In a second Masterclass delivered exclusively for The Coaches’ Voice, England assistant manager Steve Holland gives us a fascinating insight into the in-possession principles he and Antonio Conte developed in the Chelsea team that won the 2016/17 Premier League. In particular, he focuses on an attacking line of five comprising high, attacking wing-backs and a front three playing inside them.
He goes on to explain how subsequent Premier League champions – Manchester City under Pep Guardiola and the Liverpool team of Jürgen Klopp – have utilised the same principle of an attacking line of five, but with variations on who plays where and how the deeper five players in those teams are structured. Finally, he discusses how, in his current role, he and England head coach Gareth Southgate have adapted some of the same principles in building attacks from within their preferred 4-3-3 formation.