WORLD CLASS COACHING
4-3-3 Attacking
By Luca Bertolini
Table of Contents
PART THREE
Players/Positions Roles and Responsibilities
Players/Positions Roles and Responsibilities
Goalkeeper:
• He is able to help his teammates with instruction, exploiting his back position and perspective to to see the whole field
• He has good technical skills with both feet and with hand passes
• He is able to start the build up phase with short or longer precise passes
• He can receive a back pass with the right body shape to play out, maintaining possession safely
• He can recognize the teammates who could be potentially pressed and countered in 1 v 1 duels or who could outnumbered while receiving and he is able to change target quickly
• Able to overcome an opposition pressure line with 1 pass
Fullbacks:
• They must be well positioned to continue the building-up phase (when to stay wide or when to shift across the center to support the midfielders)
• Dribble the ball and combine with teammates to push up, recognizing the chance to exploit space and to create numerical advantage
• They are wide support for the attacking phase in the middle and final thirds
• Good technique in positional play to maintain the possession, in crossing and switching side of play
Center backs:
• They have good technical skills with both feet
• Right positioning while building up, if the opposition is pressing with 1 center forward and 2 wingers or with 2 center forwards
• Cooperation with the goalkeeper to escape the positional pressure of the opposition
• They are able to overcome 1 or 2 pressure lines with a ground or aerial long pass
• They push up in the middle third to balance the team while attacking, often together with the center midfielder, shaping a back 3 line that can be useful also to build up again if the team is forced to play back
• Back support to play out and to switch the side if it's not possible to progress the moves
Center midfielder (lower pivot):
• Good technical skills for passes and through balls with both feet and to protect the ball against the opponents
• He must know how to escape the marker while building-up to call for the ball and be ready to be always an option
• He knows how to scan the field to find the best option and target teammate
• Space creation to receive and to progress the move with short passes and longer balls
• Skills to combine with all the teammates with 2 touches after creation of a triangles; he is the lower vertex usually
• Creation of 3rd man combinations
• Good finishing and shooting skills
Advanced midfielder(s):
• Can play with both feet
• Scan the field as a center midfielder to combine with 3rd men
• Make the right choice regarding the opponents...
...and the available spaces
• Create individual opportunities for the team
• Play with good penetration skills against opposition defense
• Good finishing and shooting skills
Outside midfielders:
• They are very good at moving away from the ball to create space and at moving without the ball to be options
• Good positional play to provide width and to overcome the opposition lines
• Blind runs to play in between the opposition lines
• Speed of play, accelerations, and changes of rhythm
• Back support for the forwards and the wingers
• Provide assists for teammates
• Good finishing and shooting skills
Wingers:
• Can play with both feet, especially if they play as inverted wingers
• They are always available to receive on their run paths and with various movements
• They are very good at moving away from the ball to create space and at playing without the ball
• Overcome the opponent inside and outside
• Can play passes, crosses and through balls
• Speed of play, accelerations, and changes of rhythm
• Their attacking vision must lead to scoring opportunities
Center forward:
• Can play with both feet
• Scan the field and the opposition defense line before receiving to find the best solution to finish or to progress the move if he is facing his own goal and he is able to save the possession if he is facing his own goal and to cooperate with midfielders
• He tries always to be unmarked and to face the opposition goal
• He create space for teammates if he doesn't receive
• Creation of opportunities with and without the ball
