The 3-5-2 formation has been a commonly used formation, in recent times, particularly in women’s football.

It is also difficult to explain because it has so many variations and there are so many ways of playing in this system. This is one of its strengths and, because it can be hard for players to understand as a unit and perform well, also one of its weaknesses.

Players must have tactical flexibility, be comfortable inter-changing positions and be able to provide a great deal of movement for it to be successful.

Most players in this system will play box-to-box (up and down the pitch) and touchline-to-touchline (across the pitch). If they do not do this, there is a lot of space to be exploited by the opposition (both down the wings and at the back).

3-5-2 Main Features:

• Strong central midfield due to number of players in this area.
• Only one player on each flank.
• Three defenders (sweeper and two markers).

To understand the variations a little better ,we have broken 3-5-2 down into three units, though in a game there will be a lot of interaction between all outfield players (football is not a rigid, predictable thing).

Firstly, we will look at the forward unit. Here are a selection of playing styles that may be used by the front two within a 3-5-2 system.

 

The Forward Unit
1.Two forwards, side-by-side, each responsible for her side of the field. Simple enough. 
 

2. One forward always stays high and serves as a target player (to occupy two defenders and be ready to get on the end of counterattacks).The other forward drops deeper (nearer to the half way line) to narrow the opponents’ defending shape (a defender on the other team may have to come from a wider position to mark the forward, leaving space where the defender had been) and can serve as a wall for midfield players to play off as they join the attack. With this positioning, the forward who drops nearer to midfield can also create a numerical advantage in this centre third.

3.The two forwards always play about 12-15 yards apart (imagine they are joined together by an invisible piece of string!).They might stay central to concentrate the opponents’ central covering system (if the defenders are marking them there is a lot of space on the wing to attack). They may go to a flank to pull apart the defence’s covering system and make room for central attacks from the midfield. This usually requires two very technical players who constantly move and switch their positions.
These players need to utilize quick flicks and 1-2 movements and usually exhibit a superb mutual understanding.

4.Two forwards can be selected based on special talents. Players with special gifts (i.e., exceptional speed, heading ability) and technique may be paired in order to emphasise and take advantage of these attributes.

 

Impact of Midfielders:
Having extra bodies in central midfield provides constant and close support to the two forwards and allows direct runs from midfield through and beyond the opponents’ defending block.

The deeper ‘sitting’ midfielder allows this freedom because there is still cover should the team lose possession.

Central midfield players can alternate who joins the attack, or, if one player has great anaerobic capacity, she may make constant runs forward. This will have immediate impact against teams that play with a flat defence (4-4-2) because she is unlikely to be offside if her run starts from behind her forward line.