Arsenal's "unbeatable" formation (03/04)

I am a United fan, so it's hard to admit my admiration for this legendary squad. But from 01-04, Arsenal built a squad that will forever go down in football history.

After reading Van Persie's column about how he wanted Arsenal to return to their glory period (i imagine he meant the early 00's) my first thought was "why don't Arsenal try that system again?"

For any Gooners or tactical enthuiasts like me, this will prove a very very good read: http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/02/12/teams-of-the-decade-9-arsenal-2001-04/

I want to re-create this formation. On paper, it looks a bog-standard 4-4-2 but it's so much more. The back 4 was solid, but you had two wide midfielders in (excuse my spelling) Ljungberg and Pires who would cut inside and score silly amounts of goals for wingers. Up front you had Thierry Henry who would drift out wide left to spread the opposition defense and leave defenders in a daze. Bergkamp was the original "Rooney" i guess you might say, in a forward who would drop deeper to get more involved in a game. Then Ashley Cole bombing up the left to combine with Henry.

This is even without mentioning the captain and possibly their most influential player during this period in Patrick Vieira.

How would you guys go about re-creating this? I'm sure Arsenal fans will have a better idea than i do.

Even something like this would be cool:

GK - normal

DC - defend

DC - defend

DR - support

DL - attack

MC - ball winner - support

MC - box to box - support

MR - winger - attack

ML - winger - attack

SC - deep lying forward - support

SC - advanced forward - attack

Henry's position gives me the biggest headache.

think gilberto was more of a central midfielder defend instead of a ball-winner, he held position and was far less aggressive. think cole was more of a wing back and lauren a full back.

I've already made a tactic that tries to simulate the player roles since I am an admirer of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal.

It goes like this:

If you want me to send you it via pm, just tell me.

Gilberto was something more like a Central Midfielder - Defend, and the forward partner was something like Advanced Forward + Complete forward Support/2nd Striker Support, where Henry was moving into the Channels and making diagonal runs, and Bergkamp holding position, coming deep to receive de ball, etc. Both Wingers were cutting insde a lot, Pires was more a pacient player, like a false-playmaker, when Ljungberg was more a agresive and direct player. Cole was very agressive joining atack, but he wasn't a kind of 'crossing-fullback', sometimes he was very dangerous making runs inside the box. The tempo was Fast, a lot of times playing to only 2 touches.

Someone knows a place where we can download the matches of that season?

Ljungberg would have to be an IF with RWBs turned down and possibly changed to move into channels.

Imo this should be the shape you use;

When attacking it actually looked like this;

It's getting Henry to move consistently wide in attack and (please excuse the phrase) getting pires on come inside him.

I wonder if Henry could go to FL and pires to to AMCL and ljungberg as IF. Not sure how it would defend though but might help get the attacking shape.

Henry never started wide, he always drifted there to pull the defence out of shape

An attacking Masterclass;

[video=youtube;x7Cxcuv4Tt4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Cxcuv4Tt4&feature=player_embedded

An attacking Masterclass;

[video=youtube;x7Cxcuv4Tt4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Cxcuv4Tt4&feature=player_embedded

Off topic.

God Arsenals forward line was something else....

Imagine the terror If they we're all the at the same age in their primes...

Thoughts - Philosophy - Balanced/Fluid - not sure yet, what do you think?

They were really quick on the break, but yet retained the ball cleverly and used short intricate passes too. Definite zonal marking strategy. Drilled crosses.

Central defence was a stopper-cover pairing between campbell and toure. Lauren was a bit more disciplined than cole, but hit plenty of good crosses, and overlapped to good effect. Pires and Ljungberg came inside into the box, particularly ljungberg arriving late in the box to score. Bergkamp had a complete free role, trequartista i think is right for him. Henry had a good contribution to team moves as well as goals, but think maybe Advanced Forward. Vieira and Gilberto in 2 MC slots, as Box to Box and Central Midfielder Defend respectively.

I think they were pretty fluid, I've just been watching some of the games on youtube and they seem very fluid. I forgot how good this Arsenal team was.

Gilberto was deffo the holding player and screen in front of the defence. I'd be tempted to have Vieira as the MC and Gilberto DMC support.

This is worth reading and explains the roles http://www.thehardtackle.com/2012/arsenal-rewind-tactical-evolution-%E2%80%93-from-w-m-to-4-2-3-1-part-iii/

I would go with Fluid, but I would not have Pires and Ljungberg as Wingers - attack, but wide midfielder - attack. Their game was not all about the touchline, having "normal" wide play will encourage them to tuck in a bit, and you will find them interlinking with central play. Bergkamp - Trequartista, and Henry complete forward attack. In my eyes he was the first modern Complete Forward.

Please stop it guys...you're making an old goober cry! What a team...best the epl has ever seen IMO. Comparing them to our current squad is...just not even a comparison. Anyway...good luck trying to recreate the brilliance that was the invincibles. I'll watch this thread with interest and add my thoughts when I get some time. Oh and to the person who was asking about footage, you can get the whole season review on YouTube. I was only rewatching it the other day...when I heard rvp was not renewing his contract. Tough times to be a gooner.

I think they were pretty fluid, I've just been watching some of the games on youtube and they seem very fluid. I forgot how good this Arsenal team was.

Gilberto was deffo the holding player and screen in front of the defence. I'd be tempted to have Vieira as the MC and Gilberto DMC support.

This is worth reading and explains the roles http://www.thehardtackle.com/2012/arsenal-rewind-tactical-evolution-%E2%80%93-from-w-m-to-4-2-3-1-part-iii/

Would love to read that article, but every time the page loads, everything just disappears and this little 'red it..' icon replaces it and I can't get the article back. Am I doing something wrong?

Would love to read that article, but every time the page loads, everything just disappears and this little 'red it..' icon replaces it and I can't get the article back. Am I doing something wrong?

Works every time for me, so not sure, sorry

Would love to read that article, but every time the page loads, everything just disappears and this little 'red it..' icon replaces it and I can't get the article back. Am I doing something wrong?

Fully working with google chrome too.

Even works on iPad chrome.

Have you got JavaScript enabled? Any restrictions on your Internet? We have heinous security at work to basically stop all the internet and that sort of thing sometimes happens when the filters stop something or other getting through.

Mine doesnt work either for some reason, it just can't load

Was trying via wireless on my phone at home. New phone so maybe there is some setting stopping it. Will try again at work some time today

Im playing something similar to milsinho's suggestion, scoring like crazy and unbeaten thus far. Leaking a fair bit of goals tho. Im enjoying playing this tactic.

In terms of passing, how would that be interpreted? Midfield playing it quite short, knocking it about at speed then becoming more direct as it reaches the final third of the pitch? What about the defence?

i would stick with default passing, as it will be more adaptable to the situation, cos arsenal retained the ball superbly, but counter-attacked so quickly with so few passes too

I have just implemented this in my new save as Sunderland, and beat Swansea 3-0 at home. Some lovely stuff played at time, exciting on the counter...Sessegnon as Trequartista but as striker (more like Bergkamp imo).

Capoue and Sessegnon were at the heart of everything good, with McClean exploiting the space and causing havoc too. Capoue seemed to have space all the time and was picking out passes left right and centre, Sess was lethal.

I'm currently trying to work through this myself with Arsenal and the biggest thing I've found useful is to have the 'Henry' striker set to 'hugs touchline' for wide play and the 'Pires' & 'Ljungberg' positions set to cut inside. This leads to some beautiful triangles down a potent left side and opens space for a surging box to box CM and 'ljungberg' cutting in on the right.

Having watched a lot of highlights from the unbeaten run a key feature of their play was having sheer numbers in the box and arriving at different times. A lot of goals were tucked away from close range as Pires, Henry or Ljungberg would be the first to arrive on a rebound. Don't forget the sheer quality of the players and their intelligence made a big impact. If your players don't have high stats in anticipation and off the ball then you're not going to see the same attacking flair the invincibles had.

This is how I've set up:

_____________________GK - Defend

FB - Support____CB - Cover____CB - Stopper____WB - Attack

_____________DLP - Defend

___________________________BWM - Support

IF - Attack__________________________________AP - Attack

______________DLF - Support____CF - Attack

Fluid

Attacking

More Creative Freedom

High Pressing

Zonal Marking

Drill Crosses

More Roaming

I am yet to play my first game using this set up, but I shall be giving a good run tomorrow and update on my progress.

Imo this should be the shape you use;

When attacking it actually looked like this;

Cleon, whilst I love the arrowed graphic I am struggling to understand how to set player / positional isntructions to achieve this movement - please advise, it would be much appreciated.

Cleon, whilst I love the arrowed graphic I am struggling to understand how to set player / positional isntructions to achieve this movement - please advise, it would be much appreciated.

I didn't use this shape, I was saying this is the shape that should be used if re-creating it. Post 13 links to a blog that talks about the tactic.