Attacking combination for the 4-3-3 formation

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FOREWORD

Of “Sergione” Buso we have been teammates, friends, colleagues, co-workers. Sergio represented culture struggling to push its way through ignorance; his perfectionism was considered a defect instead of a value, and, combined with his gruff exterior, made his temperament understood only by a very few people. He did not succeed in wholly demonstrating his qualities and, “at the end of his journey”, everybody talking about the misunderstood genius, the football master. Conversely, he has always been the top of the class, relegated at the back of the classroom or even sent behind the blackboard, eternally suffering for not being understood and appreciated. Who knows something about football is well aware that he was a forerunner, and maybe he has been too much ahead of his time, a time when the idea of “football studies” was still unpopular. This trend is changing today, “innovators” are of main interest; Sergio realized it and, again before anyone else, he left on a special mission to the sky, where he certainly will not find the worldly ignorance that prevented him from making a high leap as he deserved. Well done, Alberto, for this initiative that pays tribute to a man of great depth and first-class manager!

To talk about Sergio is like talking about someone who is always here. Even today I like to feel his company beside me during training and during the match. Our similar personalities and behaviours bonded me to him in a very special way and his presence has become a part of me. Also meaningful discussions with Sergio enriched me so much. Working with him has been a great privilege, and I believe that anyone who has had the opportunity of sharing a professional experience with him has benefited greatly from it. Thanks to him I base a lot of my work on his ideas.

I get excited as I find in this detailed work so many facts and situations we have shared on the field; it is almost like reliving so many moments we spent together studying, discussing, thinking over football. I remember some failures, but the great deal of successes prevail, that are the outcome of your meticulous work in terms of both results and moral and technical development of our players. Let me thank Alberto for making me relive all those moments through this work.

Roberto Donadoni

Franco Colomba

Renzo Ulivieri

IN MEMORY OF SERGIO

Study, research, passion, respect for the issue and attention for details made Sergio Buso one of the best experts on football of recent times.

Goalkeepers’coach, technical manager, analyst and head coach, he progressed from Serie C to Serie B, Serie A and the National team: Sergio Buso was a specialist of global football. Football had no secrets for him; everything he could see and analyse was duly catalogued and stored in his huge archives.

Anyone who met him in a sports centre could not avoid answering the classic surprise question: “If we play 4-3-3 and the opponents 4-4-2 and you play left defender what will you do? How do we catch them out?”. His thoughts were like the pieces on a chess board: each move requires a precise counter-movement to be carefully studied and evaluated.

Every day his archive was enriched by a new note, a not yet new scheme, a report on a team he had never heard of, or an unknown player who excelled in a certain movement; he studied the game like a general studies war strategies, and his methodology respected the principle by which first you win and then you do battle.

During the week he prepared the match so that the players could foresee every single moment and even

Some Buso’s original notes from his archive

variations were no surprise, because he had considered them, too. Unfortunately, football is not a science, and the culture of work does not belong to this world that did not understand Sergio’s efforts completely: his practical, essential and uncompromising attitude had to struggle in a business where appearance is more important than substance.

With the aim of paying tribute to Sergio’s studies the staff of YouCoach has decided, together with his family, to publish a series of writings drawn from his notes, in the attempt to make a contribution for reflection and study, and improve culture and knowledge of our football world.

I would like to say a personal thank to his wife Antonia and daughters Silvia and Giulia for trusting me with this invaluable treasure, and to give a special thought to the “mister” who shared with me his ideas and experience made of loyalty, work and passion.

Alberto Nabiuzzi

PLAY DEVELOPMENTS OF THE 4-3-3 FORMATION

Play developments consist of all the combinations and sequences of passes or plays aimed at breaking the opposition defence exploiting the features of the team’s system of play.

In order to simplify this definition we have to throw light on some tactical concepts that may seem obvious but may also be misunderstood and lead to confusion. Therefore, here follows some definitions that can be of help in the course of our work.

• Strategy: strategy is a long-term philosophy of play, such as possession, pass back, fast verticalization, high pressing, etc. It is a well defined characteristic and the fundamental creed on which all the team’s work is based: let’s think for instance of Barcellona, whose philosophy is based on possession, or Leicester, whose strong point is fast verticalization. Strategy is the trade mark of a team and is determined by the coach’s creed, whose methodology affects this behaviour.

• Tactics: tactics embrace the solutions of contingent situations occurring during a match. Individual choices of the players and their collaboration in couples, groups of three or blocks determines the success or failure of all the situations that a player must read and solve. Let’s think of situations such as 3 versus 2, 2 versus 2, 1 versus 1, or many other variations taking place during the game: the ability to recognize them and solve them with the help of the teammates represents the tactical baggage of a team.

• System of play: the system of play describes the position of the players on the field. It determines the starting positions of the players and gives a static picture of the team. Barcelona adopts the 4-3-3 system of play, but this indicates only the skeleton of a highly sophisticated and dynamic planning.

• Formation: the formation is the dynamic realization of the system of play; it describes the tasks and functions of each player who interprets his own role during the match; consequently, the team interprets its own system of play.

• Scheme of play: the scheme of play is a sequence of prearranged plays. The scheme can be used both during the play and in dead ball situations; the main

ATTACKING COMBINATION FOR THE 4-3-3 FORMATION: LONG-SHORT MOVEMENT BY THE WINGER AND THROUGH BALL FOR THE OPPOSITE WINGER

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

Attacking build up patterns

4-3-3

DURATION: 10 minutes

NUMERO DI SERIE: 6 starting from the right back, 6 starting from the left back

SUMMARY ORGANIZATION

Attacking proposal for the 4-3-3 system with the winger coming towards the play and the opposite winger shooting.

Arrange the team inside a half field, simulating the 4-3-3 system. The back (number 2 in the figure) starts with the ball.

combinations for the 4-3-3 formation

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES

Type of run:

• circular run

• counter-movement

• cut

ATTACKING THE GOAL COVER DEFENSE

Technique/tactics:

• finishing

• penetration

• maneuver

• threaded pass

• verticalization

• cut in movement

• through ball

• The opposite winger has to attack the goal running diagonally

• The central striker attacks the goal behind the opposite winger with a half moon

• The related winger moves to the edge of the box for a possible shot

• The left midfielder has to attack the second post behind the teammate with a vertical run

COACHING POINTS

• The left back follows the action balancing

• The midfielder follows the action balancing defensive the unit

• The right back moves to the centre supporting the action

• Focus on the body positioning and subsequent pass back by the right winger

• Focus on the opening movement by the central striker according to the opposite winger cut in movement

• Focus on the last pass (assist) by the opposite winger on first intention

Player 4 proposes to receive the pass from teammate 2. Player 7 moves to create the space to receive the pass (”long counter-movement”). Player 11 runs diagonally to the centre of the field while players 3 and 10 advance to support. Player 9 moves to come towards the ball (opposite movement compared to player 7).

Player 4 passes to teammate 7 coming towards the play after the countermovement. 8 rises to support the teammate 7. Player 11 keeps running diagonally to the centre of the field while player 9 starts a circular run to create a passing line. Player 10 continues to get centralized, while player 2 advances.

3 5

Player 7 performs a pass back for teammate 8. Player 9 moves to the edge of the box with a circular run while player 11 runs horizontally to the centre of the field. Player 10 keeps running toward the box.

4

Player 11 attacks the goal cutting diagonally receiving the through ball performed by teammate 8 on first intention. Players 7, 9 and 10 move into the yellow selected areas to create different options for the ball carrier. Players 2, 3, and 4 move into the blue selected areas for the cover defense.

Player 11 attempts on goal while teammate 8 moves into his own blue selected areas for an additional cover defense.