coming coaches out there ready to take over?

Doubt it actually, but maybe his assitants could in time? Frankly I would be happy with Tom being around for another 10-15 years.

On the topic of 4-3-3, Dean May has our NTC team playing some nice 4-3-3 in the men's senior split state league reserves competition.

They play a compact formation. There is good distancing between and within the lines. The formation is always easily identifible against the calibre of opposition they encounter in the reserves league. The NTC play the 4-3-3 with the two screener and one attacking midfielder triangle system in midfield.

The 4-3-3 midfield triangle with two screeners and one attacking midfielder.


...X................X...............X.................X.....

................X........................X

............................X

....X.......................X.........................X


When defending they often revert to a 4-2-3-1.

4-2-3-1

...X................X...............X.................X.....

................X........................X

.....X.....................X......................X

...........................X......


Sometimes in attack the attacking midfielder pushes up to the apex of the attack with the target striker. This creates a 4-2-4 as the two screeners push up higher to keep the formation compact.

When watching the state league seniors competition the ball is constantly in transition. Teams are forever fighting each other to control the ball. Pass sequences above three are not common enough.

When the NTC plays , under the tutelage of Dean May, originally from Queensland, and England prior to that, it is easy to see the four main moments of play. Possession of the ball, when the other team has possession of the ball, the defensive transition and the attacking transition.

The NTC plays through the midfield in neat triangles. It is aestheticaly pleasing to watch.

[

Edited by Decentric: 21/7/2011 10:51:30 PM

The 4-2-3-1 system solves some of the problems of defending in wide areas. The centre forward role changes somewhat in that he could be permitted to play wide as times on the ball side whilst pushing other players forward. To assist in possession and safety if possession is lost, the two holders play in a staggered formation.

Triangulation in general, creates passing options, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th (the key to possession). Using a "bounce ball" will create space and other passing options as defenders are drawn in. These concepts are trained in positonal games during the formative years.

What is the 'bounce ball' concept, Gregory?

A "bounce ball" is a one touch back pass. My clumsy term. As a ball is played into an attacker in "tight areas", defenders will move toward the ball creating new attacking space. The ball is "bounced back" (4th passing option) and played into "new space" created with 3rd man running concepts or switch of play.

I think the 'bounce ball' phrase is fine as a one touch back pass in those tight areas.

I might even use it myself on the training track.


What do you mean by 3rd man running concepts? I assume it may be a specific phrase for opening a passing lane in triangles or diamonds.

By two holders do you mean the two screeners in the midfield triangle, or the two wide players as holders in the 4-2-3-1 formation?

Is there any way you can demonstrate using the simplistic diagrams I've used before? You may be able to cut and paste.