Counter attacking football against 4-3-3

Counter attacking football looks amazing when done right but for that to happen, you need the right formation

Counter attacking football is the name of the game for teams that have to constantly face sides fielding a 4-3-3 formation.

Understanding the 4-3-3 system

This is a system that has been used to great effect by the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester City and PSG.

The formation offers great width and depth so it is a good balance. With a front three, the width of the pitch is covered effectively and then a row of three in the middle of the park offers variable depth. And then you have the full backs who ensure that the wings are always full of options.

Why 4-3-3?

This formation is popular because it offers a lot of flexibility to coaches both in and out of possession. Some coaches use this formation to play their wingers higher up the pitch to enjoy more width while others use it to play their wingers in a narrow shape, closer to the striker, while relying on full backs to offer width.

This is something you can see the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola use quite effectively with the latter often using inverted full backs which allows his team to absolutely dominate possession in midfield. With two number 10s, there will be an attacking front five when the team is in offensive transition.

This is totally different to the system Klopp uses with full backs providing width and creativity up front while wingers stick closer to the number 9. Quite often you’d see the wingers playing in spaces between the center defender and the full back.

The midfield three is compact and applying pressure while not in possession.

So as you can see, both teams have used 4-3-3 differently but results have been successful.

Weaknesses to counter attacking

Now let’s talk about the biggest problem that teams with a 4-3-3 formations face – counter attacking. This happens a lot when the team’s full backs have been pushed higher up the pitch. This leaves a lot of space for counter attacking teams to use. As long as they have speedy forwards, they can break quickly.

Counter attacking is definitely a wolfsbane to 4-3-3 since the midfield can be overrun, especially if opposition teams choose to play a 4-2-3-1 diamond midfield. That way, possession of the ball and controlling the tempo of the game is severely affected.

So there you have it!

If you ever have a chance to play against a 4-3-3 formation, make sure to keep your midfield compact and ensure that you have speedy wingers since they can quickly exploit space.

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