3-4-3,
Defense;
3, defenders,

These three are very confident that they can handle a lone striker or two forwards. They are also reliant on a good defensive midfield.

On the attack these players will play wide positions. On the defense these players will be more compact and allow the outside midfields to aid in the wider positions.

At times the inside mid-fielders will "show" for the ball. This creates an additional attack from the centre of the pitch as the mid-fielders become out-let players.

They are trying to convert the play by maintaining possession.

When there are only 4 midfielders the attitude is to feed the 3 strikers with the long ball from the back.

Midfield

4, mid-fielders are usually arranged as outside left, inside left, inside right and outside right.

The outside players are called, wingers or flank players and are also involved in striking the goal.

This would make this line up have a possibility of 4 strikers at any given time.

These wingers usually have the bulk of the running to do as they could carry the ball from the defending third and into the attacking third.

This also depends on the team strategy as outlined by the coaching staff.

The two inside mid-fielders are supposed to be the "play makers".

These are the individuals who are responsible for carrying out the plans the coach and players have designed and used as the methods of attack and goal scoring.

These positions have traditionally played these roles. However nowadays the play making comes from anyone and sometimes all the players at any given time.

These inside players have also been more defensive in their general on field play.

This defensive idea is to stop the opposition from creating attacking options.

They will then gain possession of the ball and and mount an immediate attack through their play making abilities.

Forwards

3, forwards,This is the first time in any formations that we discuss the possibility of three strikers.

This is a team who definitely has goal scoring in mind first.

They want to put pressure on their opponents by having a greater numerical advantage while attacking.

This team also forces the opposition to become more defensive. This is a tactical of aggression from this team.

Steve September of On The Ball Soccer Training has been involved in soccer for over forty years and on three continents. As a player, player coach and high performance coach Steve wants to share the knowledge and experiences with all levels of people involved in the soccer scene. Check out the philosophy and information at http://www.soccertrainingskills.com