Talking Tactics

Width In The 4-3-3
OPTA Stats Zone Analysis

Part II Of 4-3-3 Series; Read Part I Here

The point of having 5 midfielders, it's been said, is to have an edge in possession- more passers, more options for the backs to play to, and therefore more of the ball.  The 4-3-3 is a wonderfully flexible system, allowing two main ways of turning the middle 3 into a 5.  Drop the wingers back and it's easy enough.  Or, press the wingers up and in a little bit, and push the outside backs up, and Bob's your uncle.

As an argument for the player development model of youth soccer (versus the "winning makes good players" model) we see here how crucial outside backs are to the attacking phase of the game.  Any young player not being taught how to attack via both the pass and the dribble is being prevented from becoming a soccer player.  With the exception of the central defenders (who complete passes at the 90% success rate on a weekly basis) the modern senior-level game requires all players to be effective attackers.  This goes a long way toward my rotation of positions, emphasis on taking players on, and keeping the ball into players feet (think goalkeeper distribution) to allow maximal opportunities to use these skills.

If we give up a bunch of goals along the way, or lose games because of it...well, Clint Dempsey isn't playing for Tottenham today because his U12 team won.  And Duece plays both centrally and on the flank...versatility personified.  As does his teammate Bale, who plays centrally, left and right winger, and even played left back for Tottenham earlier this season.  Players who only know one thing are not effective at the senior level.  And players who are uncomfortable attacking (whether by the dribble, 1v.1 take-ons, passing, and combination play, etc.) are undesireable at the senior level.

Below, some screen grabs of OPTA's Stats Zone App from various Champion's League matches in 2011-12.

MILAN/BATE Borisov:

Milan's Starting Shape...

...& Where They Actually Played.

It might be stretching it to say Milan played a 4-3-3, but for the purposes here, it works well enough.  Like many Italian sides, they play quite narrow.  Aquilani and Nocerino line up fairly centrally giving the team a 4-4-2 shape, but as Boateng pushes in front of van Bommel, their positions become less winger and more central playmaker, as you can see from the "Player Influence" graphic on the right.  Regardless of how the formation is interpreted, the reality is, again referencing the Player Influence graphic, outside backs (Taiwo/Abate) are crucial to supplying width and an attacking option.

Marseille/Olympiacos:


















A more normative 4-3-3 shape, Marseille also use Traore and Azpilicueta to provide width; less balanced than Milan (the game was more evenly matched than the Milan/BATE match.)  With the positioning of Morel and Amalfitano, we can see that the wide duties are shared by the nominal wingers and the outside backs.  But those wider players in the front three are closely linked to, and supportive of, the central players.


Passes Received Comparison:
With the left side of the field, we can see that Morel had many more central touches (even through 45 minutes) than Traore had over the entire match.  The wing back is clearly the outside player, offering central players a wide option, whereas Morel is the attacking player, receiving many balls high and central.







               











Arsenal V. Marseille:

In another game, we see a "true" winger like Theo Wolcott in  a 4-3-3:


















Wolcott's supporting defender, Carl Jenkinson, like Traore, receives passes in very wide positions.  Chalk on his boots, indeed.  Wolcott, for his part, gets far more of his touches closer to the central areas, which puts a pause in calling him an out-and-out winger.  Of course, as a playmaker, Wolcott leaves something to be desired, but in the (very wise) mind of Wenger, the pros outweigh the cons of having Wolcott drift into the center of the park.












                     

On the other side of the Arsenal team, we see Santos behind Arshavin, and the picture is virtually identical, only that these two players had nearly double the passes received of their counterparts.  Presumably there was a designed plan to attack the right side of the Marseille team resulting in Arshavin and Santos getting more of the ball, but still, the winger is playing inside the back for much of the game.

Santos supports more than Jenkinson, clearly not as far forward as Jenkinson, but the flank is obviously his location: