The SB Nation Soccer mailbag takes one question and discusses it in-depth with a chat. This time around, the question is about the three-man back line, which has grown in popularity recently. We tasked Graham MacAree, Kirsten Schlewitz, Kevin McCauley and myself with discussing this old/new fad.
Mailbag chat: The rise of the three-man back line
The three-man back line is growing in popularity. Why?
Dino Panato
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What do you think of the growing popularity of a defense consisting of a back three? - MofoMikrus
Ryan: The three-man back line is back in vogue, especially in Serie A. KS, being our Serie A expert here, what do you attribute its rise in popularity to?
Kirsten: I think a lot of it had to do with Napoli. The Serie A sides were rather taken aback by the Napoli tactics, and few could figure out how to defeat Walter Mazzarri's side, then they qualified for the Champions League and took their exciting counter-attacking style to a bigger stage, and people -- and clubs -- sat up and took notice. Managers thought, "Why can't my side do this as well?"
Graham: It's worth pointing out that the Napoli 3-4-3 is a pretty different style to the 90s 3-5-2. The 3-5-2 overloads the centre of the pitch with an extra midfielder while keeping two strikers up front, while 3-4-3 has two central midfielders -- it's a shape that looks to attack the wings more than anything else. So tactically, it's not really a revival of what we used to have.
Ryan: And that’s why the managers thinking, “Why can’t my side do this as well?” are a little crazy. To play a 3-4-3 requires outstanding wingbacks, which aren’t so easy to come by. Napoli have Maggio, and whatever you think of Zuniga, they have wingbacks who can play it. There aren’t a lot of those who can, so while it may seem like a good idea in theory, finding the wingbacks to make it work complicates things.
Kirsten: Exactly. Napoli's form dipped last season and I think it was due, in part, to injuries to wing backs. But Zuniga's really come into himself this season and that's helped Napoli rise once again.
Graham: Doesn’t that apply even more to the 3-5-2? Wide forwards plus wingbacks means that it’s easier to control a flank than just wingbacks.
Ryan: But the 3-5-2 didn’t require teams be excellent on the wings. They can play more narrow for the most part and just dominate the center of the pitch. That’s not really true of the 3-4-3, which is built to attack the wings. If you can’t do that then you’re pretty much asking for trouble.
Graham: I think the 3-5-2s you get in lower divisions in England are markedly different to the ones you see higher up, anyway. They're a straight reactions to 4-4-2.
Ryan: I think it's interesting that the two best teams playing with three at the back are both in Serie A, Napoli and Juventus, but they play completely differently.
Graham: Do Manchester City count?
Ryan: Depends on the day, but for the sake of this conversation let’s throw them in there.
Graham: City are more interesting to me than either. What's the motivation behind their switches? How does it work?
Kevin: Mancini’s never really explained this.
Graham: No, and I think it’s because it’s a gimmick.
Kevin: Manchester City are weird because they have fantastic personnel for a back three. They could actually make it work. It doesn’t have to be a gimmick. If Mancini decided that was the way he wanted to play and committed to it, it would probably work very well. You can’t find much better outside central defenders for a back three than Lescott and Richards. They fit the bill perfectly. But because they’ve never played it, Mancini throws his hands up and says “they’re not comfortable in a back three.”
Graham: Just because the defenders can play in a back three doesn't mean that they should. It's not the defenders, it's the whole team.
Kevin: Well, then don’t play it? Either train your players or decide not to play it. I don’t understand him at all.
Graham: 3-4-3 would negate Yaya Toure as an attacking threat. 3-5-2 and suddenly you don't have David Silva. They have the wingbacks and the central defenders for it, but they're almost obligated to play 4-2-3-1 by their attackers.
Ryan: Is it telling that City’s Italian manager is bringing the three-man back line that is most popular in Serie A to the Premier League or pure coincidence?
Graham: I think a lot of the rise of three-man back lines is because people try to implement systems rather than use their players as best they can.
Kirsten: Precisely that, and Mancini is more willing than most to look to Serie A. Yet even Mazzarri is lost when one of his essential players goes missing. When Maggio was hurt, for instance, he didn't adjust the system.
Graham: So I think the reason we see more of it is because it's stylish. That might be overly cynical but there's no reason for, say, City to be playing with it. Wigan makes a bit more sense and Roberto Martinez isn't stupid. But the only motivation a manager should have for playing a three man back line is if he has the players to suit it.
Ryan: And since this is the international break, let’s finish on this. Is it almost impossible to play with three at the back internationally since most players don’t do it at their clubs with a couple exceptions?
Kirsten: Yeah, like Italy, since they can almost lift out the Juventus back line and put them into the Azzurri. But, like what was said above, it does take some practice, and it's not something that can be learned in just the few days of training that national teams have. Which NTs might even have the right players to use it?
Graham: Brazil.
Kirsten: And aren’t they experimenting with the idea?
Graham: They were training in it the other day.
Ryan: And the most notable team to successfully pull it off recently is Chile, which makes sense because Bielsa is (wonderfully) insane.
Kirsten: So, would the players be prepared to use it in a match, do you think?
Graham: Well I mostly don’t think international team players are prepared to do anything ever. That’s why international football is objectively horrendous.
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