The 4-3-3 formation: five key points

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The 4-3-3 formation has been in vogue for some time now. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, Xavi Hernández’s Barcelona and Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool are among the high-profile exponents of the 4-3-3 shape. Other highly successful modern coaches, including Carlo Ancelotti, José Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, have also used a 4-3-3 at different times in their careers.

As well as being conducive to an offensive approach, the 4-3-3 also lends itself well to defensive adaptation. The shape allows for space to be covered efficiently, support to be provided defensively, and a press exerted across the pitch.

Here, The Coaches’ Voice highlights five keys to executing a 4-3-3 formation successfully.

Specialists

For a 4-3-3 to be executed effectively, players in the midfield and attacking lines need to possess particular attributes.

The three midfield players must offer passing lanes in the first two thirds of the pitch, behind the opposition press, as well as making diagonal runs. In the 4-3-3, the midfielders tend to play in the congested central channel. As a result, they must have excellent technique on the ball.

The attacking line typically consists of players with the profile of three forwards, or two wingers and a striker. Regardless of the combination, all three players must be clearly offensive. If these positions are played by midfielders or number eights, the 4-3-3 will carry less attacking threat.

The three attacking players have two key functions. In possession, they must provide width to receive in the final third, giving options outside and looking to make runs inside. Out of possession, as the first line of defence, they must press aggressively against the build-up. If they don’t, the opposition can potentially advance with ease (below).

Creating space in the build-up

When building from the back in a 4-3-3, the goalkeeper and defenders must be patient in order to draw the press and filter passes to the midfielders. Having these three midfielders at different heights is advantageous to finding space and progressing the ball.

With the pivot closer to the defensive line as an axis of the play, they must look to draw the opposition press. Sergio Busquets at Barcelona was a fantastic example of this. His movements in front of the centre-backs generated space for both the full-backs and inside players, such as Gavi, Franck Kessié or Sergi Roberto (below).

If the pivot is marked, the two number eights must find space to receive in a position where they can progress the ball. Should the opposition press also reach the number eights, the height of the full-backs can be key to generating overloads and free players.

Once in the opposition half, the width of the wingers forces the opposition to commit players to close them down. This can create space in the final third, which can be exploited to create chances on goal.

Width in attack

The 4-3-3 is a system that thrives on wide play. To achieve this, a high level of co-ordination is required between the full-backs and the wingers. It is a partnership that can work in two ways.

One is to play a winger on the side that corresponds with their dominant foot – left-footed on the left wing, right-footed on the right side. This tends to provoke more 1v1s and forces a more conservative opposition full-back deeper. That means less risk after a turnover in that area, with full-backs typically less pivotal to building attacks than advanced teammates. It also increases the chances of having numbers behind the ball on a defensive transition.

The second option is to have an inverted winger who is more inclined to cut inside. This leaves space on the outside to be exploited by a full-back and create a possible 2v1. On defensive transition, however, there is less protection when losing possession. As such, the midfielders must be ready to prevent quick progression on transition.

Arsenal (below) are a good example of the full-back-winger combination in attack. The positioning and movement of the wingers (often Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli) and the full-backs (mostly Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ben White or Takehiro Tomiyasu) provides variation in outside-channel attacks.

Counter-attacking speed

The 4-3-3 lends itself to rapid counter-attacking, for which the positioning of the forwards is key. Often they will be in a 3v4 underload, or a 3v3, so they must quickly find the space in an attacking transition. As such, teammates should look for balls in behind the opposition defence for the forwards to run into space.

Vinícius Júnior's pace in launching Real Madrid’s counter-attacks, when Carlo Ancelotti has used a 4-3-3, is a good example of speed on transition (below). The Brazilian winger relishes finding space behind, while his teammate Rodrygo also has a good understanding of these vertical movements in the moments after possession is won.

Midfield defensive duties

The 4-3-3 is a system, with its three attacking players, in which the first line of the press can be vulnerable. The three midfielders must therefore be switched on and adept at shuffling across the width of the pitch, for those moments when the first press is bypassed. This requires good endurance levels, as well as positional awareness.

The three midfielders must also be prepared to support the full-backs, covering behind when they are defending wide areas where crosses can be delivered. This prevents the centre-backs from having to come out of the box. The midfielders must have good reading of the play, to understand when to drop to help the full-back.

Together, these side-to-side movements and support of the full-backs demands a high-level of co-ordination between the midfielders.

During Klopp’s time at Liverpool, his teams have often provided an excellent example of midfield balance within a 4-3-3. While at Liverpool, Jordan Henderson’s support of his full-back was vital in allowing the team’s centre-backs to mark inside the box (below).

The midfield line plays an important role in the defensive transition. Whenever possible, they should be positioned close to the ball to prevent an opposing counter-attack. They must be aggressive in disrupting the opposition’s build-up as soon as the ball is lost. The aim should be to win the ball back as quickly as possible, so that the team can attack again in the 4-3-3 shape.

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Author: The Coaches' Voice