4-3-3 - it's Successes and Failings

The Football Front’s tactical expert Itsaballnotabomb evaluates the 4-3-3 system and its strengths and weaknesses.

The 4-3-3 has shot to fame recently. It was made famous by the Dutch sides of the 70’s and is synonymous with Total football, which was created in that period.

For a 4-3-3 to be effective each player must control his zone. Zonal marking is used for all positions, as it makes it easier to press effectively. The only time zonal marking isn’t used is when the ball is about to be put in the box, at this point the marking switches to man marking for obvious reasons.

There are many ways in which a 4-3-3 can be used because of its flexibility. Some sides such as Bolton under Sam Allardyce used it as a counter-attacking formation. The back 4 generally would stay back while the wingers would try to play off the target man striker, normally Kevin Davies. The wingers would also provide service to the target man through crosses. The wingers though would play more like wide midfielders and would happily track back into their own half, much like Mourinho’s Chelsea.

Another way it can be used is in a very attacking sense. Here, the wingers would normally stay forward with the striker. All 3 midfielders may also have the license to make forward runs and try and support the attacking trio. If the wingers are pushing more centrally, or playing as inverted forwards, this will often mean that the full backs will push high up the pitch and become wingers themselves. A great example of this is Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo last season, Marcelo's runs forward allowed Ronaldo to cut in on his right foot to great effect for Real Madrid.

With the front three it also makes pressing high up the pitch easier than with a 4-4-2 formation, purely because the 4-3-3 formation is naturally further forward than a 4-4-2. A great example of pressing is the Dutch side in the 1974 World Cup, although this would be hard to recreate now due to the change of the offside law. When pressing, the side will try to force the team inside as this is where the 4-3-3 has a numerical advantage; it will also stop a long ball straight up one of the flanks which can be potentially devastating as the full back can get out numbered if the midfield is not quick enough to cover.

At all times in the 4-3-3 one of the midfielders will sit in front of the defence to form a defensive triangle and a midfield triangle. Defensively this is a very solid formation and can be hard to break down as each position is well covered by another player. The midfield diamond also allows a side to keep possession easily, especially if there is a numerical advantage in midfield. A great example of this in recent times is Barcelona. The midfield switches positions and rotates, constantly making space for a pass, Messi also joins in from his traditional striking position and adds another man to the midfield, making it even easier to maintain possession. This is especially effective against teams who play two in the middle. (see diagram above.)

A weakness of the 4-3-3 is the demands that it puts on the side. If a side is not well drilled it can be easily picked apart, especially if the pressing is poor. The flanks can also be easily exposed by a cross field ball as it can leave a 2 on 1 situation with the fullback and opposition winger. But this can be reduced if the winger is prepared to track back and follow the full back. But the flip side of this is that it can make the striker isolated.

The striker in this formation has a very demanding role as well. Not only has he got the responsibility of scoring goals but the striker also needs to be able to hold the ball up. The striker also needs the technical proficiency to drop into the midfield and then have the ability to pick a pass. More crucially, if the centre forward does not link the midfield with the attack the side can become predictable and very easy to defend against. Arsene Wenger found this out a couple of seasons ago when Robin Van Persie got injured. A good number 10 needs to have all the attributes needed to play up front in a 4-3-3. Unfortunately for Wenger he had no replacement for the striker and Arsenal's goal scoring and form dipped considerably.

All in all, the 4-3-3 can be a very attacking or defensive formation and its flexibility is one of the reasons why it's gaining more popularity in recent times. However, the high demands on the players and the technical ability needed, can often mean that lesser sides struggle to get success from the 4-3-3.

This article was written by Itsaballnotabomb, you can follow him on Twitter at - @ballnotabomb

You can find more of his work on his blog – itsaballnotabomb.wordpress.com

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The Contemporary 4-2-3-1 and its modern popularity

England’s new 4-3-3 system, the platform for English success? – Part Two

Andrea Pirlo – A true legend of the game

There is current wave of euphoria in the red half of the great City of Milan this summer. The fans of the Rossoneri are currently basking in the glory of their clubs first Scudetto since 2004. Their most famous fan Silvio Berlusconi will of course be buoyed by this joyous season and will carry a great big Colgate smile into his campaign for re-election as Italy’s Prime minister. As we all know when Silvio Berlusconi smiles the sun shines in Italy.

However in AC Milan’s final training session of the season there was an air of sadness. Tears were being shed all round by the new Champions of Italy.

When grown men such as Filippo Inzaghi and Gennaro Gattuso are wiping their moist eyes it is for a very good reason. The reason is the training session was also a fair well to Andrea Pirlo. He announced his departure from the San Siro on the 18^th of May and we now know he will join Juventus. His team mates applauded him, they were all itching to hug him and console the man who had been such a leader for them on the pitch. Inzaghi threw a comforting arm around his team mate and walked with him as he left the training pitch for the last time, sobbing into his hand as he did it.

There was no doubt it was an emotional day in the Milan camp. The departure of Andrea Pirlo signals a new beginning for AC Milan and draws the curtain on an era which saw the Rossoneri reach 3 Champions League finals in 5 years becoming European Champions twice. Today is very much the day of Barcelona, they are the new dynasty of Europe. They are the side that we all admire and are never surprised to see in the Champions League final.

From the 2002/03 season to the 2006/07 season however, that team was AC Milan. Whilst the strikers in that time changed frequently featuring the likes of Shevchenko, Crespo, Inzaghi and Tomasson the midfield was consistent throughout. Milan adopted a diamond shape with Gattuso as the aggressive holding midfielder, Seedorf the smooth passer that would use his wit to beat many a defender. Kaka at the head behind the strikers, running at defenders and scoring goals that will live in the memory forever and of course the man who pulled the strings of everything Milan did: Andrea Pirlo.

Pirlo symbolised the Milan side of this time, passing the ball round with seeming ease, always finding a team mate and jogging about the pitch as if he owned it. As all great midfielders do, he chipped in with a goal every now and then. Often from a dead ball situation, he was the master at scoring a free kick to the left of the box between 20 and 25 yards from the goal. Pirlo was what Xavi is for Barcelona right now. The Italian’s stats indicate this too.

During the 02/03 season, in which AC Milan won the Champions League. Pirlo completed an amazing 2093 passes. A stat which averages 90 successful passes per game. In the season of their next European triumph (06/07) Pirlo spent a staggering 2782 minutes on the pitch, the most of any Milan player that season. That along with the 32 goals in 284 appearances earned Andrea the nick name: The Metronome.

Now at the tender age of 32 and with the emergence of a new generation of Milan midfielders (the likes of Flamini, Boateng, Van Bommel etc.) Andrea has called it a day with the side he joined in 2001. It has been a magnificent 10 years which will earn him his place in Milan folklore along with the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Marko Van Basten, Cesare and Paolo Maldini, Frank Rijkaard and Filippo Inzaghi.

The term ‘legend of the game’ may be thrown about a little too much these days. But I very much doubt anybody will disagree with you when using the term with Andrea Pirlo.

Juventus, you don’t know how lucky you are.

by Kevin Leonard, you can follow him on his Twitter - @megatronSTALIN, Kevin regularly writes for Away Goals too.

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Why Barcelona must win the Champions League on Saturday

To many football fans, Barcelona have been the best team on the planet by far. They have out played, out scored and mastered their opponents. It is no surprise that this special Barcelona side find themselves in yet another Champions League final.

The trophies Barcelona have accumulated in the past few seasons symbolise the level of dominance this team possess. In the past three seasons, they have consecutively won the La Liga. This is an incredibly impressive feat, especially since Real Madrid spend millions each year.

Furthermore, Barcelona have some of the best players in the world at their disposal. In this season’s Ballon d’Or, three of Barcelona players made the top three. Messi won the award, with Iniesta as the runner up, and Xavi in third place. This demonstrates the world class nature within the Barcelona’s squad.

Along with this, many of the Barcelona side have already won the Champions League and have even won the World Cup. In fact, eight Barcelona’s players have won the World Cup. This proves not only have some of the team members dominated club football, they have conquered international football too.

Some argue, the 5-0 hammering of Real Madrid in November, was proof that this team is one of the greatest 11 to ever grace a football pitch. This is debatable. But at the same time, one could thoroughly agree with this statement. After all, Barcelona dispatched some of the world’s toughest opponents with ease.

But if Barcelona want to cement the notion that they are the greatest ever, they have to win even more European silverware. This will prove that not only did the team dominate domestically, they dominated internationally, and the trophies in the cabinet prove it.

To be fair, Barcelona have been relatively successful in Europe in the past few years. This cannot be denied. After all, it was only two years ago since the team last picked up the European cup. But if this Barcelona side want to be the standout side of this era, they need even more European Cups. They need to be a band apart from their current rivals.

At the moment, Barcelona have only won three European Cup’s in their history. If this great Barcelona side want to prove their significance and dominance they need to join the elite European Clubs. The likes of Liverpool, AC Milan and Real Madrid: teams who have won the European Cup 5 times or more. The winning Champions League sides of Milan, Madrid and Liverpool are remembered because their great teams left an international legacy. Barcelona must leave an international legacy too.

It’s fair to say Barcelona are going through their glory days. They have unbelievable talent at their disposal and are winning major trophies yearly. But international dominance is incredibly hard to sustain. It takes a seriously great team to maintain European dominance. It’s no surprise it’s been 22 years since a team retained their European Cup.

But this gives even more ammunition to why Barcelona must capitalise on their current glory. It is incredibly tough to continually defend and challenge for the European cup. If Barcelona can capitalise on their European success, they will easily be viewed as one of the greatest teams ever.

Barcelona is a special club. They have the players, the fan base, the manager, the lovely football strategy. But if they are to bolster the notion that they are the greatest team ever, they must reinforce their dominance onto Europe more consistently.

This current Barcelona team needs to make this club an elite member of European Football.

They need sustain their dominance and put this club on par with Madrid, Liverpool and Milan.

Saturday the 28^th of May provides a great opportunity for this great Barcelona side to further reinforce their legacy.

History will tell you, European dominance is only for the greatest teams.

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