Custom Tactics for 4-3-3 (4)

Round 3.  I am not sure how long we are going to continue this series but if we do I would love to hear which tactics you want to be covered.  Honestly, I have really enjoyed experimenting with these and it has certainly offered quality options during different Weekend League scenarios.  I am sure I am not alone in saying that too often I simply accept my fate in Weekend League… blaming the “flawed game mechanics” or a “superior opponent” when I could be working towards finding a solution.  With each of these reviews, I am realizing more and more just how drastically you can shape a game with a simple reshuffle mid match.  With that, enter the 4-3-3 (4) formation; certainly the most flexible formation I have covered and with the slightest tweaks can provide a chameleon like blend into whatever focus is needed.  While I have not arrived at a place where I feel comfortable enough to roll out the 4-4-3 (4) this Weekend League… I should note that I have yet to lose a Division Rivals match since implementing the finished project.  Let’s dive into what is working so well: 
 

Why 4-3-3 (4)?

Up until the middle of FIFA 19, I was a hardcore 4-3-3 believer.  I liked the width, the 3 wide presence in the midfield, and the intricacy in the free flowing attack.  This was the generic 4-3-3 and I was a stone cold Gold 1 player … often reaching the destination on my final match.  The change to a 4-2-3-1 was a revelation at the time and the added defensive support was key to a growing improvement, but still Gold 1 finishes.  It wasn’t until FIFA 20 that I stumbled into the 4-4-2 and really started to fall in love with a formation again.  The midfield still offered the majority of the support as the 4-2-3-1 … but I had the benefits of the 4-3-3 width with the RM and LM spending 90 minutes with chalk on their boots.  One issue I have had with the 4-4-2 is how parallel my strikers are to one another in attack and skilled defenders will close down options between the two of them. So, in reply, I have one of my strikers often set to a False 9 or Target Man option so they are dropping back to get the ball.  Essentially, I was using my tactics to create what the 4-3-3 (4) does naturally, and I am starting to think this might be the way… key word, starting.
 

Tactics
 

Play Style

No matter the playstyle I think you are going to see me using Balanced Attack and Defending at the start of any match.  Later in matches, the need for Constant Pressure or All Out Attack can become clear … but I like to start with a more reserved approach.  However, one thing I played within almost every match with the 4-3-3 (4) was the instruction on the CAM and CMs.  As I stated previously, this formation does not take much to transform from Guardiola’s Barcelona with midfielders and strikers overloading opponent’s leaving them wondering where everyone came from… into a conservative, Mourinho parking the bus in a massive match approach.  I actually started to picture a weekend where I never change formation, but have a bunch of tactic variations based on opponents and circumstance for the 4-3-3 (4), and I think it would be interesting to see the results. 
 

Width 

Much like the 3-4-1-2 and 4-4-2 that I have previously reviewed, 5 width is just the perfect combination of width and protection.  The wingers and wing backs in the 4-4-3(4) want to get wide and hold the width whenever possible.  Anything more than 5 saw them become non-existent and borderline invisible.  Less than 5 turned the formation into more of the 4-2-3-1… and in that case, you might as well just make the switch.  With 5… the balance was perfect and it facilitated a lot of what makes the 4-3-3(4) so potent in attack, and secure in defence. 
 

Depth

I tried.  Seriously I tried it all.  I tried going overboard at 9 – 10… I tried my 4-4-2 favorite of 7 … I even went down to the 3-4-1-2 depth of 5 – 6 with little success.  The number of goals I was conceding early in this review was shocking… and if not for the attacking superiority I would have probably given up on this review around then.  However, with a lot of experimentation, I finally arrive at the magic number… 4.  Oddly enough the amount of pressure my squad put on opponents with 4 depth resembled my 7 in the 4-4-2 and I am not entirely sure why?  Regardless, I was finally happy with the mixture of pressure and security… and I could focus more on the intricacy of the player instructions moving forward.
 

Player Instructions

II think by now we all know what certain tactics like Get in Behind on a striker or overlapping Fullbacks will do… and more importantly when to use them.  So I will give the standard instructions for those positions and go a bit more in-depth in the midfield, as that is where the magic happens in the 4-3-3(4).
 

GK: Comes for Crosses 

CBs: Stay Back Attacking - Normal Int.

LB/RB: Stay Back Attacking – Normal Int. – Overlap Runs

LW/RW: Come Back – Cut Inside – Balance Support – Get in the Box – Normal Int.
Note: Get in Behind → they were never available for the outlet pass, so went back to Balanced

ST: Balanced – Mixed – Normal – Basic
Note: Get in Behind → took striker away from combination with CAM and CM so I often stay Balanced
Note: Target Man → works really well against Drop Back Danny, ST then fronts their CBs 

CAM: Basic – Get in the Box – Free Roam – Normal Int.
Note: Come Back on Defense → really turns this formation defensive and gets a lot of bodies back.
Note: Stay Forward → you might as well play a two ST formation with a False 9, CAM gets lost

CM (Defensive Specialist) → Stay Back Attack – Balanced – Normal Int. – Stick Position – Cover Center
CM (Att. or Def. Specialist depending on gameplay) → Normal Int. – Stick Position – Cover Center
Note: Balanced Attack – Get in Box → my favorite! Creates an attack with 5 players in the box, madness!
Note: Balanced Attack – Edge Box → creates an umbrella around the box to await openings in back line
Note: Stay Back – Balanced Box → Turns 4-3-3(4) into the 4-2-3-1 wide
Note: Get Forward – Get in Box → Strap in for a wild ride offensively… extremely vulnerable to counter

Conclusion

The CAM and second CM in this formation are everything.  As you will note in my video I played Neymar in the CAM position and he was made for that role.  The areas he found space, the pace to push the attack forward, the passing of a midfielder combined with the finishing of a ST… all key to how the 4-3-3(4) operated.  You will notice that I then had Kante as my defensive destroyer, again a perfect fit.  But then I had Pirlo (a result of a sad Base ICON pack opening) as the other CM… and that card simply was not built for the box to box demands of this formation.  After subbing in RTTF Atal it was night and day, everything started to click, and you will note that after being down in the first half it was a dominant second-half performance … Atal’s midfield work rate and pace a key contributor.  This position certainly needs that engine style player, which Pirlo is definitely not.  And with that, we bring another tactics review to a close.  I hope that you find the same joy and results that I have since working with the 4-3-3(4).  Let me know in the comments if you try these specific tactics and how they work for you.  Also, I would love to hear any intricacies that you have been utilizing in the formation.  Finally, are there other formations we should be looking at, or does this mark the end of the series?  Regardless, it has been fun… which is a breath of fresh air.  Cheers for reading.

4-3-3 (4) Custom Tactics Video: