This is a document I created back in 2014 when I was working with two young girls sides in Mexico. The ages were kind of a mix, but let's say they were U16s and U14s. Some new to football, some old to football but useless, some new with potential, and some old that were brilliant. So a real mixture of ability, intelligence, motivation, and experience. At times, we'd have to lean on our best players. Other teams were similar though, with the gap between their best and their worst players being quite a wide one. When you have to play everyone, put your strongest players in the positions that will hurt the opposition the most, and put your weaker players in positions that will mask their deficiencies.
For the five years prior to the creation of this piece, 4-2-3-1 had been all the rage among top sides. It's easy to implement as most players should understand it no problem. Depending on the way you play, you can adapt it to suit you. It's a bit of a cross between a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-3. Solid defensively, great for launching counter-attacks, and with a little bit of work, great for a possession team. The natural progression in football these days sees most of the top teams make the same kind of shapes when attacking and when defending. Formations, as the top coaches say, are irrelevant, and simply so that those watching on TV can understand where everyone is playing. And that's the thing about the 4-2-3-1, in that it easily changes into other systems depending upon where the ball is. With the two wing backs pushing up and the CDM holding, it can become a 3-4-3. In a counter, it turns into a 4-4-2. When defending, it can be a 4-5-1 or, 4-1-4-1, or 4-4-1-1. Most of the time it looks like a variant of a 4-3-3. Which is kind of the point these top managers are making. A 4-2-3-1 becomes whatever you want it to be, whenever you need it to be, based upon what players you have, the phase of the game, and how best to be effective against the opposition,
I've definitely refined it a lot over the years. That's only natural with the change of teams, change of player demands, compartmentalisation of new knowledge, and experiences of successes and failures. For example, I have more of false 9 rotation with the two wide players tucking in. Sometimes the 9 and 10 rotate, horizontally or vertically, which is something that may depend on the opposition. And with some players and some teams, it's more one holding than two holding. Two holding works like a pulley system, where one hunts and one holds. It gives them a rest, and it can be situational. In a lot of cases though, both tend to go forward, leaving the space in front of the two CBs to be unguarded, meaning that the RB and LB don't want to push up as we don't have enough defensive security. And suddenly we're playing with a flat back four and no holding midfielder, as opposed to a pivoté with two flying wing backs. I suppose that if you have a Busquets or playing of that ilk, you just designate him to do the job, rather than having it shared or rotated. One player to sit and shield. Then there's no "sorry mate, I thought you were going to cover me." It becomes clear whose responsibility that role is. So it becomes a 4-1-4-1, or a 4-3-3 with the point of the midfield triangle facing the defence.
A lot of the basis for my original ideas came from watching the Bundesliga, and also the German national team at the 2010 World Cup. Their counter was frightening. It clearly worked well on Australia, England, and Argentina, as they scored four past those teams. My ideas were also honed by this book by Massimo Lucchesi, who is a great tactical writer, author of many books.
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| I worked on it with these idiots. |
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| And these idiots. |
Become available to receive
passes to feet from the defenders.
Distribute the ball quickly and safely to players in good spaces.
No long kicks to the opposition. Look for players in the wide areas, those in space, spaces where we can penetrate, or areas on the field where we have a numerical advantage.
Be quick to come out of the goal and collect any through passes before the attacker meets the ball.
Come out of the penalty area, pushing up the field, as the team attacks and goes deeper into opposition territory.
Distribute the ball quickly and safely to players in good spaces.
No long kicks to the opposition. Look for players in the wide areas, those in space, spaces where we can penetrate, or areas on the field where we have a numerical advantage.
Be quick to come out of the goal and collect any through passes before the attacker meets the ball.
Come out of the penalty area, pushing up the field, as the team attacks and goes deeper into opposition territory.
Join in with the attack, moving forward as
the team does.
Look for overlaps and other combinations
with the midfielder in front of you.
Put crosses into the box when the
opportunity calls for it.
Form a bowl shape with the rest of the
defence when balanced and in possession.
Support teammates and goalkeeper, finding
space wide to receive the ball.
Listen to instructions from the GK and CBs
in regards to pushing up or dropping as a unit, waiting for the call to spring
the offside trap.
Carry the ball forward when there is space
to run into.
Press as a unit, communicating with
teammates.
Recovery runs behind the defence when out
of balance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqJ9u2-hPN4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwMlKgv_2kA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM2D6po1rpE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRrNX4s2r7Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM2D6po1rpE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRrNX4s2r7Y
Centre Back CB:
Be strong and commanding.
Win aerial challenges, intercept passes,
steal the ball from the opposition.
Communicate and instruct teammates,
especially the defensive line to move up and drop when appropriate.
Always be available to receive the ball
from players in order to recycle possession when the team can’t play forward.
Split, using width and depth between the
pair of CBs to create lots of space, allowing the wide defenders to push up and
join in with the attack.
One defender is allowed to go forward and
join in with the attack for attacking set-pieces, as long as we always have
three defenders at the back.
Enforce that the back line remains
together, and that no one drops behind, playing the opponents onside.
When a player receives the ball with their
back to goal, press them immediately and do not allow them to turn or to play
forward.
Act as the shield in front of the defence.
Do not go searching for the ball in wide
areas. Remain central, compact, and the line in front of the back four.
When attacking, one CDM is allowed to move
forward and join in with the attack.
After one CDM goes forward to attack, the
partner needs to drop and stay just in front of the CBs. This allows the wide
defenders to push forward by providing sufficient cover, with the magic number
of three.
Be an anchor for the team, allowing for
them to pass the ball through you to switch the play.
Look to release the ball to other players
in space, sometimes playing penetrating passes to the back of the opposition
defence.
Right/Left
Attacking Midfielder RAM/LAM:
Make runs behind the defence to receive the
ball.
Run with the ball at defenders.
Execute different types of crosses into the
box for the forwards to attack.
When in possession, move out far to the
touchline in order to receive the ball, and also creating space for teammates to
exploit.
Try to get into shooting positions when
central with the ball.
When with the ball and outnumbered in the
corner, hold and protect the ball until help arrives.
Look for combinations with the wide
defender on your side.
Switch play with a long pass when there are
gaps in the defence on the far side.
Come back and help the defence, making
recovery runs, and double teaming with defenders.
Press the defence. Immediately press them
when there is confusion, panic, a bad pass, bad control, or they are facing
their own goal.
When the keeper has the ball at their feet,
block off passing lanes to the wide players, while the CAM and CF press the
keeper or players with the ball.
Run with the ball at defenders.
Elicit link up play between all attacking
players.
Come deep to receive the ball.
When out of possession, get behind the ball
with the rest of the team to help defend.
Press the opposition defence with the CF,
RAM and LAM, attempting to regain possession as near to their goal as possible.
Press together, and insist that teammates
come with you.
Get into good shooting positions.
Dictate the play from a central position,
passing the ball to the left and the right, attempting to exploit overloads.
Centre Forward CF:
Avoid coming deep to receive the ball.
Look to find space along the opponent’s
defensive line.
Push at the last defender with off the ball
runs.
Play on the last man.
Look to receive the ball behind and in
between the defenders.
Use link up play with the midfield, aiming
to drag defenders out of position and get more teammates forward.
Spin off defenders after dragging them out
of position in order to receive the ball behind them.
Bend runs to stay onside.
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| Happy times in sunny Mexico. |
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| Vamos Reforma! |
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| They were only happy because, on my last day, the parents cancelled training and brought cake instead. |
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