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Formation Playbooks · No. 01 Deluxe Coaches' edition

The 4-3-3 Playbook Deluxe Edition

The modern 4-3-3, with and without the ball. The complete edition.

Three in midfield. Three up front. Every shape it becomes.

The 4-3-3, explained free on a moving board →

  • 144 pages
  • 135 boards
  • 30 sessions
  • 5 languages
€19.99 €13.99 with a Studio plan
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Instant PDF download · All five languages included · Your price is applied at checkout

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The 4-3-3 Playbook: Deluxe Edition, a Playbook Series e-book from Total Football Studio

What is inside

Three in midfield. Three up front. Every shape it becomes.

The 4-3-3 changes shape more than any system in football: a 2-3-5 with the ball, a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-4-2 without it. This edition shows every job in it: the 6 and the two 8s, playing out, breaking lines, the wingers and full-backs, the box, the press, rest defence and the low block, then a page for each of the eleven roles, 30 sessions and a six-week plan to install it. Every board is drawn to scale and checked.

  1. 01 What a 4-3-3 gives you and what it costs, with the history and the data
  2. 02 One 6 or two, the false 9, the 2-3-5, the 3-2-5 and the 4-1-4-1
  3. 03 The 6 and the two 8s, playing out and breaking the lines
  4. 04 Wingers and full-backs, the final third and the box
  5. 05 The press, rest defence, the counter-press, the mid and low block
  6. 06 Matchups and changing shape during a game
  7. 07 The eleven roles, one page each
  8. 08 30 sessions and a six-week install plan

The impact

What you will be able to do after reading it.

Read it well and this is what changes for you, your staff and your players. Each point is a chapter of the book, not a promise on top of it.

  • Analysis room 2
  • Your staff 1
  • Match day 2
  • Training ground 1
  1. Analysis room Ch. 01 · 02

    Pick the 4-3-3 that suits your players

    One 6 or two, the false 9, and the shapes the system becomes with and without the ball: what three midfielders and a front three give you, what they cost and who has won with them.

  2. Your staff Ch. 03 · 12

    Give every player one clear job

    The 6's body shape, the 8s in the half-spaces and the rotations, then a page for each of the eleven roles: the job, the profile and the checklist.

  3. Match day Ch. 04 · 05

    Play out and break the lines

    Goal kicks, the back four becoming three and beating one, two or three pressers. Then receiving between the lines, the third man, the false 9 and the switch.

  4. Training ground Ch. 06 · 07

    Attack the flank and fill the box

    Touchline or inside wingers, overlap and underlap and the inverted full-back, then five across the front, the cut-back, the cross and filling the box.

  5. Match day Ch. 08 · 09 · 10

    Press, protect and defend as one

    The 8 who jumps and the winger's curve, who stays behind the ball and the first five seconds after losing it, and the 4-1-4-1 and 4-5-1 with the 6 in front of the four.

  6. Analysis room Ch. 11 · 13 · 14

    Plan the week, then install the system

    Matchups against a 4-4-2, a 4-2-3-1, a back three and the mirror, with a plan B. Then 30 sessions and a six-week plan that teaches the 4-3-3 week by week.

30 sessions and over 130 boards drawn to scale turn every point into something you can show your players, then train.

Buy it for €19.99

Pages from the book

Every board drawn to scale.

Like these pages?

The whole book is €19.99, or €13.99 with a Studio plan. Instant PDF, all five languages.

Or download a free 13-page sample (PDF, 1.4 MB)
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Five languages

One book, five languages, one price.

The whole book is translated, the boards and the index too. Buy it once and every edition is in your account: download the one you need, or all five for a staff that works in more than one language.

Contents

14 chapters, then the index.

Each chapter is a bookmark in the PDF, and every row of the contents page is a link to it.

  1. 01 Why the 4-3-3 What three midfielders and a front three give you, what they cost, and who has won with them
  2. 02 The shapes One 6 or two, the false 9, and the shapes it becomes with and without the ball
  3. 03 Pivot: the 6 and the two 8s Triangles, the 6's body shape, the 8s in the half-spaces and the rotations
  4. 04 Build: playing out Goal kicks, the back four becoming three, and beating one, two or three pressers
  5. 05 Break: through the lines Receiving between the lines, the third man, the false 9 and the switch
  6. 06 Wide: wingers and full-backs Touchline or inside, overlap and underlap, and the inverted full-back
  7. 07 The final third and the box Five across the front, the cut-back, the cross and filling the box
  8. 08 Press: pressing from a 4-3-3 The 8 who jumps, the winger's curve, the triggers and the trap
  9. 09 Rest: rest defence and the counter-press Who stays behind the ball, the first five seconds and the foul you take
  10. 10 Defending in a mid-block and a low block The 4-1-4-1, the 4-5-1, the 6 in front of the four and the box
  11. 11 Matchups and changing shape Against a 4-4-2, a 4-2-3-1, a back three and the mirror, and plan B
  12. 12 The eleven roles A page for every position: the job, the profile and the checklist
  13. 13 The training ground 30 sessions, from the triangle to 11 v 11
  14. 14 The six-week install Teaching the 4-3-3 week by week, and the match-day kit

Get The 4-3-3 Playbook: Deluxe Edition

Yours in a minute. On the grass this week.

One payment, no subscription. The PDF is in your account the moment you pay.

  • Full price without a plan
  • Studio plan price on any paying Amateur, Pro or team plan
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  1. This book

    The 4-3-3 Playbook: Deluxe Edition

    €19.99

    With a Studio plan €13.99

    • 144 pages, 135 boards, 30 sessions
    • Instant PDF download, yours to keep
    • In five languages
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  2. Best value

    20%off

    The set · No. 01 Deluxe and Nos. 02 to 07

    €87.94 €109.93

    With a Studio plan €59.14 €73.93

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    • Over 720 pages and 150 sessions
    • Every book in five languages
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    Even more off on a yearly plan Pro for a year + this book €169.50 €211.87

    From then on you pay the Studio plan price: €9.99 a book, €13.99 for the Deluxe Edition. The plan renews at its normal price until you cancel.

    Start Pro with the book or Amateur with the book

Your price is applied at checkout, and a cart of 2 books 10% off, 3 to 5 books 15% off, 6 or more 20% off. No sign-in needed: the book goes into a free account for the email you pay with. Free trials pay the full price.

The format

A PDF built to be used on the training ground.

Format
PDF, A4 portrait
Length
144 pages, 135 boards, 30 sessions
File size
6.7 MB
Navigation
Bookmarks for every chapter, a clickable contents page and cross-references
Index
Terms, people and teams
Printing
Laid out for A4, so every page prints as it looks on screen
Languages
English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. Translated in full, boards and index included
Price
€19.99, or €13.99 on any paying Studio plan. One payment, instant download.
Edition
First edition, version 1.0, November 2026.
Licence
This copy is licensed to the buyer for personal and club coaching use. You may print pages for your own players and staff. Please do not share the file publicly, upload it or resell it. For a licence that covers a whole club or academy, write to us.

Questions

About The 4-3-3 Playbook: Deluxe Edition

What does it cost?

€13.99 if your account is on a paying Studio plan, alone or in a team, and €19.99 without one. The seven paid books together are €59.14 with a plan, or €87.94 without (€109.93 bought one by one). One payment, no subscription, and the right price is applied at checkout.

See the prices

How do I get it after paying?

You pay on our secure checkout with a free Total Football account. The PDF is in your account straight away, under Your e-books, to download whenever you need it, and the link comes by email too.

Your e-books

Can I read some of it first?

Yes. The free sample is 13 pages of the real book: the front matter and introduction, the start of chapter 1, the first session and the back cover.

Who is it for?

Coaches, analysts and staff who want one shared language for this part of the game, with the cost of every choice and a session for every idea.

Can I print it and share it with my players?

This copy is licensed to the buyer for personal and club coaching use. You may print pages for your own players and staff. Please do not share the file publicly, upload it or resell it. For a licence that covers a whole club or academy, write to us.

Can I get a refund?

A download is delivered the moment you pay, so at checkout you ask for it straight away and the 14-day right to cancel ends when it arrives. Read the free sample first. If a file is faulty or will not open, write to us and we fix it or refund you.

E-book terms

Can I earn by recommending it?

Yes. In the Total Football Studio affiliate programme, on an Amateur or Pro plan, you earn 20% or 30% of every Playbook Series e-book bought by someone you referred, for 12 months from the day they signed up through your link. They pay the same price either way.

The affiliate programme

Which languages is it in?

English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. One purchase includes all five: download whichever you need from Your e-books, as often as you like. The whole book is translated, the boards and the index too, and the free sample is in all five.

What format is it in?

A 144-page A4 PDF of 6.7 MB, with bookmarks for every chapter, a clickable contents page and an index. It opens on any phone, tablet or computer that reads a PDF, and prints on A4.

Do I need Total Football Studio to use it?

No. The book is a PDF and stands on its own. Every diagram in it was built in Total Football Studio, so you can draw the same shapes on your own board if you want to.

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Affiliate programme Know a coach who needs this book? Earn on every copy. On an Amateur or Pro plan, your link earns you 20% or 30% of every Playbook Series e-book the people you refer buy, for 12 months. How it works

The Playbook Series

The other seven books

The whole series