Coaching A Midfield Three: How To Train Rotations, Movement & Passing Angles - Tactical Theory

In the modern game, so many teams play with a midfield three.

While working with a team for a season, we may find ourselves focusing on big and slightly broad concepts, like "playing out from the back" or "finishing in the final third".

We can play a midfield three for a long time and expect these players to know what to do in the game due to their familiarity with the system.

This is obviously not ideal practice, and perhaps reading this, this doesn’t apply to you - but if it does or it doesn’t, it is still important we work on something that often underpins our entire system in possession.

The midfield three and their understanding of working together are vitally important, and this set of practices, which would come together as one session, offers some examples of how we can do exactly this.

Whether we use tactics that require us to play with a double or single pivot, two 8s, two 10s, or a conventional 6, 8, and 10, we have to ensure these players understand their individual roles and, more importantly, are cohesive as a unit.

This tactical theory piece will provide some examples of coaching a midfield three to rotate consistently, change angles and position, and structure forward play.

Working On Rotating Together

The first exercise in this tactical analysis is a simple 3v3 with two neutral players on either end.

The teams look to work the ball to one end of the grid to the neutral player, before receiving it once more and looking in the other direction.

Every time they successfully work the ball to one end, they get a goal.

Four mini squares are within the one larger square.

The following image shows this setup.

We ask the players to ideally not be in the same vertical line or horizontal line from each other, e.g., can we not be a box directly next to someone either laterally or vertically?

Of course, this is impossible with three players and four boxes; however, it constantly requires our players to move and rotate.

If not possible due to the players' current level, then at least ask them not to be in line with one another, either vertically or laterally, as we can see the players doing in the image below.

By doing this, the in possession team isn’t offering different angles to the ball-carrier.

They are too easily marked by the opposition.

Equally, we need to ensure that one of the three players always extends the pitch and plays beyond the opposition.

Below, we can see how all three red players, for example, are inside their own half.

The blue team, defending in this case, is then able to step forward and completely eliminate any space for the red team to play in.

We are looking for the blue team to be stretched instead.

In this instance, the ball carrier should always have four pass options, as shown in the following image.

We can see how the red team now has a presence beyond the blue three and is stretching them as a result.

This practice allows our midfield three to begin working on rotating with one another, constantly changing direction, and understanding the importance of this.

In doing so, we create space to play through the central channel by finding different spaces and manipulating the shape of the opposition midfield three, dragging them apart.

Reacting To Defensive Transitions

Moving on from this, we look to use a practice that brings us close to a game situation.

The example shown is an 11+2 GK v 6.

This is just an example of when we have larger numbers, but it can, of course, be changed.

However, ideally, we want a 6v3 in the smaller square in the middle of the large square - the importance of which will be explained as we go on.

This practice will work on our team in possession, looking to play into our midfield three and have the three work on their rotations and movement.

Ideally, we want the 6 red players, for when the blue team wins the ball, they look to play out to their teammates on the outside.

The game starts with a 6v3 rondo, with the red team playing one-touch passes.

As the blue team wins the ball, they look to pass out of the rondo square to the outside.

The red team can then press ideally with a pressing three, and with three behind them supporting this press.

The blue team look to connect passes, with ten passes representing a goal.

However, given the number of players on the outside of the square, they should be restricted from playing a pass to a teammate on the same side of the square as them, forcing them to go inside, and ideally into our midfield.

The possession team should be encouraged not to force the ball into the middle but to use quick passing to move the ball around the square.

The three midfielders can remain in the box, but as a minimum, two players must stay in there.

This encourages one midfielder to drop out of the central square and fill a space where they could connect with a teammate over a short distance.

Once they have connected, as they did in the previous image, they then look to rotate with one of their midfield teammates.