FM12 Arsenal Thread - Life after Cesc

[hoppy_7]

Have just started 2nd season and I need a new left back having sold santos after a poor 1st season ! who would people recommend ?

[f0rmat]

Have just started 2nd season and I need a new left back having sold santos after a poor 1st season ! who would people recommend ?

Baines cost me £17m and I'd say he was worth it. Martin Olsson is also a good shout.

[smogfart]

i got coentrao in my second season for £26m and hes looking very good, versatile too.

[llama3]

£17m? thats astonishing!

[sorensonisawesome]

Just Started up a new game with Arsenal. Signed, Dede (young, fast CB), G Gardner, Chandler (fast RB) another dutch Trequarista cant remember his name and willian. I have a 4/3/3 set up.

three mids are Song as anchor then Infront of him are Ramsey and Arteta as DLP in front i have Walcott on the right as a winger, and Willian as a winger with rvp as a treq up top.

Is this a good formation for the players I have and I want RVP to have room to do what he does, my thinking with having two DLP in front of an anchor man is that they both can pass the ball so if they sit a little deeper and just get the ball to him he can work his magic?

[Welshace]

Have just started 2nd season and I need a new left back having sold santos after a poor 1st season ! who would people recommend ?

cissokho, martin olsson, baines ... all great shouts

[f0rmat]

£17m? thats astonishing!

Is it common to see him go for significantly less?

Scumbag Martin Keown: offered him a 12k p/w contract as a coach, but instead he goes for City at 1.5k p/w as a youth coach :/

[jlm8695]

Just started an Arsenal save tonight. Ive made some pretty radical changes to our defensive side of the game. I will update you all after preseason to see how I went.

[NorthernGooner]

What a tough couple of months this is going to be in Feb. You know how I was saying RvP is out for the season, well now my new striker Solomon Rondon is out for 6 weeks, next game I play Theo Walcott got injured for 7 weeks, and my next games consist of Liverpool, Manchester Utd, and Barcelona twice, I sold Chamakh and Park is away on international duty as is Gervinho, my front 3 consists of Christian Tello, AOC, Rosicky.

[f0rmat]

Tactic is really coming together nicely. Lovely performance from my front 4 today.

edit: Damiao is now 'favoured personnel' for nearly every player at the club now, as well as 'favoured personnel' for the club after 2 games. What a way to start the season!

[Origami]

Anyone recommend a good downloadable tactic for Arsenal?

[llama3]

Is it common to see him go for significantly less?

Scumbag Martin Keown: offered him a 12k p/w contract as a coach, but instead he goes for City at 1.5k p/w as a youth coach :/

i am astonished you actually paid £17m for Baines - good player, but not a £17m player

[f0rmat]

i am astonished you actually paid £17m for Baines - good player, but not a £17m player

I needed a LB that could speak english and blend in to the squad straight away - Baines fit the bill and his wages weren't exorbitant either. I'm not a fan of over-paying for players but with a team like Arsenal I don't mind paying a little extra. What's more he has the PPMs I want in LB. A few goals and 10 assists for the season made him worth it too! £17m is maybe a little much but he's what I needed, for now.

[ewok01]

retraining him .. he's competent already.. so should only take a season at most... meanwhile.. just play him there ..

Thanks mate, will do as you advice, cheers

[WillyBroadband]

Morning,

I don't know what all this talk about the AI not buying very well, for my 2nd season Spurs have spent £106 mil on Hazard, Hamsik, Sow etc. Man Utd have got Ganso & Demba Ba, Liverpool have signed Ayew and Man City have spent a fortune on Modric.

In my first season I did the cup treble, Champions League, FA & Carling and I'm making do with Olic & Babacar on freebies Lucas Barrios exchange for Chu-Young and a massive clearout worth nearly £20 mil. I always like to keep the wage bill down to a reasonable level, still no one over £100k a week.

Happy Easter everyone, thanks for reading (if you did)

[WillyBroadband]

PS. I got Hargreaves on a free transfer too and 31 mins into his debut in a pre-season friendly vs Southampton he's injured! Out for 2 months, god job I've got him on a very low contract with high appearance bonuses

[WillyBroadband]

Sorry, me again. How has everyone one managed to get rid of Diaby? Nobody will have him off me at all, offered him out for free & loan but no takers. Shame as I'll never play him and I want him off the wage bill.

[llama3]

Sorry, me again. How has everyone one managed to get rid of Diaby? Nobody will have him off me at all, offered him out for free & loan but no takers. Shame as I'll never play him and I want him off the wage bill.

only loan deal offered on my game (which i haven't touched in a couple of weeks now)

[Arsenal02071]

I would really appreciate any tips possible for tactics, strategies, players to sign and so on for Arsenal. I was new to FM this year and I'm still having a difficult time creating a good/consistent team that can compete at the top of the table so far in my saves. Could anyone give me some advice perhaps just on how they manage Arsenal in general? Thanks.

[JEinchy]

What I tend to when I take over any team is not make many changes. At the beginning of the game, Arsenal already have seven or so new players still needing to blend in and adding more new players will just make the process of team bonding even longer. Although the £50mil transfer budget at the start of the game is tempting, the current squad, I've found, is good enough to win the title. After the first season I then start to make changes, although it's mostly just for wage control, whilst still retaining a core group of players to ease transition. This also helps you discover who's good and who isn't, since the assistant reports, while useful, aren't the be-all-end-all when it comes to judging players. For example, I found Carl Jenkinson to be a solid, capable backup players even though his stats and report might say otherwise.

At the start of the game my only first team signing was a left winger, which was Nene of PSG who was transfer listed at the beginning of the game. With three right footed wide men, I think this is where the squad could use some balancing out. Another area to cover is AMC, if you use one. I use Wilshere there, but some people prefer to use him deeper. A good option for AMC is Willian. Or, if you're playing on 12.2, you could wait a season and try and sign Gylfi Sigurdsson. Both are terrific players at a young age who will become world class in just a couple of seasons. If you really feel like splashing the cash, then you could sign Eden Hazard from Lille.

Tactically, I use about five different formations (4-2-3-1, 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-3-1-2 and 3-5-2) but most people will use just the one or two and that does work if you've got a good, cohesive tactic. The Arsenal squad is built for a quick, passing game and generally that can be acheived with three attacking roles (usually the two wide men and the forward), two supporting roles (assuming it's a 4-2-3-1, then the AMC and one MC), two defensive roles (the centre backs) and two automatic roles (the full backs). Personally, I use five defensive roles, one support and four attacking and get good results, but I prefer my teams not to be so gung-ho and expansive. Standard, Control and Attacking strategies are recommended.

Morale is also very important. When it's high, your team will perform to their best. When it's low, they won't and you'll find yourself in a rut. I've found that the best way to keep it high is to avoid using negative team talks during and after matches. Even if you've played poorly, if your morale is low there's no use in making it lower by shouting at the players. In those situations, praising or being sympathetic works best. If you find your team becoming complacement, use an assertive or agressive tone and tell them you expect a win. What that does it put pressure on them to perform. Once they've performed well, praise them. Don't be afraid to praise the team, even for a routine 2-0 win. If morale is very good or superb and you've played poorly, feel free to rip into them.

That's how I approach managing Arsenal in general. I hope any of that helps. If you need some specific advice or some clarification, feel free to ask. I'm sure someone in this thread will be able to help you.

[KingLara]

September update

PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal 2 – Koscielny 52 Wilshere 71

Burnley 0

An injury to Andre Schurrle meant a first league start for Miyaitchi. I also brought in Cavani for his first start of the season. What was expected to be a stroll turned into quite a difficult game. Burnley played well and had chances of their own. Thankfully Koscielny popped up from a corner and then Wilshere eased the nerves. 3 wins out of 3 takes us top of the table. City also have a 100% record.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Wolves 0

Arsenal 0

We suffered a big blow during the International break with the news that Van Persie woiuld be out for a month. Minor injuries and fatigue meant a much changed team went to Wolves. It showed as we were outplayed. After the match it was revealed that both Cavani and Vermaelen would be out for three weeks and two weeks after picking up minor injuries during the game.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGES MD1

Kobenhavn 1 – Hansen 78

Arsenal 4 - Walcott 5 57 Chamberlain 30 35

After the poor display at Wolves and now with even more injuries we headed to Denmark for the Champions League opener. We were also missing Lavezzi who unbeknown to me had picked up a three-match European ban when he was at Napoli. Luckily the boys found their accuracy as first Walcott put us ahead and then Chamberlain added a brace before half time. Second half saw Walcott extend our lead further after selfless play from Wilshere before Kobenhavn pulled a goal back. Off to a good start.

Other group match

Rapid Wien 2-2 PSG

PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal 4 – Wilshere 6 Schurrle 30 Chamberlain 47 De Gea o.g 49

Manchester United 0

The first big test of the season. It was unfortunate to be missing Van Persie, Cavani and Vermealen but we did have Schurrle so I was still hopeful we could get a good result. United were unsurprisingly at full strength and hadn’t conceded in three games. Wilshere gave us a dream start as United started very flat. Schurrle then doubled the lead before halftime. Second half I expected United to come out which they did but twice in the opening four minutes got caught on the break. It could’ve been even more.

LEAGUE CUP 3RD ROUND

Arsenal 5 – Miyaitchi 1 Vertonghen 6 Ghidini 27 Bartley 30 Nangis 84

Morecambe 0

League two Morecambe visited the Emirates as we began the chase for the only trophy we didn’t win lat year. Morecambe would’ve wanted a good start but went 1-0 down after just 41 seconds through Miyaitchi. Captain for the night Vertonghen doubled the lead five minutes later. Further strikes from Ghidini and Bartley added gloss to the first half. Second half Morecambe played well but were unable to seriously test Szczesny while we backed off only adding a single goal through sub Nangis. 9 players from the youth team were selected in the 18 man squad. 15 year old Merkas was an unused sub.

Everton beat Man City which was a little surprise but the big one was United losing 1-2 at home to Brighton. Elsewhere Chelsea scraped past Birmingham, Spurs beat Charlton and Liverpool overcame gritty Colchester at Anfield.

4th Round draw - Arsenal vs Blackpool

Another generous draw. Spurs go to Blackburn. Liverpool and Chelsea are both away but should both come through unscathed.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Newcastle United 1 - Vuckic 90

Arsenal 2 – Walcott 61 Chamberlain 78

A very efficient performance in our first testing away game of the season. We controlled it throughout only lapsing right at the end to allow Newcastle to score. Chamberlain now is leading scorer. That’s how you show a manager he didn’t need to buy a right winger huh?!

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGES MD2

Arsenal 5 – Chamberlain 14 62 Tevez 29 Ghidini 35 Koscielny 72

Rapid Wien 0

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain again sparkled as we opened our Champions League home matches with a resounding win. A first of the season for Tevez was also a blessing. Rapid created only two efforts all game neither tested Adler. As was the performance of Leighton Baines. In for the rested Gibbs with an impressive 8.8. Chamberlain now has 7 goals 3 assists and 3 man of the match awards after just 5 starts. He was also awarded young player of the month.

Other group match

PSG 5-0 Kobenhavn

TOP SCORERS (all comps)

Chamberlain - 7

Walcott - 5

Schurrle - 3

Ghidini – 2

Wilshere – 2

Koscielny - 2

Cavani – 1

Ramsey – 1

Miyaitchi -1

Bartley – 1

Vertonghen - 1

Tevez – 1

Van Persie - 1

TOP ASSISTS (all comps)

Tevez - 4

Ghidini - 3

Wilshere - 3

Chamberlain - 3

Van Persie - 3

Schurrle – 2

Ramsey -1

Sagna - 1

Vermaelen - 1

Vertonghen - 1

Baines – 1

Cavani - 1

TOP MOM’S (all comps)

Chamberlain – 3

Koscielny – 2

Ghidini – 1

Schurrle – 1

Walcott – 1

Van Persie - 1

AVERAGE RATINGS (all comps minimum 5 games)

Alex Chamberlain – 7.91

Mario Ghidini – 7.68

Laurent Koscielny – 7.55

Andre Schurrle – 7.44

Carlos Tevez – 7.41

LEAGUE TABLE

Man City have set the pace with excellent early season form. Chelsea have continued their alarming decline and are in twelfth having lost two of the five games including losing 1-2 at home to Liverpool. United have also lost twice including a shock defeat at Old Trafford (see game of the month) Meanwhile Everton have started well. Highlight so far are a 1-1 derby draw at Anfield and a fantastic 4-2 win at Leeds.

1. Man City played 6 points 16

2. Arsenal played 6 points 16

3. Tottenham played 6 points 14

4. Everton played 6 points 11

5. Liverpool played 6 points 11

--------------------------------

7. Man United played 6 points 10

12. Chelsea played 5 points 7

GAME OF THE MONTH

When you are a promoted club going to one of the top sides you need a lot of courage and a lot of luck. Leeds got both as they came asway with a magical three points.

MANCHESTER UNITED 0-1 LEEDS UNITED

/-/ Elkin Soto 44

Shots 23 - 4

On Ta 10 - 1

Poss 60 - 40

PLAYER OF THE MONTH– Alex Chamberlain

Who else?

7.4(1) – off 73

7.3 – off 66

6.9

NS

6.8

9.1(2) – sub 70

8.1 (1) – sub 85

NS

8.2 (1)

9.5(2)

STAT OF THE MONTH – Penalty Kings lose their crown.

The defeat to Liverpool was just the second penalty shootout defeat we had suffered. Counting Emirates Cups we had been involved in seven so far.

12/13 – Emirates Cup Final – Internacional – 0-0 - won 4-3 on penalties

12/13 – Community Shield – Chelsea – 0-0 - won 4-2 on penalties

12/13 – Champions League Semi Final – Barcelona (h) – 1-1aet(2-2 on agg) - lost 3-4 on penalties

13/14 – Community Shield –Manchester City – 3-3aet - won 3-1 on penalties

13/14 – League Cup 3rd Round – Aston Villa (h) – 0-0aet - won 6-5 on penalties

14/15 – Community Shield –Manchester United – 1-1 - won 3-0 on penalties

13/14 – Community Shield –Liverpool – 0-0 - lost 3-4 on penalties

The Takers

The men that have steeped up when counted

Tevez – Scored 3 Missed 0

Schurrle – 3/1

Baines – 3/1

Park – 2/0

Gibbs – 2/0

Chamackh – 2/0

Van Persie – 2/1

Walott – 1/0

Gobbi – 1/0

Crisetig – 1/0

Vela – 1/0

Jenkinson – 1/0

Jese – 1/0

Koscielny – 1/0

Wilshere – 1/1

Cavani – 1/2

Granero – 0/1

Kishna – 0/1

October preview

October only sees four games. Everton away should be a good test. Van Persie should return for the next game while Cavani will probably make the game after.

[SeanH91]

August 2011

Hi lads. I've started a save with Arsenal after a successful 3 season stint playing beautiful football with Swansea. I hope to achieve even better results with the better quality available at Arsenal.

I made 3 signings, all in defence. In came Jan Vertonghen for £7.5m, Toby Alderweireld for £4.2m and Villarreal's Mario for £4.5m. I got rid of Squillaci on loan to Everton to lessen the numbers in central defence as Koscielny started to moan (and probably rightly so). The reasoning behind these particular signings were, for starters, give some much needed cover for Sagna at RB, but also to build a defence who are comfortable on the ball and can pick out a pass. By next season I plan on moving Mertersacker and Koscielny/Djourou out. Looking back I should have probably bought someone to understudy Van Persie as Chamakh has received a 3 month injury, and the fact he isn't very good.

I set up with a similar tactic to my Swansea one, except the ST becomes more of a focal point, as at Swansea Sigurdsson was the main threat from AMC. Instead I've dropped his slot back to CM to leave a regular shaped 4-5-1/4-3-3, with RvP leading the line. Very short passing, slow tempo, plenty of triangles is the way it works. Arteta plays possibly the most vital role, the Xavi position. Always available for a pass, and can hold it up and play someone in, or just recycle possession, it all depends on the situation.

GK: Szczesny, Fabianski

DR: Sagna, Mario

DL: Gibbs, Santos

DC: Vertonghen, Mertesacker, Koscielny

DC: Vermaelen, Alderweireld, Djourou

DM: Song, Coquelin

MC: Arteta, Ramsey

MC: Wilshere, Rosicky

AMR: Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain

AML: Gervinho, Park Chu-Young

ST: Van Persie, Chamakh

Results so far...

Aston Villa 1-3 Arsenal (Van Persie, Arteta[pen], Wilshere)

Dinamo Kiev 0-3 Arsenal (Gervinho x2, Park Chu-Young)

Arsenal 0-1 Blackburn (Played a weakened team due to playing twice in 3 days. 64% possession, 16 chances. Blackburn had 1 shot on goal)

Arsenal 2-1 Dinamo Kiev (Gervinho, Van Persie)

Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal (Van Persie)

[f0rmat]

August 2011

Hi lads. I've started a save with Arsenal after a successful 3 season stint playing beautiful football with Swansea. I hope to achieve even better results with the better quality available at Arsenal.

I made 3 signings, all in defence. In came Jan Vertonghen for £7.5m, Toby Alderweireld for £4.2m and Villarreal's Mario for £4.5m. I got rid of Squillaci on loan to Everton to lessen the numbers in central defence as Koscielny started to moan (and probably rightly so). The reasoning behind these particular signings were, for starters, give some much needed cover for Sagna at RB, but also to build a defence who are comfortable on the ball and can pick out a pass. By next season I plan on moving Mertersacker and Koscielny/Djourou out. Looking back I should have probably bought someone to understudy Van Persie as Chamakh has received a 3 month injury, and the fact he isn't very good.

I set up with a similar tactic to my Swansea one, except the ST becomes more of a focal point, as at Swansea Sigurdsson was the main threat from AMC. Instead I've dropped his slot back to CM to leave a regular shaped 4-5-1/4-3-3, with RvP leading the line. Very short passing, slow tempo, plenty of triangles is the way it works. Arteta plays possibly the most vital role, the Xavi position. Always available for a pass, and can hold it up and play someone in, or just recycle possession, it all depends on the situation.

GK: Szczesny, Fabianski

DR: Sagna, Mario

DL: Gibbs, Santos

DC: Vertonghen, Mertesacker, Koscielny

DC: Vermaelen, Alderweireld, Djourou

DM: Song, Coquelin

MC: Arteta, Ramsey

MC: Wilshere, Rosicky

AMR: Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain

AML: Gervinho, Park Chu-Young

ST: Van Persie, Chamakh

Results so far...

Aston Villa 1-3 Arsenal (Van Persie, Arteta[pen], Wilshere)

Dinamo Kiev 0-3 Arsenal (Gervinho x2, Park Chu-Young)

Arsenal 0-1 Blackburn (Played a weakened team due to playing twice in 3 days. 64% possession, 16 chances. Blackburn had 1 shot on goal)

Arsenal 2-1 Dinamo Kiev (Gervinho, Van Persie)

Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal (Van Persie)

I would advise playing Wilshere at AMC - he shines for me there!

[TheBigBoss]

I would advise playing Wilshere at AMC - he shines for me there!

Agreed he constantly gets double figure in goal in the league, or maybe thats because his got a 500k bonus if he scores 10 league goals or more

[f0rmat]

Agreed he constantly gets double figure in goal in the league, or maybe thats because his got a 500k bonus if he scores 10 league goals or more

He has something like 9 assists and 2 goals in this first 5 games of the season for me so far! (second season in)

[KingLara]

October update

PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal 3 – Tevez 56 Scurrle 69 Wheater o.g 72

Bolton Wanderers 0

Both Van Persie and Cavani were still out as we entertained Bolton at the Emirates. A first half which saw 18 attempts and 70% possession produced no goals. The fourth time this season the first half had been goalless. Goal shy Carlos Tevez put us infront with a beautiful dink over the advancing keeper before Schurrle doubled the lead. An own goal confirmed all three points. The score-line was pretty harsh on Bolton who put in a good display. I didn’t care though, Man City were held to a goalless draw at Suderland so we went two points clear.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Everton 0

Arsenal 0

Van Persie was injured on International duty with Holland (It was a competitive match so I couldn’t withdraw him (something I hope they change for FM13) meaning he would miss the tricky post internationals trip to Everton. The game finished goalless mainly thanks to poor finishing from us and great goalkeeping by Adler. Baines and Tevez hit the woodwork while Andre Schurrle thrice missed one on ones. Still It’s another clean sheet and a good point.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE MD3

Arsenal 4 – Cavani 30 34 41 Tevez 49pen Vertonghen s/o 51

PSG 2 - [Gamiero 52pen 90 Bilsevak s/o 5

He’s back!! Edison Cavani returned to the starting line up with as we breezed past the potentially tricky PSG. They weren’t hwlped by a red card after just five minutes. We took some toime to get our shooting boots before Cavani produced magic to score a first half hattrick. Tevez then added to the list from the spot before Vertonghen was sent off and PSG coverted the penalty before scoring again with the last kick of the game.

Other group match

Kobenhavn 3-1 Rapid Wien

LEAGUE CUP 4th ROUND

Arsenal 3 – Van Persie 3 Ghidini 15 Bartley 48

Blackpool 1 – Watson 69

Oddly there was no weekend game for us so having had a nice week long break we entertained Blackpool in the fourth round. I stuck to the same sort of side for the previous game making only three changes. One of them was the returning Van Persie starting upfront. He was involved in both goals as we comfortably controlled the first half. Not allowing Blackpool a single attempt. Second half got off to a great start with Bartley scoring yet again (including pre season he now has 5 in just 7 games.) After that we were a bit flat once Van Persie went off. Blackpool replied with their only shot of the whole game. I guess you knew that already!

Blackburn thumped spurs 5-2 at Ewood to send them packing. Elsewhere Liverpool needed penalties to beat Wycombe while Chelsea won as expected.

4th Round draw - Arsenal vs Wolves

Wolves again! Blackburn host Liverpool while Chelsea must travel to Everton. In the fourth tie surprise quarter finalists Peterborough entertain Leeds.

TOP SCORERS (all comps)

Chamberlain – 7

Walcott - 5

Schurrle - 4

Cavani – 4

Ghidini – 3

Tevez – 3

Wilshere – 2

Bartley – 2

Koscielny – 2

Van Persie - 2

TOP ASSISTS (all comps)

Schurrle –5

Van Persie - 5

Tevez - 5

Ghidini - 4

Chamberlain - 4

Wilshere - 3

TOP MOM’S (all comps)

Chamberlain – 3

Koscielny – 2

Van Persie - 2

AVERAGE RATINGS (all comps minimum 5 games)

Alex Chamberlain – 7.73

Andre Schurrle – 7.59

Mario Ghidini – 7.54

Carlos Tevez – 7.47

Robin Van Persie – 7.43

LEAGUE TABLE

A table I would rather not look at. Leandro Damiaos excellent form has propelled spurs to the top of the league. With a +16 goal difference. Man City are ahead of us on goals scored. Wolves are the surprise and continue to have an excellent season. Liverpool and Chelsea are going backwards.

1. Tottenham played 9 points 23

2. Man City played 8 points 20

3. Arsenal played 8 points 20

4. Man United played 9 points 17

5. Wolves played 9 points 15

--------------------------------

12. Liverpool played 8 points 11

13. Chelsea played 7 points 10

GAME OF THE MONTH

Tottenham have had a great start to the season and partly due to a huge smash and grab at Anfield.

LIVERPOOL 1-2 TOTTENHAM

Suarez 87 /-/ Damiao 15 Huddlestone 62

Shots 22 - 7

On Ta 11 - 3

Poss 59 - 41

PLAYER OF THE MONTH– Andre Schurrle

Just the 3 games played so almost impossible for a standout.

8.2 (1)

6.6 – on 71

9.0

NS

STAT OF THE MONTH – Nuisance neighbours

Tottenham lead the table and have two alarming stats

Leandro leads the stats table with 11 goals. Our highest is Schurrle with 4.

But the real secret has been their away form. Just fell at the last of a perfect record in all comps.

Dynamo Kiev 1-2 Tottenham

Burnley 0-3 Tottenham

West Brom 2-3 Tottenham

Sporting 1-2 Tottenham

Sunderland 0-2 Tottenham

Charlton 2-5 Tottenham

Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal

Leeds 2-4 Tottenham

Blackburn 5-2aet Tottenham

October preview

October only saw four games, but November is much busier. A minimum seven games plus the important trip to Tottenham and Man City.

Our unbeaten run in the league currently stands at 43 games. Go unbeaten in November and it will be at 48.

[metalface13]

August 2011

I made 3 signings, all in defence. In came Jan Vertonghen for £7.5m, Toby Alderweireld for £4.2m and Villarreal's Mario for £4.5m.

How'd you get them so cheap?

[SeanH91]

How'd you get them so cheap?

It's not really that cheap, is it? From my experience I've been able to get Alderweireld for £3m before, and I bought Vertonghen for £4.5m on another save. Never had Mario so just went with my scout's recommendation. I always get my scout to give me a rough price first, then start off offering about £1-2m below that. Usually I get a negotiated price then see from there, but rarely I have to go that much over the price my scout gave.

[SeanH91]

September & October 2011

PL - Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle (Van Persie)

CL - Arsenal 3-0 Ajax (Gervinho, Van Persie, Wilshere)

PL - Fulham 0-2 Arsenal (Van Persie, Vermaelen)

LC - Everton 0-1 Arsenal (Heitinga o.g)

PL - Arsenal 5-1 Man City (Van Persie, Vertonghen, Benayoun, Gervinho, Wilshere)

CL - Villarreal 2-2 Arsenal (Van Persie x2)

PL - Wolves 1-3 Arsenal (Park Chu-Young x2, Vertonghen)

PL - Arsenal 3-0 Norwich (Wilshere x2, Van Persie)

CL - Arsenal 2-0 Litex (Oxlade Chamberlain, Park Chu-Young)

PL - Wigan 0-5 Arsenal (Van Persie, Vermaelen, Gervinho, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain)

LC - Arsenal 3-0 Brighton (Bridcutt o.g, Park Chu-Young, Oxlade-Chamberlain)

PL - Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham (Wilshere, Van Persie x2)

That puts us top of the League after 10 games, 5 points clear of Man Utd who have a game in hand. Top performers so far are Van Persie who has 12 goals in 11 games, Gervinho with 6 goals and 7 assists, and Wilshere also with 6 goals but just the 2 assists.

[SJ234]

Not sure how to play RVP; treq can be great but the carrying of him defensively opens up my midfield. Would people think an amalgam of Trequartista and complete forward with him set as targetman would work?

As I want him to drop deep get involved etc, but he needs to press and score goals.

[llama3]

JEinchy's suggestion is good for anyone looking on how to start a game

[seanarsenal]

im struggling with ramsey, no matter where i play him, or what role i give him, i cant get anything from him. no assists or goals yet this season and iv just got into december 2013. help anyone?

[Carmi88]

Back from being in London for a week, as well as going to the glorious Arsenal vs City game and now I can get right back into my save

[llama3]

im struggling with ramsey, no matter where i play him, or what role i give him, i cant get anything from him. no assists or goals yet this season and iv just got into december 2013. help anyone?

Advanced Playmaker Attack in AMC role

[JEinchy]

I have just finished my second season. We won the Premier League pretty easily, with our only defeat coming away to Cardiff (which also ended an unbeaten streak of 42 games), posting a record points total and coming annoyingly close to scoring 100 goals.

Elsewhere, it's mixed results. We fell to Man Utd in the Champions League semi-final, despite smashing Real Madrid 7-2 on aggregate in the previous round. This is the second season running where we've been knocked out in the semi-finals. Our Carling Cup run ended in the quarter-finals after Liverpool somehow beat us in extra-time after we battered them for the whole 120 minutes. It feels a bit strange not winning this cup, since I seem to always win it.

On the bright side, we did win the FA Cup for the second time running. Two conseuctive domestic doubles isn't bad, but I am disappointed we couldn't add the Champions League to it. Oh well, another reason to keep this save going, I suppose.

Squad-wise, Robin van Persie lead our scoring charts with a fantastic 35 goals in 38 games, while Jack Wilshere will almost certainly be player of the season with his 21 goals and 28 assists for the season. And here's how everyone else performed.

I'm not quite sure what I'm doing in the summer window.

[SilentBob09]

Going into my 3rd season and looking to sell Fabianski as he's moaning about not playing. I've got Jack Butland as back-up to Szczesny, is he good enough to be a number 2, or shall i get someone else in? Any suggestions on a new keeper?

Also, I've not really signed any major players in the close season, just 3-4 promising youngsters for the Reserves. But Raul Albiol of Real Madrid has been offered to me for a cut price £4.3m. My current CB's in order of preference are Vermaelen, Kompany, Koscielny, then youngster Bartley as fourth choice. Do you think it's worth getting Albiol in or don't I need him? It's not much money.

[Tugger]

I've really enjoyed reading how others are doing on their Arsenal saves, so I decided to make a post about how mine is going. I decided to turn off opening transfer window budgets and removed Vermaelan's injury. Here are the standings 21 games into the season.

Two of my best results were a 5-0 win at home against Man City and a 4-0 win at home against Chelsea. I just bought Holiett for $2.4M and just had Lille accept $38M for Hazard.

I've rotated between two formations, here is the formation I use against 2 man frontlines, and here is the one I use against lone striker formations.

Van Persie has been injured most of the season, but Walcott has stepped up in his place with a 7.51 rating (8 goals in 13 league games). My defense has been pretty stellar, and I'm hoping to not concede 10 goals in the league (it's going to be a tough task with away games against the big teams still ahead).

[llama3]

silentbob - depends how butland has developed - but imagine if szczesny did his cruciates in pre-season - would you be happy to let butland play in goal all year? does he have a sufficient number 3?

great work there tugger, keep it going

[tommonufc]

Evening all, have just started what I hope to be a long and prosperous Arsenal save. Have been hit hard with injuries pre-season, with RVP missing pre-season and the start of the season, along with Gervinho, Andre Santos, Song, Gibbs, Walcott, Sanga all gaining injuries at some stage.

Looking forward to developing some of the youth at the club, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain being at the forefront of my plans. He looked to have developed into a decent player by the AI in my last save, so have higher hopes of him since the January update.

I indent to make so more detailed updates as I progress, but for the first season I have only brought in two players - Esteban Granero and Thiago - both on season long loans. But will begin to re-shape the side at the end of the season.

Real Madrid and Man City are after Bakary Sanga, have rejected initial bids, but I think I will be able to sell him for around £30M; what would peoples views on this? I understand he's an important first team player, but I'm tempted to cash in.

[Carmi88]

Keep Sagna, one of those players you just shouldn't sell

[notam]

Hes youre best player allmost. If you get good cash for him, then mayby, but not for 20M-30M, not worth it. Better keep him and let him be a tutor and later a coach.

[malikoi]

King Henry has been taken over by Captain Vantastic!

[Carmi88]

nice one mal, I'm hoping my current Italian regen can smash the record

[llama3]

I really cannot urge people enough not to sell Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen & not to buy a replacement for Szczesny - these are the bedrock of your team for years!

[tommonufc]

I really cannot urge people enough not to sell Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen & not to buy a replacement for Szczesny - these are the bedrock of your team for years!

Not that impressed with Vermaelen to be honest, not sure wether it's how I have my team set up, but Koscienly and Djourou have been much the better players, with Mertesaker not even getting a look in. Will definatly bring in a center back into the side at some point, but just don't see it as a priority as of yet. Have sold Squillaci in the January transfer window, who didn't even play a game for me, and trying to move on Mertesaker. Was on the verge of sealing a deal for Raul Alboil for £4.6M, but decided against after delaying, as it's not that much of an improvement. Would like to bring in someone like Hummels, Howdes, Papadopoulos, Varane; but the prices are just far too high at the moment.

On the verge of signing Canavi for £30M, and have brought Jordan Ayew for £7M, along with signing Rene Adler and Alberto Paloschi on end of contracts.

[WengerApprentice]

Not that impressed with Vermaelen to be honest, not sure wether it's how I have my team set up, but Koscienly and Djourou have been much the better players, with Mertesaker not even getting a look in. Will definatly bring in a center back into the side at some point, but just don't see it as a priority as of yet. Have sold Squillaci in the January transfer window, who didn't even play a game for me, and trying to move on Mertesaker. Was on the verge of sealing a deal for Raul Alboil for £4.6M, but decided against after delaying, as it's not that much of an improvement. Would like to bring in someone like Hummels, Howdes, Papadopoulos, Varane; but the prices are just far too high at the moment.

On the verge of signing Canavi for £30M, and have brought Jordan Ayew for £7M, along with signing Rene Adler and Alberto Paloschi on end of contracts.

If you really want to use Vermaelen and Mertesacker but struggle to get the best out of them, I can show you how. If you setting the marking to Zonal for the back four, you will see it works really well. Keep in mind that some shout may automatically change Zonal to Man Marking. The reason is that Vermaelen and Mertesacker are not fast defender (although I think Vermaelen is quite fast), you can find Koscielny and Djourou play better because they are faster than Vermaelen and Mertesacker, if you set Zonal Marking, then the most important attribute is Positioning. Now look at positioning, whose the highest Mertesacker for sure, next Vermaelen. That's how you can get the best out of them. Hope it help.

Also, I have just finished my second season with my brother, I am Arsenal and he is ManUtd. I won the Premier League but what a crazy season. We have same points 86, but I score much more than him. I thought I lose the title but the last 2 rounds change it all. Guess that's why I love football so much. Too many drama

[tommonufc]

If you really want to use Vermaelen and Mertesacker but struggle to get the best out of them, I can show you how. If you setting the marking to Zonal for the back four, you will see it works really well. Keep in mind that some shout may automatically change Zonal to Man Marking. The reason is that Vermaelen and Mertesacker are not fast defender (although I think Vermaelen is quite fast), you can find Koscielny and Djourou play better because they are faster than Vermaelen and Mertesacker, if you set Zonal Marking, then the most important attribute is Positioning. Now look at positioning, whose the highest Mertesacker for sure, next Vermaelen. That's how you can get the best out of them. Hope it help.

Also, I have just finished my second season with my brother, I am Arsenal and he is ManUtd. I won the Premier League but what a crazy season. We have same points 86, but I score much more than him. I thought I lose the title but the last 2 rounds change it all. Guess that's why I love football so much. Too many drama

Well, thanks for that, but it's nothing that don't already know. I'm quite happy with Djourou and Koscienly, and how my defence is set up as it, just that I was stating a prefernence for these two over Vermalen and Mertesaker. Have been playing Vermalen at left back for the last couple of games since Gibbs has been injured, and he's played well. As for Mertesaker, I'm a fan of quick defenders, and even in pre-season it was evident that his lack of pace can be a liability in the system I'm playing; plus the £80K a week he is on doesn't justify his worth to me at all, so hopefully I'll find somebody to take him off my hands.

[KingLara]

November update

PREMIER LEAGUE

Stoke City 0

Arsenal 2 – Van Persie 5 Vermaelen 57

An excellent start to the month as we kept up our impressive defesnsive record with an efficient display at Stoke. Van Persie gave us a great start in a firt half where qwe just kept the ball having few ventures forward making sure we were keeping tight at the back. The excellent Vermaelen then doubled the lead and that was job done.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE MD4

PSG 0

Arsenal 3 – Cavani 7 Schurrle 43 Van Persie 81pen

After a 4-2 win at Emirates the return tie saw us visit France. A very one-sided first half saw us take a 2-0 lead completely against the run of play. A nice change. Cavani playing in an unfamiliar role on the right due to me playing 4-5-1. curled in a magnificent effort before schurrle doubled the lead just before half-time. We were better in the second half and Van Persie added to the lead with a penalty. Through with two games left us a big big bonus.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal 1 – Koscielny 28

Birmingham City 0

Birmingham came to the Emirates and gave us a really good battle. Although we created the better chances are were denied time and time again by the brilliance of Ben Foster it was still a very even game. A pleasing win as we head to White Hart Lane.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Tottenham 1 – El Hamdaoui 90

Arsenal 1 – Cavani 20

We took our incredible defensive record to White Hart Lane to face Spurs in the top of the table clash. Tottenham had dropped to two points in their previous game at Aston Villa so were one point ahead having played a game more. I went there with a similar attitude to the Everton and PSG games which was to keep their dangermen quiet and hold them while trying to hit them on the break. It was a cagey opening before Cavani put us in front with his first premier league goal of the season. After that we nullified Tottenham completely and had chances of our own with van Persie hitting a post. It was looking like a massive 1-0 away win until El Hamdaoui prodiced a brilliant chip over Adler in the 93rd minute. Annoyed at letting the three points go but overall pleased with the draws.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal 3 – Chamberlain 24 Cavani 51 Walcott 90

West Brom 1 – El Hamdaoui 90

I expected a pretty comfortable afternoon as we entertained West Brom having conceded just four goals in the 11 league games played. That number was significantly increased as West Brom took advantage of two of their three attempts to first draw level and then take the lead. Cavani equalised and sensing blood I threw the kitchen sink playing effectively a 3-0-4-3 formation and 14 shots later Walcott found the net in the fifth minute of injury time. Just to add to the glory Tottenham lost 2-0 at Wolves to send us two clear of them having played a game less. We’re still one clear of City who we play next.

.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE MD5

Arsenal 3 – Lavezzi 22 Ghidini 31 Walcott 78

Kobenhavn 1 – Hansen 63

Having eased through the first four games with maximum points I rested all but Mascherano for the match against Kobenhavn meaning a debut for Kishna in place for the injured Miyaitchi. Despite playing a “reserve” team we were still far too strong dominating the entire game with one lapse when Szczesny chose to punch instead of catch and Hansen scored from it. Top of the group with a game to spare.

Other group match

PSG 6-0 Rapid Wien

PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester City 1 – Aguero 45

Arsenal 3 – Koscielny 13 Cavani 84 90

After the hard earned point at Tottenham we travelled to the Etihad for what would be a good test. Playing against his former club I thought I wouldf give Tevez a rare start alongside Van Persie meaning Cavani and Walcott were left on the bench. In a very cagey first half Koscielny who always has an appetite for big goals in big games gave us the lead from a corner. After that we held city at arms length having further chances to add to the lead with Schurrle hitting the bar. However, there was huge controversy just before the break as with only one added minute Aguero broke and scored in the fourth! Second half we controlled but seemed destined to be held to another draw until I unleashed Cavani and Walcott and two counter attacks later we were 3-1 up. Fantastic and a well deserved win.

TOP SCORERS (all comps)

Cavani – 9

Chamberlain – 8

Walcott - 7

Schurrle - 5

Ghidini – 4

Koscielny – 4

Van Persie - 4

Tevez – 3

Wilshere – 2

Bartley – 2

TOP ASSISTS (all comps)

Van Persie - 9

Schurrle – 7

Tevez - 7

Wilshere - 5

Ghidini - 4

Chamberlain - 4

TOP MOM’S (all comps)

Chamberlain – 3

Van Persie - 3

Schurrle - 2

Cavani - 2

Koscielny – 2

Sagna - 2

Walcott - 2

AVERAGE RATINGS (all comps minimum 5 games)

A very different top 5. Bartley made it to 5 games so is now eligible.

Kyle Bartley – 7.74

Mario Ghidini – 7.50

Robin Van Persie – 7.45

Andre Schurrle – 7.43

Bacary Sagna – 7.43

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Theo Walcott – 7.26

Edison Cavani – 7.21

LEAGUE TABLE

The two tricky away games at Spurs and City were always going to shape how the table looked at the end of November. That, coupled with surprise dropped points meant we had already established a lead at the top. Birmingham were the surprise movers while Wolves dropped down a place to sixth. Liverpool leapt to seventh but Chelsea with just 8 points from 5 games continued their decline and remained in the bottom half

1. Arsenal played 13 points 33

2. Tottenham played 14 points 31

3. Man City played 13 points 29

4. Birmingham played 14 points 24

5. Man United played 13 points 23

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7. Liverpool played 13 points 21

13. Chelsea played 12 points 18

GAME OF THE MONTH

A number of candidates. I’m going for Birmingham’s win at Old Trafford.

Tottenham 2-1 man united

Fulham 2-1 Chelsea

Man United 0-2 Birmingham

Wolves 2-0 Tottenham

MANCHESTER UNITED 0-2 BIRMINGHAM CITY

/-/ Carroll 4 Eriksen 78

Shots - 20 - 8

On Ta - 3 - 3

Poss - 57 - 43

PLAYER OF THE MONTH– Edison Cavani

A difficult one. Still not hitting the heights of last season but I suppose with his 5 goals I’ll give it to Cavani

6.9 – off 84

7.6 (1) – off 64

6.0

7.2 (1)

7.4 (1)

NS

8.5 (2) - on 71

STAT OF THE MONTH – A case for the defence

Of all the stats this season the biggest surprise has been in defence. Having only conceded 7 league goals (4 in the last 3) Quite a contrast to the leaking of the previous season.

After 13 games

11/12 - Goals conceded 7 points 35 clean sheets 6

12/13 –Goals conceded 9 points 27 8 clean sheets 6

13/14 – Goals conceded 14 points 30 clean sheets 3

14/15 – Goals conceded 7 points 33 clean sheets 8

December preview

We are currently 48 games unbeaten in the league. Avoiding defeat against Sunderland will equal the record while if we can against Liverpool we will break it. Both are at home.

Meanwhile in December a kind run of fixtures sees just 1 away league game.

December also sees my first Club World Championship.

Transfers wise there’s not a lot to think about. Certainly nobody will be coming in. I might send Fierro out on loan but will consider that over the month.

[Duckelfsc]

I've just started a game as Arsenal and it is going okay so far. However I seem to be shipping quite a lot of goals so does anyone have any tips on how to tighten up my defence? Vermalaen is still injured which probably has something to do with it.

[tommonufc]

Best result I've had in a long time on FM; been playing in Spain with Bilbao previously and never managed anything this comprehensive Not sure what happened, couldn't believe what I was seeing as the goals kept coming, countered Barca to death with Ox and Cavani's pace. Into the CL Semi's against Inter Milan, with Marseille playing Man City in the other semi.

As far as the League is going, I'm currently sitting 4th with 7 games to go. Unbeaten in 21 games, dating back to later October, but that has been padded out with a few draws, but still a great run. Had a shocking start to the season, which has crippled my title chances, but still have an outside chance, but it does look bleak.

Run in;

Table with 9 games remaining;