Does 4-3-3 Work?

In the Prem??! (dun dun dun!!!)

I've tried it a few times and it never works, i've never seen a team in the prem use it against me and win, even when I was a poor team in my first season up.

It just seems that unless you have 2 good wingers you're doomed to lose every match.

Works for me, my 2 CMs score most of my goals mind and the winger have loaaaaads of assists

I play it in a 4-2-1-2-1 setting in Serie A. Successful enough for a recently-promoted team

The 4-1-2-2-1 style (like Chelsea use) definately works. Along with the 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 I'd say it's one of the "core" formations you can get working reasonable easily anywhere. A "true" 4-3-3 (ie 3 CMs, 3 STs), on the other hand, is much harder to get working.

I used the "fake" 4-3-3 (the one with wingers which is really a 4-5-1) the first year or two i the Prem with a weaker team to grind out results. Recently I've used a a very direct 4-3-3 as a way of hitting teams on the break once I'm 1 up and they're pushing more men forward for an equaliser. Works great if you have two fast, creative strikers told to cross lots either side of one who can head.

im man city and i play a 4-3-3 and it worrks a treat......all three strikers score plenty of goals each!!

If you need advice, the best place for formation/tactics stuff is the Tactics Forum.

Well depends on what kind of players do you have, you need a striker with strong body(Drogba) or great technique(Benzema), AMRL needs to have the ability to skin the DRL easily and attract other defenders, your MCs need to have good passing and defense skills, at least one of them can go forward often, score goals. If your striker and winger does not meet the requirement, don't use it.

I'm coaching national teams these days, using 4-1-2-2-1 on Portugal and Ivory Coast.

Portugal's squad was made for 4-1-2-2-1, Almedia is a good target man, able to hold the ball and score goals, the wingers don't need to mention, too powerful. Deco and Moutinho/Raul both can go forward and use long shots, plus Veloso is good at almost everything. The DRL has good crossing skills. I won the World Cup, took down Iran(4:2), Paraguay(1:1), South Africa(4:0) in the group, Austria(4:0), Argentina(2:2 p), Serbia(5:1) and Italy(3:1). I had 25+shots average, the opponent had about 8.

Ivroy Coast is much weaker, it does not have world class wingers or playmakers like Portugal. Kalou and Keita are ok. Drogba is magnificent. I use Yaya Toure play as the role of Lampard and reached semi final.