How do you break down a 3-5-2 formation?

[Unregistered]

I am the OP and thanks for the repsonses. It's refreshing to actually see some informative discussion. I should have mentioned the teams I portrayed are Womens College Div 2 both play a possession style and build from the back. My daughter and I were talking about the upcoming match and what the best way for her team to attack 3-5-2. I'll check back with tactics her team ultimately employed and whether it was successful.

Here's your answer (if you truly want to play through your 2 central midfielders in a 442): play as quick as you can through the middle. When the ball does go central, you want 3-4 options for that player on the ball so they do not get closed down quickly. Most teams that play a 352 will play with 2 holding mids, so the pressure on the 2 CMs in a 442 shouldn't be all out war, but play quickly, because those 2 holding mids are sure to be brilliant ball winners.

I would also make sure that if the 2 CMs are having little success, that one of the forwards comes back in as a withdrawn striker to at least even the numbers up from time to time. ST#1 checks back to the ball, combines quickly with another CM while ST#2 stays high and stretches the height of the entire system and pushes the central defenders as close to their own goal as possible.

If was up to me though, I would put a 2-touch restriction on the starting 2 CMs all week leading up to the match against the 352. In the two days prior to that match, I wouldn't avoid playing through the middle, but I would certainly make sure the team knows that in the flank areas, it is always going to be 2v1... and that a quick switching of the point of attack (SPOA) with a diagonal ball can take further advantage of the space on either side of the outside backs.

Is your daughter playing Merrimack? They play with a semi 3-5-2 almost a 4-4-2 with a sweeper. Umass-Lowell tore them apart on the game winning goal, beating the outside back, drawing the sweeper out then cutting the ball back away from goal to a ST running in from the top of the box. Whoever your daughter plays for, and whoever she is playing against... good luck.

Love the tactical talk by the way.

[Unregistered]

I'm with you with regards to just worry about your own team. As a U13 MAPLE team, we're in our second year of 11v11 now and I honestly can't tell you the formation of a single team we have played against in league games, tournaments or scrimmages. I've never noticed (not even at kick-off) and I really don't care...I simply try to teach my kids (at practice!) how to play soccer. And when we have the ball, that translates to recognizing where the opportunities are, i.e., what the opposition is giving you and exploit that, whether it is up the middle, wide, on the ground, through the air, direct, indirect, etc. Each possesion is different. So that is some of what we work on in practice when the topic is attacking, from 1v1 activities all the way up to end-of-practice all-in intrasquad scrimmages.

While it is true that once the whistle blows and the ball starts rolling systems need to be flexible and tactical stuff goes out the window, but this is only at the younger ages when the players are less disciplined and coaches may not be as strong.

I, too, am a fellow coach. We may have coached against each other, we not have, but I can tell you what nearly every team plays for systems. And you better be sure as hell that I test my kids with that information too. I ask the non-starters or the players that get substituted, "so, how are they set up? Ok, now using our layout/system, where do we have an advantage? Where is their advantage? How do we counteract their advantage? Think about the area of the field that you are going to play in and how you would use this knowledge."

If you are not making tactical corrections, and teaching tactical points at U13, you are doing your boys a disservice.

[Unregistered]

How much does the answer depend on the age and gender?

Sending a long diagonal ball makes sense only if you can actually kick it that far. Not a problem in the EPL but a different issue for U13 boys and even many college age women.

[Unregistered]

While it is true that once the whistle blows and the ball starts rolling systems need to be flexible and tactical stuff goes out the window, but this is only at the younger ages when the players are less disciplined and coaches may not be as strong.

I, too, am a fellow coach. We may have coached against each other, we not have, but I can tell you what nearly every team plays for systems. And you better be sure as hell that I test my kids with that information too. I ask the non-starters or the players that get substituted, "so, how are they set up? Ok, now using our layout/system, where do we have an advantage? Where is their advantage? How do we counteract their advantage? Think about the area of the field that you are going to play in and how you would use this knowledge."

If you are not making tactical corrections, and teaching tactical points at U13, you are doing your boys a disservice.

Now that you feel better about yourself, here's a bit of news-the only time a tactical formation appears during the course of play is at kick-off. The game is far too fluid and fast and you only complicate matters at the younger ages. Have a team play a pass and move into space style; there is always room to be found and you can breakdown any number of mids you might find.

[soccermgr13]

Here's your answer (if you truly want to play through your 2 central midfielders in a 442): play as quick as you can through the middle. When the ball does go central, you want 3-4 options for that player on the ball so they do not get closed down quickly. Most teams that play a 352 will play with 2 holding mids, so the pressure on the 2 CMs in a 442 shouldn't be all out war, but play quickly, because those 2 holding mids are sure to be brilliant ball winners.

I would also make sure that if the 2 CMs are having little success, that one of the forwards comes back in as a withdrawn striker to at least even the numbers up from time to time. ST#1 checks back to the ball, combines quickly with another CM while ST#2 stays high and stretches the height of the entire system and pushes the central defenders as close to their own goal as possible.

If was up to me though, I would put a 2-touch restriction on the starting 2 CMs all week leading up to the match against the 352. In the two days prior to that match, I wouldn't avoid playing through the middle, but I would certainly make sure the team knows that in the flank areas, it is always going to be 2v1... and that a quick switching of the point of attack (SPOA) with a diagonal ball can take further advantage of the space on either side of the outside backs.

Is your daughter playing Merrimack? They play with a semi 3-5-2 almost a 4-4-2 with a sweeper. Umass-Lowell tore them apart on the game winning goal, beating the outside back, drawing the sweeper out then cutting the ball back away from goal to a ST running in from the top of the box. Whoever your daughter plays for, and whoever she is playing against... good luck.

Love the tactical talk by the way.

My daughters team pretty much did what you mentioned in that they played 1-2 touch thru the middle and used the flanks and were successful creating opportunities however most of the time the opposing teams 2 CM's forced them into turnovers or unconnected passes with their closing speed. Overall they attacked fairly well and our forwards did have to help support the midfield. It was a tight contest decided by a controversial goal (central ref and linesman out of position and goal which appeared to not cross the line was called good). The game overall was very entertaining.

[Unregistered]

Soccermgr13,

Systems are all about numbers and areas of opportunities. Glad I could offer some explanation.

So who were the opponents? Result?

-TS Tactician

[Unregistered]

I love the response to play direct. This is just what you do not want to do against this formation. The strength of this formation is clogging the middle of the field times 2. What this means is if you look at the field as a tic-tac-toe grid (9 grids) where you have your defenders in all the middle boxes (5 grids) and the only boxes that are open are the corners. It is hard to score from these areas. This formation makes it very difficult to switch the field quickly and/or play directly up the middle. The 3 backs have to be very discipline in playing 1st, 2nd and 3rd defender. They also need to stay connected with holding midfielder on the strong side. If a team truly can play this formation correctly the backs and the strong side holding midfielder will form a rhombus behind the ball. The weak side holding midfielder will lock the ball in and keep them from quickly switching the field. The weak side outside midfielder will now have time to drop in as the 4th back. The weakness of this formation is getting the ball into the flanks behind the outside midfielder quickly and on the ground. I would recommend the formation you are used to playing but you have to be able to win 50/50 and counter quickly before the other team can get organized. Teams usually do not play 3-5-2 due to the lack of discipline in the back and also do not understand how to use it effectively in the attack. I would not recommend using this formation at the younger ages unless your players are used to playing 1-3-1 (6v6), 2-4-1 (8v8). These formations will train the outside midfielders to get back and support the backs as needed in this complicated formation. Good luck and I hope this helps.

Good post. Playing direct into the neutral is a recipe for disaster. The key to this system is playing wide and changing fields and being patient. If the other teams discipline in the midfield breaks down and presses towards your 1/3rd, switching fields and playing diagonally (or tic tac toe as you phrased) it. If their outer mids get sucked upfield the 3-5-2 becomes vulnerable to outside runs working in towards the box in the attacking third.

[Soccerfanforever]

probably one of the best posts in awhile...