Perhaps you were watching a Premier League or UEFA Champions League game this past season and heard the commentator say, What an excellent training ground move from…
Or perhaps you were reading a tactical analysis, and the writer emphasised a particular passing and movement sequence by the team in possession with images.
These moments, provided they are executed in open play, are what we refer to as patterns of play.
Patterns of play are a tactical strategy involving predetermined passes and movement in attack to penetrate the opponents defence and either score or create a scoring opportunity.
Below, we look at six patterns of play you can learn and use in the 4-3-3 formation.
Three are for central penetration, while the other three are for wide penetration.
If you coach the 4-3-3 system or participate in any high-level coaching, such as the UEFA A or B licence, where patterns of play are a requirement, you may find the information below useful.
First, we look at the patterns, but more importantly, we show you how to succeed on the training ground through field mapping and the discovery of what ifs.
Why train patterns of play
The beautiful game is not short of clichés; whether its the emphasis of the half-yard in a foot race or champagne football, sometimes these expressions highlight the margins in the game that separate the teams.
When two sides cannot be separated and a deadlock does not seem likely to be broken through open play, it is often the execution of a training ground move at high speed that gives one team the advantage.
If you are a coach, also consider the confidence of both individuals and teams.
When the attacking team only plays in reaction to one another, it means they are trying to discover moments and gaps out of pure randomness to achieve success.
At the same time, the opponent can anticipate and defend.
The likely outcome is a high number of technical and tactical errors, which subsequently result in higher turnovers, potentially lowering a players confidence.
On the other hand, when you have a team that knows the system and can execute plays with minimal touches at a high speed, the opponent cannot always react to this, which in turn offers a higher chance of success.
It seems that if you want to show a good example of any aspect of the game today, Manchester City will provide one in droves.
I can name ten more teams in the same country off the top of my head that would offer good examples of executing patterns of play.
However, lets take the recent
