switching to a 3-5-2

[hurricanesoccer]

anyone use a 3-5-2 have any tips for me...last year we played a 4-3-3 and had 3 girls finish within top 10 scorers of league. However we lost 1 of them to graduation (a holding forward) and lost our big central midfielder who could carry the mid responsibility for herself. i want to switch to a 3-5-2 b/c of our personnel this year- how do i keep my goal production up? and where do i place my most skilled players?

[Kevin8833]

anyone use a 3-5-2 have any tips for me...last year we played a 4-3-3 and had 3 girls finish within top 10 scorers of league. However we lost 1 of them to graduation (a holding forward) and lost our big central midfielder who could carry the mid responsibility for herself. i want to switch to a 3-5-2 b/c of our personnel this year- how do i keep my goal production up? and where do i place my most skilled players?
3-5-2 can be very complicated I would be skeptical of that, why not try a 4-4-2?

[Crimson Ace]

anyone use a 3-5-2 have any tips for me...last year we played a 4-3-3 and had 3 girls finish within top 10 scorers of league. However we lost 1 of them to graduation (a holding forward) and lost our big central midfielder who could carry the mid responsibility for herself. i want to switch to a 3-5-2 b/c of our personnel this year- how do i keep my goal production up? and where do i place my most skilled players?
You mentioned you are switching because of your personnel. Does your roster include two thoroughbreds? In a 3-5-2, you not only need two horses to run on the outside, but your other players have to be very soccer smart to get the most out of the system. Having run a 3-5-2 myself for several seasons, I would highly recommend transitioning to a 3-4-3. Same 3-back, but much more balanced in transition.

However, to answer your questions... (1) where to place your best athletes in a 3-5-2 is a tough question. Your center back is critical, but so are your three center mids. If your three center mids are game smart, you can have them all cover for each other and go both ways. At least one of them should be a stud. Your wide mids have to either be able to run all day, or you'll need one on your bench of equal strength that can rotate in.

(2) To best maintain production in a 3-5-2, I recommend that your forwards stay linked at the hip. I tell my forward they're not allowed to be any farther apart than the center circle is wide. They need to combine to get in as opposed to running at teams. As your team (and the ball) goes to the strong side, your team now needs to be taught to use the weak-side midfielder. It can be as complex as you and your team can make it, but that should get you started.

If you don't already own it, I suggest you buy Women's Soccer: Techniques, Tactics & Teamwork by Robert Laugger and April Kater. They break down various systems of play for females in a very easy to understand way. Best of luck.

[firstshirt]

switching from any formation to a 3-5-2 is not that easy. When I was coaching HS, the last two years that was our alternative formation. We played a 4-3-3 for the most part. In preseason during out scrimages we would play one half in 4-3-3 and the other in 3-5-2. 3-5-2 can be played numerous different ways, defensively and offensively. I would suggest figuring out how and when you want to use it, introduce it in practice games and bring it along slowly like when you have a comfortable lead in a game, make the switch at half time and see if you have the right type of players for that formation.
as for goal production? as long as you have more then the other guy that is all that counts. You might lose a 12 goal scorer but someone will pick up some of that loss eventually. I always played my more skilled guys in the center of the field in almost like a triangle, two defensive mids and one attacking. they all had the ability to change up and had great defensive and attacking skill, very good soccer savy too which is just as important

[stevewhit0]

I find that playing a 3-5-2 at the girls level is way to difficult and opens you up when you playing teams with a solid forward. Weak opposing teams just resort to long ball and create a lot of chances and solid teams will kill you on the counter. I'm really interested in trying out a 4-3-2-1 at the girls level has anyone used it before?

[Crystal Palace 90]

anyone use a 3-5-2 have any tips for me...last year we played a 4-3-3 and had 3 girls finish within top 10 scorers of league. However we lost 1 of them to graduation (a holding forward) and lost our big central midfielder who could carry the mid responsibility for herself. i want to switch to a 3-5-2 b/c of our personnel this year- how do i keep my goal production up? and where do i place my most skilled players?

What age group are we talking about? How soccer smart and atheletic are the 3 CMs? 3-5-2 is most efficient if you have 2 very good defensive CMs with good field vision and judgment.

If you are interested in goal production and have a stud CM, you can invert the central players into 1 defensive and 2 attacking CM. This way, you have essentially a 4-4-2 with the back line in diamond and the interior mids playing attack most of the time.

[gazza19]

You shouldnt be pigeon wholing your team with 1 formation. A good team should be able to play a number of formations. You need to be able to adapt your formation when needed. Man Utd often switch from a 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1. Different games may require different formations, adaptability is the key.

[ranova]

Just curious on what you decided to do. (I didn't comment because you asked for advice based on experience with the 352, and I have never used or played that system.) Please let us know how its working out.

[Shameus]

I coach high school girls soccer. I started the season with a 3-5-2. I had 3 strong backs, 2 very strong strikers, a dominant CM to go along with 2 OK CMs, but like Crimson Ace stated, you have to be strong outside and I was starting 2 freshman. It was OK the first 2 games, but the 3rd I got nailed by a 15 goal margin. I switched to a 4-4-2 after that and have only given up 11 goals in 10 games since. I really like the 3-5-2, but I agree you have to play to the strength of your squad and moving on of my CM's back to LB has really helped her and strengthened my squad. I have thrown a 4-3-3 out there occasionally this season. But I don't think I'll be able to go back to the 3-5-2 as much as I would like to. Just thought I'd throw my 2 cents out there.

[JohnR]

Our club team plays a 3-5-2, very successfully.

Can't tell you about a 3-5-2 in general, but I can tell you how we play it.

1) Smart defenders. They're not overly athletic, but are very sound positionally. Cut off the passing lanes, cover for each other.

2) Two excellent D mids who cover the middle very effectively, and who distribute cleanly, simply, and accurately. They play out of pressure well.

3) Two wingbacks who track back defensively, giving a great deal of support defensively along the flanks.

4) Two very dangerous forwards who can create a lot of chances working with numbers down.

As we play it, it's a bear defensively, very hard to beat by attacking up the middle, with strong counterattacking punch if teams overcommit offensively.

[Kevin8833]

Our club team plays a 3-5-2, very successfully.

Can't tell you about a 3-5-2 in general, but I can tell you how we play it.

1) Smart defenders. They're not overly athletic, but are very sound positionally. Cut off the passing lanes, cover for each other.

2) Two excellent D mids who cover the middle very effectively, and who distribute cleanly, simply, and accurately. They play out of pressure well.

3) Two wingbacks who track back defensively, giving a great deal of support defensively along the flanks.

4) Two very dangerous forwards who can create a lot of chances working with numbers down.

As we play it, it's a bear defensively, very hard to beat by attacking up the middle, with strong counterattacking punch if teams overcommit offensively.
I believe those two are the biggest difference between success and failure in the 3-5-2.

[IFGoalie21]

in my school we play a 4-3-3. i ********ing hate it.

dont know anything about the formation your playing. but i imagine it cant be worse than the 4-3-3.

[Berean Todd]

What do you hate about the 4-3-3? And is your team playing a true 4-3-3 or the Barca style 4-3-3/4-5-1 hybrid?

[ref123]

I personally use it at my high school. I find it to be the best formation for our team. It is great because you have the power of attack with three strikers and the power of defense with transition midfielders.

[CT-ref]

I watched a D1 college team switch from a 4-4-2 last fall to a 3-5-2 in the spring then continue with the 3-5-2 this fall. The 3-5-2 requires a different set of players to work, more speed and quickness moving the ball through the midfield up to the offensive third. Defenders never play or possess the ball out of the back, just knock it up to a mid and don't screw up. Defensive mistakes are goals, almost guaranteed.

The 3-5-2 for them seems to work best against technical teams that like to play through the midfield. Lots of turnovers and counter-attacks with numbers.

Against physical teams that play over the top, it can create trouble, but only if they play wide and deep into the corners. Up the middle is easily controlled.

Forwards have to work back in this scheme, stay closely connected to the mids. It can really open up some mid-tier teams, I've seen way more goals than I expected. Against top teams, it can produce a very close match, low scoring.

[DustyLucho]

3-5-2 is a style for teams that have good wingers and that want to be well positioned in deffense with 3 full backs and the help of the wingers, so at deffense they can do a 5. In my school yesterday we played 4-4-2, but we changed to 4-3-1-2, and the result, 3 goals, we won 3-2... i think that for high school soccer the best ones can be the 4-3-1-2 and the diamond like 4-1-2-1-2.

[kellog09]

I was talking to a friend who said they played a 3-5-2 with his club. He told me what made it work for them.

Their outside backs were as solid as a brick wall, and the entire defensive worked extremely well together. He said he barely had to do anything as the Center back/Sweeper.

Also the three central mids could all distribute the ball extremely well up top, and the outside mids always supported the forwards. The forwards also had a great connection and moved together. Basically they crammed the middle, won the ball, distributed to the outside where they went 3 on 2 with the 2 forwards and outside mid. Then they got the corner, where the other outside mid and at least one of the center guys was crashing in. And presto...goall...