Let's keep studying this system of play. The National Junior Championships starting next Monday at O'Connor playing fields (ACT) will have every team playing this system. It's a great opportunity for coaches, young players and parents to get a good look at how the system is played.
Courtesy of http://www.soccerfitness.com/
The 1-4-3-3 System
Organization and use of the 4-3-3 system during attacking and defense.
Starting Formation
Four players in defense, three midfielders, and three attackers (see figure).
Organization
The defense starts off with either four players in a line or with one player (a sweeper or libero) positioned behind the other three. The midfield can be arranged in two different variations—a linear or a triangular arrangement, offensive or defensive in character. The attackers would normally arrange themselves so that the opposition's defense is spread as widely as possible. If the center forward is strong in the air, another of the strikers can also move into the central area during the buildup to exploit the second ball.
Attacking
The system, with its three attackers, is offensive in character. The ball should ideally be played quickly up to the strikers so that the game is taken into the opposition's defensive zone. At the same time, support should come quickly from the center of the pitch so that the two sets of players are working together. Passes to the strikers often come from defense. A defender who has been able to create space and time with the ball can try to put a long pass out to the attackers. Depending on the receiving player's position and technical ability, the pass can arrive right at the feet of the player or in a free area behind the opposition's defense. The three attackers should vary their options of receiving the ball among each other so that the opposition is constantly in doubt as to their next movements. If the center forward moves back down the pitch for a pass, the area behind the forward (i.e., further up the pitch) may be used by other mid-fielders, who are running up from behind. For example, in the 1994 World Championships, Roberto Baggio played as center forward, but he frequently moved back down the pitch, a move his team tactically exploited.
The Dutch national team also made use of this idea in Euro 96. When Kluivert moved back, Bergkamp utilized the free space. A team with a fast winger should also use the free space behind the fullback for an attempt to penetrate the defense and take the opposition by surprise.
The midfield's offensive options depend on the formation. With two advanced midfielders, the scene is set for combination play between the midfield and the attackers. If there is only one offensive midfielder, that player's most important role is to play the attackers in free spaces for them to finish.
Defending
The back row is normally organized using zonal marking and with close teamwork between the two central defenders, one of whom is preferably a sweeper. The midfield is the vulnerable area in a team's defensive half, requiring careful organization of the responsibilities of the three players. Most coaches favor a centrally placed midfielder who is strong in close combat and usually stays behind the other two players. Midfield players are often characterized by their well-developed ability to create good consolidation play, where one of them is the designated playmaker.
To assist the midfield, in specific situations a fullback can move forward and out toward the wing in order to seek out an opponent. The attackers have important defensive roles, partly in closing off the wings for the opposition's fullbacks and partly in working as a team to pressure the ball when the opposition controls it in its own defensive zone.
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