Coaching Strikers To Be The First Line Of Defense

If you are using the 1-4-3-3 system of play, it essential that you get good transition and defensive work from the front three players. See previous posts for additional detail. Without it your team is quickly outnumbered in midfiled and vulnerable.

The video below explains the importance of getting the forward to do defensive work, as high up the field as practicable. The 1-4-4-2 system is used to illustrate the teaching points, but it could just as easily have been any other system of play.

You must expect other teams to play out from the back at your team. So what do you do about it? Let them make the first triangle, link up with a midfilder and create significant pressure quickly - or - do you have the front three cutting off passing lines and moving the opposition to the part of the field you want to deal with them and win the ball back? You just can't let the other team create a 4-5 pass sequence and a couple of good passing triangles in the sequence before you decided to have a go.

On the side of things, some teams playing out from the back seem to instinctively go down the touch line for as far as they can go, bypassing all midfield options - time and time again! The route is sometimes productive ending in a cross, but is predictable, one dimensional and every defender gets a good luck at the source of the threat to goal.

If you are playing 1-4-3-3 the front three must realise they are in "big engine" positions, transition quickly when the ball is lost, create teh first pressure if the ball is played out from the back and get back to the line of the midfield if they opposition passes through or the GK kicks long. The same can be siad of the back wide players if they have a mind to overalp in attack or go forward to support the attack, as you would expect. Centre backs who go on forwrad frollicks are playing with fire if the ball is turned over while they are forward.

There is a lot to think about. You can see all of these problems every weekend now as teams employ the 1-4-3-3. Its terrific!