Osarian 4-3-3

The Osarian 4-3-3 refers to a specific tactical system used in association football, popularised by the Osarius national football team. The system's development is widely attributed to former Muirford Athletic coach, Hugh Collingwood, and was popularised when adapted by Amandeep Sahota at Hastmead Diamante in their rapid ascent up the Osarian football league pyramid. Sahota carried this system over to the national team when he eventually replaced Alain Montblanc – who had already begun a gradual shift in the same direction – and led Osarius to a World Cup semi final.

The system is most notable for its flexibility, in which it combines a high defensive line and aggressive pressing, with an often patient possession game. To keep up the systen's characteristic flexibility and aggressive ball-hunting tactics, players in the Osarian 4-3-3 are typically quick and athletic, with competence in multiple roles.

Characteristics

Compression of space

The defensive line is expected to press high, reducing the amount of space available in midfield

Counter-pressing

Also called "ball-hunting", the principle is to aggressively press when possession is lost near to the opposition goal

Loose marking

Collingwood referred to his preferred defensive system as "hybrid zonal marking", in which players cover specific areas, and focus on defending the spaces an opposition player could move into, as opposed to the traditional Osarian man-marking systems. In the beginning, this was a necessity, as Collingwood noted that his players, while tactically astute and technically gifted, often did not have the physical atributes to be effective man-markers.

Vertical lanes and traffic

Conventional wisdom suggests that a horizontal pass should never be preferred over a vertical one in build-up play, as a sideways pass can lead to the team becoming "trapped", in corner areas or against the touchline. Collingwood countered this by instructing his team to make swift horizontal passes to move into open "half-spaces". By splitting the pitch into seven vertical bands or "lanes", Collingwood was able to drill his players to identify the lane with the least "traffic" – that is, defensive obstruction – and swiftly move the ball there before making vertical passes. This principle is often applied to open up chances in the final third, with players employing intelligent movement to remove "traffic" from specific lanes.

Flexible crowding

To maintain possession, Collingwood argued that your team needs to outnumber the opposition in the same area as the ball. To do this, flexibility is required from the players, as they need to identify where an additional player is required, and whether they are the best option to provide a third (or sometimes fourth) man option. As a result, it is not uncommon for Osarian players to be adept at one or more of their primary position's adjacent roles. For example, a winger will often be adept as a central attacking midfielder and/or a fullback or wingback.

Central triangular pivot

Central to the team's play is the idea of creating triangular passing patterns which hinge upon one or more of the central midfield trio. The trio themselves are expected to form their own, insular triangular system – "so there is always a pass option on", as Collingwood explained – while acting as anchors for the movement around them.

Attack weaknesses

Fundamental to the success of the Osarian 4-3-3 is its adaptability, which allows it to be altered for circumstance. "If an opposition team is weak on their left flank, it makes no sense to ignore this." Collingwood once said. "Whatever weakness we can find in an opponent, we have to be able to adapt and exploit it."