FLAT BACK FOUR SYSTEMS

Flat back four systems have replaced the "sweeper" system for quite some time now, in most countries. Certain countries have manadated this style right from their youth systems to their national teams. As opposed to the old sweeper/man marking systems, flat back four (or zonal) defending offers more defensive and attacking versatility. The most common version is the classic 4-4-2, but a reincarnation of the traditional 4-3-3 is becoming popular. There are variations depending on the team strategy, such as 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-2-1.

Flat Back Four defending requires a lot of practice due to it's lack of a constant covering defender, or sweeper. Defenders need to be careful so they don't blow the off-side trap and give up break-aways. They need to stay in constant visual and verbal contact. They need to automate shifting, forward, sideways and covering movements. When it works, it's beautiful, when it doesn't, it's ugly.

Let's look at the world cup coming up. One of the perennial powerhouses and home field favourites is Germany. The new coach, Klinsmann, is bringing a modern style to the established German system. And that includes a flat back four defense. With all the good things Klinsmann is doing, this might be the biggest risk and could turn out to be the achilles heel for Germany. The German youth system is not unified in training this system. The national team players need to learn the basics, starting three weeks before the opening game. Watch for Germany struggling with the system. On the other end of the spectrum, watch Holland and Brasil play it to perfection.

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Left/Right Foot Kicking

Most players have a naturally stronger foot they prefer to dribble and shoot with. Few players are equally as strong with both feet.
This impacts the optimal position for the player to play in and how the team chooses to execute set plays, in particular free kicks and corner kicks

Positional Play:

Keep it simple. Play the player on the side of his/her strength. Left footers play left defense, left midfield and left forward. Right footers on the opposite side. Some coaches like players playing on their off-side, but that only makes it difficult for the players.

Set Plays:

Here is where there are real options.
Right footed players crossing balls in from the right will typically hit "outswingers", i.e. the ball curves away from the net, sort of in the shape of a banana.
Right footed players crossing balls in from the left will typically hit "inswingers", i.e. the ball curves towards the net.
The same is true for left footers from the left (outswingers) and right (inswingers) sides.

Corner Kicks:

If on a corner kick from the right, you want the ball to curl away from the goalkeeper, have a right footed player take it. If you want the ball to curl towards the goalkeeper, have a left footer take it from the right side.
The decision is based on where you want to apply the pressure and which runs the other players are making to get to the ball.

Free Kicks:

On free kicks near the penalty box, where a wall is in place, similar thinking applies.
If the free kick is from the right side (when looking at the goal) and you want to play a cross curling away from goal towards the far post, use a right footed player. If you want the ball to curl toward the goalkeeper, use a left footer.
If you want to take a shot on goal, bending the ball around the far end of the wall, use a left footer. If you want to take a shot around the near end of the wall, use a right footer.
Again, the opposite is true from the other side.