Why teams play with a back-three

Why teams play with a back-three
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A number of teams at EURO2020 have been using a back three. Germany and the Netherlands have switched to a back three going into the tournament, and lower-ranked sides like Macedonia and Finland rely on it. But why?
What does it offer a team? And why use it at a big tournament?
JJ Bull explains. Illustrated by Alice Devine.
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#EURO2020 #Belgium #Italy

[@lfc-europe]

To quote Marcel Desailly; "Why not?!"

[@christianopulinaldo8319]

Haaland 😳

[@WhatIfFootball3417]

To quote Marcel Desailly: "HAHAHAHAHA!"

[@Hargazer]

@@WhatIfFootball3417 That laugh lol

[@abdihassan7208]

explain please?

[@Aceboogz100]

I feel like the back 3 really made a return to the recent mainstream after Antonio Conte used the 3-4-3 and won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2016/17

[@stevendchu]

Yup, don't forget that 2nd place Spurs that season were also very adept at using a back 3, and Arsenal even switched to it in their late season run that eventually led to a FA Cup victory. Ironically, playing the exact same system as Conte's Chelsea was one of the only times Wenger has had success against Chelsea (after Abramovich ofc)

[@cvetomirgeorgiev9106]

Especially because of how bad we were before that. It wasn't a good team that happened to play a 3-4-3. We were good because we played a 3-4-3. Conte turned Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses into Premier League champions

[@ayyguevara8448]

Yeah cos Juventus are really obscure

[@DiabolusDraco]

Guardiola has used it with Barcelona in the later years too

[@edivaldonunes3386]

Barcelona actually have a bit of a tradition of a 343 that starts with Cruyff so Pep's occasional use of it comes from having played the system and being a disciple of Cruyff. I would say Conte was the one to re-start the trend in both England and Italy.

[@kohchungwei]

Thomas Tuchel completely transformed Chelsea's defence with the three at the back

[@gbrl433]

conte did the same

[@christianopulinaldo8319]

Yh and That system has improved players like Ruidger and Christensen

[@pkingglazersout6665]

@@gbrl433 in the 16/17 season right?

[@promzkingz]

@@pkingglazersout6665 yeh

[@armaanahmed8357]

Yes

[@cathoderaytube1613]

Formations like these highlight the important differences between a fullback and a wingback. Tifo, you guys should make a video comparing how the back 4 in say a 4-4-2 differs from the back 3 in 5-3-2 or 3-5-2

[@odieony7007]

this might sound dumb but its isnt a 5 3 2 wing backs but a 3 5 2 just left and right midfielders?

[@cathoderaytube1613]

@@odieony7007 i thought so too but the video shows Germany using a 3-5-2 formation but their left-most player of the 5 is Robin Gosens who is a Left-Back isnt he?

[@almdudler5852]

@@cathoderaytube1613 Gosens is not a full back, he is a wing back, the same position he plays at Atalanta with 3 CBs.

[@cathoderaytube1613]

@@almdudler5852 thanks for clarifying. But this also brings up my original confusion between a left full back and a left wing back. In either case, he is a "back" meaning not a full fledged midfielder right? So then whats the difference between a 3-5-2 and a 5-3-2 as stated by @odie ony

[@nekosaurus]

@@cathoderaytube1613 5-3-2, wing backs stay deeper, have more defensive duties. 3-5-3, wing backs are higher up the pitch to create chances higher up the pitch, but have nearly the same defensive duties as 5-3-2. A wide midfielder is just a midfielder, who stays out wide.

[@LadyAnnaMindpretzel]

Some people have already mentioned Conte’s Juve/Chelsea, but I think Louis Van Gaal’s Netherlands also deserve credit for using a back-three at the 2014 WC. Their 5-1 win over Spain was a tactical game-changer.

[@pyotralexander]

but no one mention Van Gaal before though. that formation was become trend and talk in the town because Conte at Juventus and bring it to Chelsea. just accept the fact though

[@Jazzfunkmaster]

Because then Van Gaal tried a back three at Man U, which didn’t work and he got meme’d

[@ProudTarjaholic]

Because Spain had no clue of what they were doing that day, that's why. Van Gaal did well changing the formation into 3-5-2, but a game changer? Netherlands needed a Robben dive vs Mexico to get the win, and a penalty shoot-out vs Costa Rica. Get serious.

[@MrGts92]

@@pyotralexander Yet Guardiola was using it long before which then triggered alot of Italian teams to use it..

[@fishyfish6510]

When talking of a back 3, I will always remember Antonio Conte 👑

[@alwynjimmy5990]

Well looks like that Kieran Tierney is gonna pop up in my nightmares from now on

[@porassrivastava8242]

Before Conte's Chelsea the 3-back defense was so rare, mostly seen in Italy and Some NTs but after 2017 every team was using it. From barca to spurs to Bournemouth.

[@andrenapitupulu9499]

I think in this Euro case, the factors are more about something else rather than tactics: 1. 3rd place in group can still earn team to go to knockout stage 2. With that being said, the teams now are trying not to lose, hence adding more defenders 3. Lesser space for defenders to cover, easier to communicate, as the teams didn't have much time to train, due to lockdowns

[@RafsanS15]

before Sacchi 4-4-2, several teams were used 3-5-2 or asymmetric 4-4-2

[@user-il2nm5fj9e]

Barca never play 3 back, 433 is their default

[@RurouniPedro]

Great video once again! Just a remark. That 2016 Portugal team was a bit all over the place. Patricio was the GK (Beto wasn't part of the squad) Coentrão, Bosingwa, Danny & Tiago weren't part of the squad either (for a long time at that point tbh). LB was Raphael RB was Cedric DMF was usually William Carvalho or Danilo Ronaldo played up front with João Mário and Nani. Thanks for all your hard work!

[@joaomendes7408]

Fds achava que estava a ver mal...Que sentido fez aquilo? hahahah

[@RurouniPedro]

@@joaomendes7408 parece-me um 11 de um amigável qualquer de 2013/2014/2015 x)

[@umsimplesdesconhecido2350]

@@RurouniPedro Termos ganho o Euro 2016 já foi a borra que foi, mas ganhá-lo com o Coentrão e o Bosingwa era tão provável como ganharmos este euro com uma defesa composta por Manafá, Illori, Carraça e Nuno Tavares

[@AdamOBrien29]

Thank you, I seen Bosingwa and was like wow thats a blast from the past

[@umsimplesdesconhecido2350]

@@balobalola8957 Eu estou a falar do Coentrão de 2016 cheio de lesões e o Bosingwa de 2016 do Trabzonspor depois de uns anos antes ter sido despromovido a jogar no QPR. Eles no auge até eram bastante bons, mas em 2016 já não tinham condições para chegar à seleção, mesmo Portugal tendo gajos como o Eliseu e o Vieirinha a laterais

[@RafaelSantos-di5yw]

3:11 Bro, that team definitely wasn't Portugal's starting XI in 2016 Euro

[@lkgpuanimho0349]

Antonio Conte and Chelsea 2016/17 are the ones who revolutionised this system, now it’s so widespread and widely adopted.

[@ArturoSubutex]

By that time it had already been used a lot with great success in Serie A

[@lkgpuanimho0349]

@@ArturoSubutex I know, but it didn’t “catch on” or like I said “widely adopted” before that.

[@nikolas8203]

you chelsea fans want everything to be about you

[@marcopanico1184]

In fact, Antonio Conte had already won 3 serie A titles with Juventus, with this exact system. That team had a superb defense with Chiellini, Bonucci and Barzagli, and even better midfield with Pirlo, Pogba and Vidal.

[@ArturoSubutex]

@@lkgpuanimho0349 Yeah it did, it caught on, only not in England lol

[@farhansubi805]

Video Idea:- How do common people become football managers?

[@WaterCarrier07]

Yes please us commoners need a route in 👍🏻👍🏻

[@userofkrk2199]

Alternative title: How did Pirlo and Lampard became managers? Jk, don’t start a riot

[@Hargazer]

The Sarri route: by coaching local amateur football teams and rise from those teams all the way to the top

[@ayyguevara8448]

Sacchi is the ultimate example went from being a shoe salesman to managing the greatest team ever assembled

[@flick99]

play football manager games

[@FireFist217]

Could you also add how to break down a team playing with a back-three

[@HaylonHarroo87]

Draw wingbacks forward, attack wings with diagonals You’re welcome

[@gabrielehu3157]

@@HaylonHarroo87 wow we have a tactical savant here guys

[@HaylonHarroo87]

@@gabrielehu3157 that’s grade school football

[@akshaypanwar4964]

@@gabrielehu3157 @van is right

[@pranavjha4949]

@@HaylonHarroo87 nice ideology can u manage spurs pls???

[@reddevilayush]

The fact that you produce these high-quality videos day in and day out makes it even more commendable. Thank you!

[@toastedt140]

Curious what a BTS looks like and how many artists they have as well

[@Drvol1]

Greatest back 3 of all time: Cannavaro - Nesta - Maldini. When you have 3 that good you don’t need a 4th

[@user-dv3sm1ff5q]

Just make wingbacks as your extra midfielders.

[@ameennazeer12]

I remember 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 taking over 4-4-2 as the more common formation I think 3 at the back is here to stay

[@mikeal123456789]

That 2016 Portugal example at 3:07 is inaccurate. Half of those players were retired at that point LOL

[@mzakt7]

1:44 playing for arsenal caused tierney to age like 15 years

[@penzbarsirnosi5550]

A genius of the game once asked a rhetorical question; "why Chelsea play soo good?"

[@sudaysfreepalestineandfree6212]

5 3 2 formation

[@bhfilmmaking]

@@sudaysfreepalestineandfree6212 they literally play 3-4-3 not 5-3-2

[@koreanrice7641]

3:06 Is this supposed to be the starting 11 for Portugal in Euro 2016? If this is the case, then it's completely wrong. I think Bosingwa and Tiago even already retired from the national team before that Euros.

[@know3459]

The entire formation looks like a B squad, doesn't resemble 2016 Portugal in the slightest

[@n0body550]

@@know3459 it was literally their team then

[@RuiJMagalhaes]

Only Ronaldo, Nani and Pepe were in the most used 11 in Euro 2016. André Gomes and Moutinho were subs. C

[@LickButDontBite]

@@n0body550 You have no idea what you are talking about. Bosingwa stopped playing for Portugal in 2011, and so did Tiago near after. Neither Beto, Danny or Coentrão were in the team for 2016's Euro. André Gomes only made his debut for Portugal in 2014. So most likely, the lineup that is present in this video never existed even once.

[@n0body550]

@@LickButDontBite It seems we are from alternate timelines

[@tevorspace8812]

I really love this content, very helpful.

[@ammarhabibrotk]

Are you a football coach, that's really cool!

[@Snookbone]

Ok

[@TheRealRabitaman]

The name of the Portuguese squad is almost all wrong xD

[@manswind3417]

Wait how? I hadn't followed the Euro 2016, hence asking. The player names seem all legit to me.

[@ForbiddenOne]

@@manswind3417 Beto, Bosingwa, Coentrão, Tiago and Danny were not even in the squad for Euro 2016. Bruno Alves played only 1 game (the semi final)

[@manswind3417]

@@ForbiddenOne Ohh ok so the squad is outdated. I thought the names of the players were wrong or they weren't portuguese. Nvm tho thanks

[@LucasRodrigues-kq6se]

@@manswind3417 Patricio played every game in goal, Beto and Bosingwa weren’t even in the squad. Vieirinha started as RB vs Iceland but Cedric came in and played the rest of the tournament after his mistake. Ricardo Carvalho played in the group games, Fonte replaced him in the knockouts, Bruno Alves played when Pepe was suspended for the semifinal. Pepe and Fonte started the final. Coentrao wasn’t in the squad either, Eliseu and Guerreiro rotated at LB. Tiago had already retired, William started most games or Danilo came in. Moutinho usually came off the bench, Joao Mario started. Andre Gomes started the tournament but Renato Sanches started the games after he scored against Poland in the Quarterfinal. Danny also wasn’t even in the squad, Adrien Silva was the other Midfielder. Then Ronaldo and Nani were the front two (they put Nani in the wrong place).

[@stevencooke6451]

I was looking at a couple of the names and wondering the same.

[@balazsadorjani1263]

I saw 3-5-2 / 3-4-3 systems are getting more and more popular Came here cause I had the feeling Tifo's gonna have a video covering this very topic Not disappointed in any way! Great vid! Thx!

[@lorenzotriolo9539]

if u talk about 3-5-2, you have definitely to quote Gasperini's Atalanta, the precursor of this way of playing

[@mikefaican6763]

simeone also started using a 352 system in the first half of the season. injury/suspensions/covid free, we won 50 pts in the first 18 matches

[@TheGOAT_]

Quick answer, to pack out the midfield, and use the RCB and LCB as makeshift “fullbacks” with an extra role

[@noobgamer-yt6zj]

Another excellent Tifo video giving in-depth analysis with animation

[@sashaman14]

The 3 in the back is much more viable now because the wing backs are in such better shape than previously....they're able to play defense and help in the offensive side. The wing backs have become the new "box to box" players

[@vinaycharan5731]

Thank you for all the Content Improves my football knowledge a lot

[@Snookbone]

Ok

[@chikedonaldibewuike4867]

Awesome content as usual. Please do a video on Greece of 2004. That's a really rich story.

[@user-mq9rn6hn9q]

3:03 The left winger's name in Greece's squad is "Giannakoppoulos". Worth mentioning, as he has +1 Euro Cup than me. Excellent video once again Tifo!

[@pringles1717]

because you have 3 central defenders close to the 2 holding midfielders relating moves cause the pockets close and instructing the 5 and 2 player, so so close. And the distances, are so close, and at the same time, they are so wiiiiiiiiiiide with the wing backs and so deeeeeeepth with Werner running in behind

[@odhiambobrianian6129]

😂

[@kristiangill2561]

Love the videos! But why do some of the best “defensive” coaches in the world prefer to play a 4-man backline? I’m thinking of the likes of Mourinho, Benitez and Simeone. I know Simeone played a lot of 3-4-3/3-5-2 last season, but he’s mostly played 4-4-2.

[@alvin8609]

With the emergence of many dynamic wingbacks, there is no longer needs for having 2 players on each flank. In turn, they can clog extra players in the middle

[@RafsanS15]

Cafu - Candela, several LBs that coached by Trap (Ziege & Brehme)

[@markkirwan1642]

Good vid, think one on the flaws and weaknesses of 3 at the back would be good too

[@samdash5136]

Gareth Southgate has just completed it. What a manager

[@shaqtaku]

You have taught me so much about football tactics thank you

[@rashidbinzamanshaan5841]

I wanted you guys to make this video. Thanks.

[@QJadipreneT9]

would love another video on 3 man defence, specifically why 3-4-3 is so effective for clubs like chelsea and atalanta and how the 2 centre mids operate in this system

[@yiyangshen9453]

I was just thinking the other day that Tifo should make a video about the reason 3-at-the-back formations gained popularity in recent seasons and here it is!

[@stevendchu]

WIth all the excellent points made in this video, why on Earth don't England play 3 ATB again, seeing how successful they were in 2018? The left wingback options are much better now, Shaw/Chilwell/Saka are all upgrades over a 33 y/o Ashley Young. You still get the benefits of Maguire/Stones being able to step out and make forward passes and you would only have to play 2 CMs, which is arguably England's weakest area in their squad. England's attack looks most dangerous when their attackers have space to run at opponents, playing 3-4-3 would let Southgate still pick 3 of them but give them more license to stay up and not have to track back as much to cover for the fullbacks. That's MUCH better than telling Reece James & Luke Shaw not to overlap at all like the lacklustre game vs Scotland

[@bhfilmmaking]

Spot on, in the warmups and friendlies we played 3-4-3 although most of the pessimistic fans and press interpret the lineup as a 5-2-3 or 5-3-2 which was completely wrong as we were clearly playing with wingbacks. My ideal England lineup is: Stones - Mings - Maguire James- Mount - Rice - Shaw Sancho - Kane - Grealish I'd even experiment with a 3-4-1-2, switching Sancho for Rashford and having Grealish as a CAM

[@stevendchu]

@@bhfilmmaking Wow it's like you read my mind, that's the lineup I was thinking for the R16 match as well. Only change I'd make is Walker for Mings. Stones/Maguire aren't the fastest, and you'll need that recovery pace vs Mbappe/Ronaldo/Gnabry etc.

[@kavonrosta1767]

Hiya fellas, love your work. Is it possible to do a vid on the tactical changes France make when they start with Benxema rather than Giroud? Seems as if Giroud was better for the team and creating chances but they don’t need as many chances as they have a superior goal scorer. Cheers guys, keep up the good work ❤️

[@Andre_Matos1]

The Portugal 2016 starting eleven is completely wrong Some were retired others didn’t even make the cut and weren’t called up that year... Good video nonetheless, but that is 10m of research

[@lebronjohnson6735]

Exactly. Guerrero and Cedric started most of the games and Coantrao wasn't even invited.

[@skoczek777]

In fact, for some teams, we can even talk about 5-3-2 or 5-2-3, depending on the style of play and the tactical assumptions of the wing backs. Many of the teams listed have asymmetric wing backs: Belgium played with Carrasco (winger) and Meunier (wing back). Or Poland for example. Kamil Jóźwiak is a winger, but Maciej Rybus and Tymoteusz Puchacz are left backs or wing backs. And for example, North Macedonia play wing backs with both side defenders (Alioski and Ristovski).

[@bri1085]

The Italian one up, one down fullback system is similar to what Klopp had in place just before Robertson and Trent became starters. Often with Gomez sitting and Alberto Moreno attacking

[@TheBBG31]

I see a lot of people mentionning Conte for bringing the 3 at the back when he came to Chelsea, but actually Walter Mazzarri used it since 2009 at Napoli and was successful with that (part of why Napoli is where is it today). He inspired othwr coaches to use it such as Van Gaal and Conte.

[@calmmind386]

Thomas Tuchel has completely revolutionized Chelsea with this 3 at the back system & made them Champions of Europe in 4 months. That just shows you the power of 3 at the back. From what I have realized, 3 at the back systems are really hard to break down as they have a numerical advantage when defending. That is why Chelsea was able to keep a lot of clean sheets when Tuchel came in.

[@rajivpokharel88]

- Conte's Chelsea in 16/17 brought back 3 system into mainstream, even though the system was regularly used. Mostly focused on disciplined defense and relying on vertical passing, specially long balls, together with some individual performances from the likes of Hazard, Costa, Cesc and Alonso (yeah Alonso, he was a beast in that season). - Tuchel's Chelsea in 20/21 (although less than half a season) is a beautiful example of back 3 system together with high intensity pressing. Similar to Conte, TT's system was/is also focused with extreme discipline in defense but at the same time, he included some Germany-ness into it by making players to press higher relentlessly most of the times. This allowed opponents less time to organize and hence, Chelsea faced least shots on target under Tuchel.

[@nathanmwande9804]

I'm curious as to why it's "Johan Cruyff's team of 1974" when he was just a player in the team and Rinus Michels was the manager of the team?

[@jabrilmahmmed573]

Yes cruyff was a player and learned the basics from his coach. People make it as if he created it when he became a coach. He used to play in it. Rinus inspired cruyff and people forget that

[@nathanmwande9804]

@@jabrilmahmmed573 Exactly! And it annoys me so much because Michels inspired Cruyff's ideas the way Cruyff inspired Guardiola's ideas but you rarely hear talks of Michels. If even a group as well researched as Tifo conforms to this oversight then I've lost all hope in seeing Michels contribution to football being widely recognised in the mainstream.

[@mpitsikletiuser6081]

@@nathanmwande9804 if people like Capello refer to Ajax as cruyff's, then it was Cruyff's. It's like Messi/Alba Barca when Valverde was the coach. If somebody shut Alba then the whole team was doing nothing. In that sense Cruyff made all of Ajax style and play roll. There are reasons a specific person is in the memory. Nobody would say that Barcelona of 2009 was Messi's. It was Guardiola all the way. Also Zidane's France that went to the WC final in 2006. Another example is that everybody could say that Barca of 2006 was Ronaldinho's but, and it's a big but, cause of the stench of that Barca's collapse comes in mind, then it was Rijkaard's. sorry for my english. hope i'm not misunderstood. Got my point?

[@nathanmwande9804]

@@mpitsikletiuser6081 I understand you perfectly and complletely agree with everything you're saying about who stays in the memory when it comes to teams with outstanding players. However, my grievance with this doesn't have to do with the fact that Cruyff was the most prominent figure in RInus Michels' teams. It has to do with the fact that when we're talking about tactics, we're talking about the manager/coach's implementation of their ideas, but when it comes to RInus Michels' teams that Cruyff played in, it's often implied that Cruyff was the one behind all the tactics, with Michels rarely being given any credit. Of course there are managers whose tactics have been so bad that without a brilliant player in the team, they would have suffered horribly. In my opinion this was the case with Messi/Alba and Valverde. But as far as I know, Michels' tactics were like Guardiola's in that they were brilliant but having the best players available to implement these ideas made them look even better.

[@nathanmwande9804]

@Silvestre That's just the thing, I have read into it and what I've read has suggested that they worked together on some ideas but ultimately, RInus Michels is the father of total football but Cruyff's improvement of it and implementation when he became a coach was what made it a football phenomenon. I haven't seen anything suggesting what you've just said. I'll read a bit more and see what I find but at this point that probably sets me up for confirmation bias so please do suggest a few sources if you can think of any...

[@scarletdelta1886]

Congrats on hitting A MILLION SUBS

[@enitenoku3150]

Criminal that this video was created to highlight the strengths and fluidity of a back 3 and there was no mention of Antonio Conte or his coaching tactics at all the clubs he’s managed

[@aayush_shrestha]

Wondering how the video missed mentioning Chelsea who brought back 3 into highlights once again due to Conte and they completely changed their form, their game and had the strongest defense across europe..plus they recently also won the UCL using the same formation.

[@vapour9000]

Belgium also use it because it makes up for their lack of quality fullbacks

[@awf2512]

the reason why belgium started the 343 at the time was because we had 3 of the world's best CB (kompany verthonghen and alderweireld at their tottenham prime) and it was hard to put 1 on the bench,moreover I think that,appart from the defensive stability,the 3 at the back gives belgium the numerical superiority to start the build up,added to the fact that we have certainly 2 of the most comfortable CB with the ball with Alderweireld and Boyata,which helps belgium reach KDB or the wingers to move the ball around.

[@BeachPleased]

because the Manager choose to play with back three, obviously Jokes aside, another high quality content as always

[@pranvsharma]

The cover image reminds me of that iconic United jersey

[@pkingglazersout6665]

Could you lot do a video decoding Hungary's golden generation and their tactics? I know it's irrelevant as of now due to the euros but would love to see a video about that

[@ShivamDD1810]

That team played tiki taka before it was cool

[@fedegalla1996]

This year, Conte's Inter Milan had the thirds (Bastoni and Skriniar) that in some occasion followed the action leaving a 1 man defense, basically a 1-3-4-2, creating overlaps with the wing back and the mezzala. In fact, sometimes adapted Darmian and D'Ambrosio to have more technique in the construction phase

[@fedegalla1996]

For example: look at Bastoni's overlap in Lukaku's goal vs Crotone

[@henry77772]

0:26. I saw what you did there..cheeky my friend 👍

[@himankudas9503]

Talking about back 3 and forgetting to even mention Tuchel's Chelsea or Conte's Inter... Instead talking about Pep's rarely preferred back 3 system

[@aliwoo._]

I’m here after there win against Portugal, and Belgiums 3 back does really work nicely.

[@joshfarrell6842]

You did Tierney dirty with that picture

[@thedislikebutton163]

Have to mention Graham Potter's Brighton, he managed more than 50% possession with sub par players.

[@nikolas8203]

yeah let's forget he had an extra man on the pitch

[@josiahchudleigh6801]

Roberto Martinez isn't going to be happy with his illustration 😂

[@jmckendry84]

Poor Keiran Tierney has aged about 20 years as well... Must be the stress of playing for Arsenal and Scotland!

[@franskmering]

A cycle repeated. Until 90s 3/5/2 was a popular tactic, with Germany at Euro 96 is the last great team to use it. Then it tactically outclassed with the rise of 4/4/2, with Wingers supported by fullback bombarded both flanks, overwhelmed wing back and drawn centre back to fill the space left behind or supporting WB, creating 1 on 1 situation between remaining CBs and FWs.

[@luizadame7382]

So they can cover more space. It divides the pitch into a more “efficient” way to cover ground in theory yes it makes sense to cover and press forcing a mistake from the opposite. However players need a lot practice and chemistry for the back three to work. Since the development phase of a footballer at u10 or younger they learn to play with a back 4. Everyone has played a back 4 at some point in their youth development but when it comes to a back 3, players might need a lot of time to get used to. In theory yes it works, but in practice especially in youth level it doesn’t.

[@mamchi]

I would say player suitability and defensive mentality as two main reasons.

[@HaiLeQuang]

Team can only play back three if their wingback is capable of handling his flank on his own, which is a very physical demanding task. Our national team made relatively sound achievements in recent years with back 3 but sometimes I hate it especially when the team plays against better team. Both wingback then played very deep and was unable to provide width for attacking. The formation is basically 5-3-2 and we are pinned on our half, impossible to make any attack. So use it with your own risk.

[@kohchungwei]

Tifo do you think Turkey should revert to a back three? I really think this idea should be further explored by their coach...

[@GuinessOriginal]

Bit late for that now, it's not going to help them in this tournament

[@kohchungwei]

@@GuinessOriginal yeah they're out... I just meant maybe at the World Cup

[@GuinessOriginal]

@@kohchungwei I'd be surprised if that coach is still in the job at the world Cup

[@kohchungwei]

@@GuinessOriginal agreed. He'll definitely be gone

[@AmIr-rc4dl]

Clearly since antonio conte won the premier league with chelsea using 343 formation a lot of teams tried to emulate that and using the back 3 system as their main formation

[@cosmiclyrics2307]

Not a single mention of Chelsea under Tuchel or Conte's first season but they mentioned man city for some reason

[@balham5606]

Good video

[@Josh-cm9jw]

Bielsa employs a 3-3-3-1 at Leeds to outnumber two-man attacks. The shape switches to a 4-1-4-1 in possession as the middle centre back pushes into a defensive midfield role, almost like a libero

[@alexmarissens4016]

The main reason Belgium play a 3-4-2-1 is probably just because aside from Meunier they don't have any nameworthy fullbacks while having good attackers and central defenders.

[@abhishekbansal1091]

Why isn't tuchel and Conte's chelsea here??

[@kidpagronprimsank05]

IMO, because now CB are more or less comfortable with the ball without the need of libero. Also, as the video said.

[@dake6844]

Plz do video about playing against 3 CB formation. Just look how poor was Portugal (4-2-3-1) against Germany on defensive flanks, where German wingbacks always had space. At the same time France was good against Germany having same formation. Also Mourinho once said that it is easier to play with 3 CB against 3 CB team, that's why he was changing formation of Man Utd from team to team.

[@Hargazer]

France did well in that game because the midfield was playing very well. And Germany's midfield lacked a defensive midfielder or midfielder that covers all the weaknesses and makes things work well.

[@ukwatakelvin6694]

@@Hargazer Germany still played an unchanged lineup from their first game against Portugal, the difference in both matches against Germany was that the quality of midfielders in French team was higher than Portuguese midfielders.Mbappe and especially Griezmann did a lot of tracking back.

[@hafizdadryan1643]

It's hard to get a discipline wingback that also can attack and have a lot of stamina

[@sharath1039]

It's not 3, it's 5 at the back. It's more defensive than with 4 defenders.

[@joaomiguel6979]

Bro, what? At 3:06, Portugal's 11 in 2016 wasn't that one at all. Bosingwa had retired from the national team at that point. Danny, Beto, Tiago and Coentrão weren't even called up that year. That team was the one we used against Argentina in a friendly in 2014, how did that end up here?

[@blessedbetwitch827]

This is how I manage my Team in my FM2020 save file 👍👍

[@calunchained]

Great video, one criticism would be that you mentioned Roberto Martinez and put up a picture of Dominic Cummings instead, easy mistake to make

[@Tifo]

😂

[@mohammednazal8256]

0:30 bruh I thought it was India in the middle

[@sapiens1076]

Same bruh.😆

[@barcazee8798]

but the 3 at the back used now is very different from the one used by johan cruyff 3-4-3 it was quite attack minded with ronald koeman as a libero

[@keepscrolling6042]

Van gaal tried it first in United but didn’t have the right players to do it. Conte did, he turned moses, alonso, mitchy, and david luiz into PL champions.😂

[@ayyguevara8448]

i don’t think you can't have a discussion about 3 at the back in contemporary tactics without discussing Conte, Gasperini or Inzaghi

[@manofconstantsorrow]

You couldn't be more wrong. 3-5-2 is way more offensive formation than let's say 4-4-2. And it's not for weaker teams. Actually the 5 guys in the middle suggest controlling the game. 3-5-2 is a great formation. Very underrated.

[@honestarsenalfan7038]

Kieran Tierney? 🎶That one there was a violation I wouldn't have it🎶

[@mariofernandez1171]

Arteta won Arsenal the FA Cup title by constantly using a 343 formation in the FA Cup tournament

[@indrohari1908]

Conte maybe the one who make back 3 popular in EPL, but in Italy Conte more or less copy his 352 from Mazzari Napoli 352 .. Conte before managing Juve, his favourite formation is 424 .. At first he use 424 at Juve, but change to 352 since his squad more suitable to play 352 ..

[@riser7795]

Not sure if its just me, but I prefer this style of presentation over those in Tifo IRL

[@task3r_]

Greate vídeo, but that Portugal XI is not at all from 2016 :)

[@jakemarqzros2166]

2 Tifo vids in 24 hours? What did I do to deserve this

[@ElMaestro1710]

Pretty surprise to see Jose Mourinho staying out of 3-man defence trend despite managing Spurs who has the resources to field 3 quality center back at once

[@TheGASM666]

That Portugal lineup at 3:08 is wrong in so many levels. Coentrão, Danny and Bosingwa were not in even in the actual squad

[@arushh42]

*Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte liked this post*

[@kankantona9070]

this one is one of the few less educational video IMO. back 3 doesn't mean much now, many back 4 teams have a very deep DM dropping back into defence

[@betaman2009]

Exactly. Especially now that almost everyone prefers to build up from the back. One DM effectively becomes the 3rd CB.

[@crysis1234567]

the cruyff team shown was 4-3-3 though wasn't it? did you mean the 3-4-3 with koeman as the libero and guardiola in the mid?

[@108u9]

Tifo published tutorial for finalised Spurs coach Ryan Mason

[@sloveniesta]

Someone tried telling me at work that 3 back systems weren't currently being used in professional soccer and would never make a comeback and I spit up my coffee...

[@RafaelSantos-di5yw]

A team literally won the Champions League with that tactic