The Three-Man Move

Effectiveness of three-man strike teams. The three-man move is another very effective weapon in the attacking arsenal. It is distinguished from simple passing between players in that the initiator of the move finishes it with a shot on goal or a well-placed pass leading to a shot. It is thus a collaboration of three distinct players. Famous three-man strike teams are legendary in football, from the earliest days, through the famous Hungarian sides of the 1950s, to the "clockwork orange" of the Dutch masters in the 1970s, through the German, Italian, French, Argentinian, Brazilian, and other teams of the contemporary era. The three-man package can be more effective than the two-man combo because it gives more attacking options and causes more confusion in the defense. The initial pass cannot be quickly cut off as in the two-man maneuver which really has only one option. Typically the second pass in the three-man move lures and diverts defenders on to false ground. This gives the initiator of the sequence time to run into an advantageous position. Triple player collaborations of course do not operate in isolation – they have other supporting players – but the tight three-man exchange still remains a fundamental pillar of successful attacking play.

Brazil vs Uruguay 1970 – strike package: Jairzinho – Pelé – Tostão. The example below, is drawn from one of the most famous strike teams in World Cup history- Pelé, Tostão and Jairzinho. This goal, against Uruguay in the 1970 semi-final, captures the power of the move. The fast winger Jairzinho set the stage- dribbling down the right flank before finding Pelé ahead. Tightly marked, and with his back to the goal, Pelé immediately played a subtle pass to Tostão. The Brazilian center-forward drew the defense to him with a short dribble before finding Jairzinho again on the wing. This exchange of passes gave Jairzinho a lead on other defenders and he made the most of it – accelerating down the wing, selling a dummy (letting the ball run after pretending to stop and play it) on Uruguayan defender Matosas, and muscling him aside as he approached the enemy goal. Uruguayan keeper Mazurkiewicz came off his line but it was simply too late, as Jairzinho slotted the ball into the net. Of note in this sequence is the attacking space created by the tight exchanges between Jairzinho, Pelé, and Tostão. Even the Uruguayans, playing one of the most densely packed, solid defenses seen in a World Cup could not stop it. Jairzinho is surrounded by opposing defenders when the sequence starts, but at the end, he only has one to deal with. Also of note is the unselfish passing of Brazilian striker Tostão, with his skill creating countless openings for his teammates throughout the 1970 tournament.

Outline

SPORTS WORLD

Soccer | Football

The goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play and only in their penalty area. Outfield players mostly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may also use their head or torso to do so instead. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. The Laws of the Game are the codified rules that help define association football. They are the only rules of association football subscribed to by the sport's governing body FIFA.

Gameplay: Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw.

Players: Each team consists of a maximum of eleven players (excluding substitutes), one of whom must be the goalkeeper.

Referee: Is the person responsible for enforcing the Laws of the Game during the course of a match.

Assistant referee: The assistant referee's duties generally consist of judging when the ball has left the field of play.

Equipment: The basic equipment or kit players are required to wear includes a shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and adequate shin guards.

Game duration: A standard adult football match consists of two periods of 45 minutes each, known as halves. Each half runs continuously, meaning that the clock is not stopped when the ball is out of play.

Misconduct (Foul): Fouls and misconduct in football/soccer are acts committed by players which are deemed by the referee to be unfair and are subsequently penalized.

Positions: A team is made up of one goalkeeper and ten outfield players who fill various defensive, midfield, and attacking positions depending on the formation deployed.

Player styles: Most players will play in a limited range of positions throughout their career, as each position requires a particular set of skills and physical attributes.

Formations: The formation describes how the players in a team are positioned on the pitch. Different formations can be used depending on whether a team wishes to play more attacking or defensive football.

Tactics and skills: Well-organized and well-prepared teams are often seen beating teams with supposedly more skillful players, even over time.

Advanced skills: There are various individual skills and team tactics needed to play effective football.
Team Positions

SPORTS WORLD

Team Positions

In the sport, each of the 11 players on a team is assigned to a particular position on the field of play. A team is made up of one goalkeeper and ten outfield players who fill various defensive, midfield, and attacking positions depending on the formation deployed. These positions describe both the player's main role and their area of operation on the pitch.

Goalkeeper: Goalkeeper, often shortened to keeper or goalie, is one of the major positions of association football.

Centre-back: The job of the centre-back is to stop opposing players, particularly the strikers, from scoring, and to bring the ball out from their penalty area.

Sweeper: The sweeper is a defensive position in football, so called because their job is to 'sweep up' any attacking moves which pass other defenders.

Full-back: The full-backs take up the holding wide positions and traditionally stayed in defense at all times, until a set-piece.

Wing-back: The wing-back (or attacking full-back) are defenders with heavier emphasis on attack.

Centre midfield: Central midfielders provide a link between defense and attack, fulfilling a number of duties and operating primarily in the middle third of the pitch.

Defensive midfield: A defensive midfielder is a central midfielder who is stationed in front of the defenders to provide more defensive protection, thus "holding back" when the rest of the midfield supports the attack.

Attacking midfield: An attacking midfielder is a midfield player who is positioned in an advanced midfield position, usually between central midfield and the team's forwards, and who has a primarily offensive role.

Wide midfield: Is a midfielder who is stationed to the left or right of central midfield.

Centre forward: A centre forward (main striker) has the key task of scoring goals and for this reason acts as the focal point of the majority of attacking play by a team.

Second striker: They are required to be more "nippy", quick, mobile, and skillful, helping to create goals and scoring opportunities for centre forwards.

Winger: Is an attacking player who is stationed in a wide position near the touchlines.

SPORTS

Soccer | Football

The goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play and only in their penalty area. Outfield players mostly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may also use their head or torso to do so instead. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins.

The Laws of the Game are the codified rules that help define association football. They are the only rules of association football subscribed to by the sport's governing body FIFA.