[Johan Cruyff's 3-4-3 Diamond (Very Fluid)]

Hello O-zil,

Based on your tactic, Conte's Chelsea and Allegri's Juventus i came up with this:

Many times using your tactic i have been exposed on the wings, my wingers did not covered very well, leaving large gaps for opposition winger to move into. So main idea is that wing backs offer necessary width in order to make the pitch as big as possible when we have the ball, when the opposition has the ball, they dropping deeper than wingers so flanks are covered.

As you can see there is no original number 4, but ball playing defender is set up as a stopper, ideally coming up playing the "Beckenbauer" role. In my Ajax team, Konijnenburg is, in my opinion, very skilful and intelligent playmaking defender, so just like David Luiz in Chelsea, Leonardo Bonucci (previously) at Juve and mentioned Beckenbauer can be a playmaking defender. 

In this tactic the right winger (Karami) is playing as advanced playmaker, for two reasons. First of all he is dropping inside becoming number six when we have ball, ideally taking the fullback with him to the middle, leaving massive gap on the wing for wing back, and secondly because I don't have an advanced midfielder :).

Second winger (Prados) is playing the "Mandzukić" role, his task is to come inside as second striker from the wing, also making space for wingback. The striker is playing as complete forward with move into channels and hold up ball instruction, so ideally he will be making space for the winger by dropping deep and also sometimes playing as number six when advanced playmaker won't make his move in time, just like Diego Costa who was dropping deep playing as number 6 in Conte's Chelsea.

Two central midfielders, one set as defensive will be covering space left by ball playing defender, just like Kante/Matić or Khedira. Second, more skilful offensively will be playing the Fabregas or Pjanić role, he will be part of the diamond, but being more offensive gifted, he could be be also a deep lying playmaker, when BPD won't make in time to step up from defensive line.

And finally, two central defenders on cover duty. Their role will be just to cover the space behind our dutch "Beckenbauer" in case he looses the ball (similar to Beckenbauer-Schwarzenbeck partnership but with one extra defender).

One more advantage i see with this set up is that wingers are playing higher so they will press earlier and higher, without being concern of leaving the space behind them.

So in theory, the offensive movement would work like this:

"Beckenbauer" will be pivot of the moving diamond, dropping deep between two central defenders if necessary and then coming in front of them creating second diamond.

I also considered inverted wing back and one of the midfielder in this case would be deep lying playmaker so the diamond will be created without any central defenders (Guardiola tried this at Bayern when Lahm was moving inside and in Man City with Fernandinho as right back).

I haven't tested it yet, so probably it won't work as i intended, but i would like to know your opinion on this alteration.

Cheers mate

[Johan Cruyff's 3-4-3 Diamond (Very Fluid)]

I have a question about player instructions, regarding closing down. What instructions did you give to your players, i saw that DLP has closing down much less but what about the rest of the team? Do i suppose to tell them close down much less to maintain the formation shape or close down more (or sometimes, depending on position) to stay with the opposition players? What is the perfect instruction, in your opinion, for every position? And what about mark tighter, what does it change when it is turn off or on?

Thanks in advance for answer