3-4-3

The 3-4-3 (Dutch style or North Carolina 3-4-3-1) formation is perhaps the most offensively concerned start up formation. It's used against teams that are expected to play with a strong defense, or in cases when several goals are needed. The positions are basically the same as in other startups. The only difference might be that the outside forwards need to make runs to the corners, since the outside midfielders are rather busy with defensive jobs.

Semi Flat Back 1-3-4-3 (Theory)
Anson Dorrance
Head Coach, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Choosing a System

How did you choose your system?
- No historical precedent for a national system of play here in the United States
- No nationally consistent weather condition to dictate one style of play
Did you follow the traditional coaching school recommendation?
- Select a system that best suited your talent
Or did you do what most of us do
- You picked a system that you were most familiar with or the one you are most comfortable coaching

Can Systems Develop Players

If so should that not be a criterion for selecting a system?
Most of us are in the player development business
Many systems allow players to hide offensively defensively or both
Are there any gender differences that would encourage one system over another?
Is the semi flat back 1-3-4-3 the best system for the player development of our girls and women here in the US?

Gender Differences

The women's game has not evolved technically to the point where early and high pressure with numbers does not benefit you
We have also not evolved technically or tactically to the point where it is easy to beat well organized flat defenses when there is pressure all over the field.

Advantages of Playing Three Front - Defending

The 3-front system allows a team to apply pressure closer to the opponent's goal.
- The three-front does not steer the opposing team's attack as a two-front does, but attempts to intercept the ball immediately.
Changing into a three-front can frequently change a teams' rhythm and make a team more aggressive
This system puts tremendous pressure on a technically weak opponent.
It is particularly effective against a team that cannot serve balls over distance.
It gives no teams, even technically gifted ones, a staging area where they can possess the ball casually without pressure.
The system encourages opposing teams to play the ball forward predictably "making it difficult to play the ball sideways and change the point"
The system tends to force opponents back players into smaller spaces.
A three-front can mask a slow player both offensively and defensively.
A three-front can force an opponent to adjust to you.
- Few teams are willing to play 3v3 in their defensive third so this often changes a 3-5-2 into a 4-4-2 to match you more easily in the back.

Advantages of a Three Front - Attacking

The three-front creates immediate width as forwards going wide have a shorter run to make.
- The width provided by a three-front makes it effective against low-pressure defenses since width is a fundamental building block in breaking down bunkers and packed defenses.
- Numbers also make "framing the goal" possible
- Numbers exploit poor clearance, a weakness in the Women's game.
It is easier for a three-front to attack near, middle and far post spaces because of numbers in the box.
A three-front "flooding zones" to one side can pull a man-to-man defense out of its shape, exposing an opponent's weak side ... "flooding zones" will also cause zonal defenses "numbers down" issues on whatever side is attacked.
The team is psychologically in an attacking mode when structured with three forwards.
- That is a powerful mentality to take into every game

Disadvantages of the 1-3-4-3

Three players can be played out of a game immediately with one forward pass.
Three players receive balls with their back to goal.
Team can be out numbered centrally in midfield if opponents play with five or with three central midfielders

Disadvantages of a Three Front

More effective against players who do not have the ability to hit the ball over the top of a three back with the correct pace and accuracy.
Team generally defends with seven rather than eight field players.
Three-back system is vulnerable on outside corners
Attacking with three tends to pull more opponents defenders back into the vital area, thus compacting more defenders into important attacking spaces.

US Women's / Girls Game Cultural Differences

American cultural fabric is to go after opponents with a high work rate and maximum pressure
We are competitive and impatient so let's use this to our advantage
- In this system everyone has to play
- No one can take a mental or physical vacation
Everyone is stretched offensively and defensively
You cannot hide anywhere in the 1-3-4-3

Demands On The Goalkeeper

Mandates that the goalkeeper have the courage to play high off her line
Be able to play with her feet
Read the game like a sweeper
AND have all of the traditional qualities of a line goalkeeper

1 v 1 Defending

Traditionally poor even at a high level
- Part of the problem:
- So many of our youth defenders are used to playing in a 4-4-2 where they have such numerical superiority all match that their 1v1 requirements are few and rarely exposed
The 1v1 responsibility in a flat three are greater because the players are more often isolated in these 1v1 duels forcing them to develop a tackling capacity to just survive the match.

Collective Defending

The flat three also forces all three defenders (and the goalkeeper obviously) to read the game and anticipate service
- This is good for player development because now all the backs and the goalkeeper are forced to anticipate and think.
There is so much space behind and to the sides of the flat three defenders they are in constant motion

Leadership Requirements

The central player is constantly moving the line left and right, forward and back ... .
- based on ball position and pressure.
The weak side flank players are organizing the flat line
- and taking over like a sweeper verbally since this weak side defender is the only one able to see the ball, line, and opponent
"Ordering" people into the correct shape and warning teammates of blind side runs spreads the leadership responsibility to all three back players
This system not only needs verbal leadership, it can't survive without it.

Additional Considerations for the Semi Flat Back 1-3-4-3

One other thing the system needs to survive . . . a commitment from all the players to play hell bent for leather defense
This system forces every player to defend or you get shredded . . . there is a system incentive to work and you are punished immediately when you don't.

Attacking Considerations

Designed to allow everyone to go forward and get maximum numbers in the attacking box
Ideally, five people can be committed to the attacking box with all the front runners expected to be committed on every attack with the weak side midfielder and the attacking midfielder as well
Becomes six in the attacking box if a flank midfielder gets end-line
This leaves a defensive midfielder and the flat three ready for the counter

Other Benefits of the Semi Flat Back 1-3-4-3

You will always have at least one player attacking the restraining line to get in through or over the top
Many systems have little balance between the direct and indirect game because the only consistent options are indirect and short permitting defenders to over-commit or get lazy with everything forever in front of them
- Good teams "play in front so they can play behind"
- Good teams "play through and behind so they can play in front"
- It is the dynamics of these two forms of mobility that destroys even well organized defenses

U.S. Technical Player Development Issues

We are a nation that has:
Technical problems with serving the ball accurately over distance
Most youth systems don't demand that skill
Because their game is often coached without the understanding of playing with the complete dynamic of attacking mobility

The Promotion of Attacking Soccer and the 1 v 1 Game

One of the greatest things about this semi flat back 3-4-3 system is the number of players who have opportunities to face players and run at them 1v1
In the semi flat back 3-4-3 you have five players that are called upon regularly to run at defenses
- The entire front line: LW, CF, RW
- Both flank midfielders: LM, RM
- On Occasion: LB, RB
You are also developing six flank players

Closing Thoughts on Player Development

The attacking positions and the players that are played further forward are the ones that game in, game out are "developed" the most.
Those are the areas that players have the least time and space and are dealing with the most pressure and with the greatest technical and tactical demands.
The scrimmage training environment for this is a competitive caldron of pressure and a minimum of time and space where both your practice scrimmage units of your 1-3-4-3 create so much constant pressure all over the field against each other that when you finally get to a game against an opponent who plays a more classical 4-4-2 you feel like you are on vacation and so do your players.

Blitz United '97 Red