Countering a 4-3-3

[Danklin]

Hey guys!

 

  So I've been having a pretty successful save with my Juventus team. I'm in my second year and we did the treble last season and lost to man city in the champs league final 3-2. I've been playing in a 4-3-1-2 with Pjanic in the hole behind the two strikers. The tactic works great except it struggles a bit when I play a team in a 4-3-3 (really a 4-1-2-3) with a deep lying player right in front of the CB's. I suppose that deep lying player in the opposing half is neutralizing my AP who is one of my most important players. Any suggestions on how to counter this while still keeping a two striker system? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[westy8chimp]

You have a 3 vs 2 in the middle if their DM focuses on your AM... so make one of the 3 cms your primary playmaker... maybe change the AM to trequarista to drag the DM around more.

[herne79]

I play a 442 narrow diamond, which is fairly similar to a 4312.  If I find my AMC is struggling for space for whatever reason, dropping him back to central midfield as a CM(A) with appropriate PIs can really help.

[Danklin]

Yeah I was thinking about creating that kind of system. Basically a 4-1-2-1-2? Right now my midfield three consists of a DLP and two BWM's on either side of him. I have Pjanic ahead of them as an Enganche or AP depending on the situation. Up top I have Harry Kane and Lukaku as a TM and Poacher. How would you suggest I change this to make it a 442 diamond narrow?

[A.Pierfrancesco]

@Danklin, @herne79 suggestion is to move your AP in the AMC spot into the MC spot and change his role to a MC(A) with proper PIs to recreate the AP role, such as "roam from position", "more risky passes" , in order to create a kind of 4-1-3-2. 

[jonomagloneo]

I've really enjoyed playing around with the 4-3-1-2/4-1-3-2/4-1-2-1-2 recently - have always been a LW/RW kinda guy until recently, but love the way these systems can be tweaked to counter specific threats, and/or take advantage of opposition weakness.

I've actually deployed a 4-3-1-2 against some 4-1-2-3 systems to nullify the DM where I've felt this to be prudent. I did as such in a recent CL knockout vs Barca, I set my AM as a AM(s) with the PI of close down more, likewise PI-wise for my two outermost CMs (both CM(s)), with a DLP(d) between  them closing down less. The effect was that Barca really struggled to get out and thus had a grand total of one shot on goal in the whole match. I also then had the numerical advantage, with the DLP always in space for a pass.

Your Enganche duty will likely not help when playing against the 4-1-2-3, as he won't move around so much, so I like @westy8chimp's suggestion of a Treq in AM, and/or at least making one of your CMs your playmaker... Perhaps your LCM or RCM could be a Roaming Playmaker, possibly with an AM(a) to try and create just a little more space for the RP.