Jump to content

[FM 21] Arsenal - Still Waiting For Arteta's Tiki Taka!


VP.
 Share

Recommended Posts

Anybody have thoughts about how to best replicate Arteta's 343 formation? I can't seem to get the wide forwards to come inside enough. Any thoughts on my Tactic screenshot below in it's ability to replicate Arteta's system? I want the three forwards to sit tighter but can't get them to do that. Maybe setup as 'Very Narrow'?

 

 

image.png.fac7f7e343878ddf6350e128d24e7e88.png

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • Replies 1.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

2 hours ago, SortitoutsiVP said:

Just finished season 3 pre season.

This summer I made my biggest changes yet to the squad, well seeing as I hadn't spent a penny yet I guess that wasn't hard. I spent a total of £273m on four new signings, but these are four I see being a big part of the future of the club.

Transfers & Current Squad

u9OraHf.png

ZXySJvx.png

D0FMFm8.png

Season curtain opener was a typical match from a team managed by me!

4y2VVj5.jpg

Regarding Declan Rice transfer - Were West Ham relegated? Or...???

Link to post
Share on other sites

On 04/12/2020 at 17:02, samiam said:

Anybody have thoughts about how to best replicate Arteta's 343 formation? I can't seem to get the wide forwards to come inside enough. Any thoughts on my Tactic screenshot below in it's ability to replicate Arteta's system? I want the three forwards to sit tighter but can't get them to do that. Maybe setup as 'Very Narrow'?

I'd try something like this.

image.thumb.png.a62cc09fc25ccf8216b83aa6f2a3ada7.png

Give PEA player instructions to sit narrower and roam from position.

Give Luiz instructions for more direct passing.

I'd consider giving Bellerín a PI to hit cross from deep and aim crosses to the far post, with the hope that PEA is on the end of it.

Haven't tried it personally. But that is where I would start.

Alternate Player Roles

Lacazette: DLF-S

Willian: W-A

Bellerín: IWB-A and underlap right, instead of overlap on the TI

The Libero setting on Luiz might be wrong too.

I'd consider removing the Prevent Short GK Distribution as well.

 

Edited by Harper
Link to post
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, DominicForza said:

Regarding Declan Rice transfer - Were West Ham relegated? Or...???

Yeah they were, deal was done during the January (same as Ramsdale) but didn't complete until end of season. He had requested to leave and that was the asking price.

Link to post
Share on other sites

November 2020

A month of Europa League fixtures, three domestic ties and another international break lies ahead. While the title isn’t part of our vision, we watch the top of the table already turning into a two-way tussle between Liverpool and Manchester United. Is this how it’s going to be? The Red Devils are powered by the virtues of Bruno Fernandes. Liverpool’s charge is led at the back by Van Dijk, who’s incredible, and the noted brilliance of Mane (who scores the goals) and Salah (provides the assists) in attack. Against such wonders the rest of us appear to be on a lower level, consigned to looking up with envy. Of the other contenders, Manchester City have already lost a few - even a single dropped point is putting them at a considerable disadvantage - and Spurs have made a shabby start. Third place is up for grabs and we are sitting in that spot. All we can do right now is try to carry on winning games and solidify our grip as the ‘best of the rest’.

We begin with the hosting of Newcastle United at the Emirates. I’m glad this one is taking place at home. Uncle Steve has guided his unlikely high-fliers to sixth. They aren’t an especially exciting team but they are grinding out the results, helped along by Wilson’s goals, the battling qualities of Sean Longstaff in midfield and the presence of Allan Saint-Maximin, a young French winger who is attracting admiring glances from all comers. He’s had an 80% recommendation from my scouts, gushing notes about his pace and dribbling qualities, his love of a big match and the rather meaty caveat that he’s likely to cost a minimum of £47.5 million. They line up with an orthodox back three, which means they have come to defend and catch us on the break. Our job seems simple – keep the ball in their half, and monitor ASM like there’s no tomorrow. Keep him and Almiron quiet and we ought to have neutralised the Mags’ attacking threat. Demiral’s headed goal and an Aubameyang penalty have us two goals to the good after twelve minutes. The Gabonese striker adds a second midway through the second half as our tactics pay off. A very late response from Almiron produces a 3-1 final score, and that’s fine with me. We’ve mounted thirty shots in this one to generate an xG of 3.73, and that’s good, though I think we might have scored more.

Red Star Belgrade at home are next. I see the Serbian giants as the toughest draw in our Europa League group, a pale shadow of the early nineties vintage that once claimed a European Cup (one of the more boring finals I’ve seen, if I’m honest, but you can imagine for yourself how good they were when they represented Yugoslavia back then and could call on all that Croatian talent) but then, you could say the same about us. As always I use this tie to put out something close to a second eleven. Lacazette starts. Wilshere, Ceballos, Holding and Saka are on from kick-off, and so’s Nicolas Pepe who scores all four of our goals. A sizzling performance from the winger, whose season is a little undermined by playing second fiddle to Willian and as a consequence he plays like he’s waving his arms at me, demanding attention, and this competitive quality makes him try to be a bit special. The visitors don’t rack up a single shot. Our 4-0 win makes us feel temporarily like a superpower.

A trip across the city follows as we go to face West Ham at their very quiet and looming London Stadium. Uncle David has made a torrid start to the campaign. They’re in second-last place, and if their horrid form continues and they end up going down then I expect to lead the queue of teams waiting to pluck Declan Rice from their sweaty grasp. The reason for their malaise becomes clear as they set up to defend, at home, with a back three of Rice, Ogbonna and Dawson, and hoping that Petkovic can nick the odd goal. They don’t. After the goalfests we’ve enjoyed recently this is a somewhat prosaic 1-0 victory, courtesy of the inevitable Aubameyang. For long swathes nothing much happens. The foul count is high. Eight yellow cards are shared out, three for us, while Bellerin is forced off with a tight groin that happily turns out to be a minor injury. It’s a ground out and attritional victory, yet I’m happy with it. Too often we have been exposed as lightweight on these occasions. Not now. For the home side, who will sack Moyes before much longer, they have the added ignominy of a dubiously awarded penalty that Noble fires straight at Leno.

The Interlull ends happily with no further injuries to worry about. I can name my strongest eleven for our journey into the Black Country for the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. They’re opposition that I fear. Quick, dangerous and very Portuguese, they’re like taking on the best qualities of that country with the added Spanish spice of Adama Traore’s sheer bulk and pace to cause us problems. Kieran Tierney is given the happy task of keeping him quiet. As against the Hammers it isn’t the prettiest of occasions. We know that we’re in for a tough time and this is exactly what we get. The home side work the ball around crisply and delightfully. There’s no question of being anything but at our most alert, and as a consequence we dominate easily in the number of fouls committed. Another three bookings for us, one of which turns into a second yellow for Xhaka after one industrial challenge too many. Not for the first time I’m questioning the Swiss hard man’s long-term presence in my squad. Fortunately we can break at times, and it’s two rapid moves, both prominently involving Oxlade-Chamberlain, which give us the two goals we need. Once again it’s Auba supplying the finishes as we leave at the end of a 2-0 smash and grab.

There’s no question of the two leaders dropping a single point between them. They will face each other in early December, which will inevitably end in someone giving way, but the Pool and United have maintained their five points gap for now. Where we’re concerned our third place looks increasingly secure. There’s now open space between ourselves and Chelsea in fourth. Spurs’ lower mid-table placing is a lot of fun, while Leicester’s relegation position stands as an outright aberration.

November finishes with a flight to Serbia as we face Red Star in the return fixture. Winning here will guarantee our qualification from the group, indeed a draw ought to be enough, especially as the last two ties are being played at home. The opposition are decent. Gabonese midfielder Guelor Kanga is very small and a tricky prospect to contain, as is (Gentle) Ben, a winger from Comoros who is singled out for a man marking job, however they don’t possess our quality. Saka gives us a first half lead. Vinicius seals the deal towards the end, and there’s even a disallowed effort from Lacazette to underline our 2-0 victory. It’s another goalless outing for the Frenchman, who to me plays decently otherwise, even though his record pales in comparison with Aubameyang’s. For their part Red Star have Sanogo – not that one! – sent off shortly after the break, which sums up a frustrating afternoon of few scoring opportunities but many instances of dirty football.

PL1120.png

Link to post
Share on other sites

On 02/12/2020 at 22:01, Garygooner666 said:

Looking to strip the squad down in 1st window and add some quality youth players by selling the following

Mustafi,  Sokratis,  David Luiz (possibly),  Cedric,  Kolasinac,  Elneny and maybe Lacazette.

If you have had success selling these in the first window can you indicate who they went to, the fee etc.

 

Offer them out for their value but half up front and half in installments. I sold mustafi for 15.75 to west ham and kola for 22m to roma on that basis.

Link to post
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, arsenalthebest said:

How's Gabriel on fm21? playing fm 20 with an an update(waiting for fm21 to go on sale) and he has 2 stars and a CA of

  Reveal hidden contents

129

which seems to far to low

He's certainly not at the level he should be but has finally broke into the Brazil national team for the 2022 World Cup in my save.

051d5Bj.png

Link to post
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, arsenalthebest said:

How's Gabriel on fm21? playing fm 20 with an an update(waiting for fm21 to go on sale) and he has 2 stars and a CA of

  Hide contents

129

which seems to far to low

Halfway through my first season, he's played 17 matches as a ball playing defender, scored one goal and achieved an average rating of 7.20. His regular defensive partner is Merih Demiral, and they're a good pair because 'Demi' is the no-nonsense complement to Gabe's more cultured player. I've no complaints with him whatsoever. He's quick, big, strong, aggressive but not too dirty (four yellows thus far, which seems about normal for a centre-back), and I really like the guy. Hope that helps.

5 minutes ago, Cam NBH said:

Offer them out for their value but half up front and half in installments. I sold mustafi for 15.75 to west ham and kola for 22m to roma on that basis.

Damn, wish I had thought of doing this. I don't have any arguments with the suggested list of sales either. Luiz looks far too gaff-ridden to be an effective defender, especially in a two-man pairing, and you need the money.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Had to pay kola off 2.5m to go but that was a steal for me!

Mustafi even accepted speeding up his decision to go.

@Harper how does Ajer play for you? I have just agreed a contract. He adds height, determination and leadership which is why I picked him.

Anyone have any good suggestions for backup LB? Can AMN cover well enough?

Edited by Cam NBH
Link to post
Share on other sites

December 2020

A busy month is in store. Five league games jostle for space with Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup and the remaining two Europa League fixtures. I’m beginning to get a much better grip on Arsenal’s big hitters and who might be heading for the exit. Demiral is emerging as a great signing and leads a very good defensive unit. Auba can’t stop scoring goals, which is good. There’s been a definite impact made by the Ox, and the flexibility of Calum Chambers – able to play at centre-back, right-back and defensive midfielder – means I can put Saliba out for loan. Adversely, Willian has done little to break my impression that Pepe and Nelson should be representing our right wing. Vinicius hasn’t been as effervescent on the left as Saka, though I need to bear in mind that the latter is enjoying softer Europa League nights rather than the challenge of the Prem. Longer term, I see the position as being a three-way challenge between Saka, Smith-Rowe – impressing on loan – and Martinelli, who will probably get a loan move in January to aid his recovery from a nasty knee injury. I’m increasingly unconvinced by Lacazette, and Nketiah looks frankly distant from being good enough. I will need to think about the future of our attacking options. They’re either getting on a bit or fall short of the standard.

There’s no league fixture at the weekend, so we have a week to recover before taking on Sivasspor in what looks more and more like superfluous Europa League commitments. The Turks scored twice against us at their place and need to be respected. At the Emirates it’s a more subdued contest. We have many shots and two disallowed goals from Lacazette, but ultimately we have to accept the single strike from Lewis Cook as the decider. Another fine defensive effort, with further plaudits heading in the direction of Willock and Saka, but the striker pulls a dud, and Nelson fails to make an impact. Close to 60,000 souls have turned up for this one. They wouldn’t be criticised for feeling that our win ought to be far more emphatic than it is.

We will be playing Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round, and in rehearsal for that tie we’re off to Villa Park in the league. You know their qualities just as well as I do. Grealish needs to be monitored, and they have a particularly good central midfield pairing in McGinn and Barkley. Their effort is based around showcasing Mr Grealish, who has a free hand to work his magic. Fortunately, when we man-mark someone they tend to stay man-marked. The home cause is neutralised, and a hat-trick by Vinicius, who for some reason comes to this one determined to prove his worth, gifts us the points. Villa are quiet. So are we for the most part. Ceballos and Wilshere cancel out the home midfield but are themselves made less impactful in return, and it’s left to the on-loan Brazilian to produce the goods.

The last and utterly redundant Europa League commitment, against Zorya, produces a 2-0 victory. As I recall it, when the group was announced this lot were considered our main challengers. They’re rubbish. Perhaps that’s the point. A second string eleven makes it a clean sweep of continental wins as Chambers and Lacazette find the net. On the whole it’s like watching a Mike Tyson fight when the heavyweight was at his most dangerous – nothing more than a matter of time before we deliver the decisive blow, neither do we need to be at our best in delivering it. The first knockout round, which is scheduled for February, will see us take on Kradsnodar.

At the weekend we entertain Leeds United, who are riding high in the table. We are handed a pre-match uppercut when Willian is ruled out for a month, following a training ground incident that results in a hernia. This should give Pepe and Nelson more chances to show their quality. The former especially deserves his opportunity, and he’s a significant factor in our 2-0 home win. The visitors are restricted to scraps. They manage one off-target shot throughout the entire ninety, whilst Aubameyang pads out his account with a brace to deliver a sound thrashing. Bielsa’s entertainers play very much like we do, except they aren’t as good at it, only Klich emerging with any credit as elsewhere they’re subdued. This is a great result for us. We dominate in every department, and – while being conscious of typing such banana skin words – it seems the side is really starting to get to grips with how they’re being asked to play.

A few days’ rest and then it’s across London to play Fulham. Currently eighth and defying the pre-season predictions, this has all the makings of a proper test. Most of the attention goes on striker Mitrovic, however we’re scouting the on-loan Ruben Loftus-Cheek in midfield, and beanpole centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo. Both could make for fine additions as we continue to rebuild with a more homegrown squad. Another alumnus of my FM20 Derby County outfit, Ademola Lookman, is starting for the home side on their left wing, but the reports on him are less positive. Fulham are decent, and there’s a danger that we will drop cheap points, but first half strikes from Vinicius and Aubameyang secure the victory. Bellerin is terrific in his forays down the right wing, rather more reliable than Pepe who does the time-honoured thing of being ordinary when injuries elsewhere have given him a chance to shine. One gaff, a lazy pass deep in the opposition half that’s picked up by Lookman and sparks a Fulham attack, lingers in the memory. Cook has one of his poorer games, but Demiral is commanding at the back and Leno deals with everything that’s sent his way.

Liverpool are finally beaten. At Elland Road they collapse 3-0 against Leeds in a shocker of a reverse. Both leaders are ahead of us in the table but suddenly look that little bit less invulnerable. Mustafi goes to Monterrey. Bye then. Four and a half years in England that produced only disappointment and diminishing returns. We made a £27.5 million loss on him overall, which makes his time at Arsenal one of the more abject late-Wenger transfers.

Chris Wilder is handed his cards as we head to west Yorkshire to play Huddersfield Town in our Carabao Cup quarter-final. The opposition are fifteenth in the Championship and are steadily settling into post-Premier League life. We’re expected to have far too much for them, even fielding a weakened eleven, and that’s exactly what happens. The 3-0 win we achieve at the John Smiths is underlined by solid attacking pressure and superior finishing. Saka and a Ceballos rocket carve out an early two goal lead, and Nketiah’s late clincher is a reward for the smart positioning he’s produced since coming on for Lacazette. In the semi-final we are drawn at home to face Newcastle. The other half pits Liverpool against Chelsea.

Merry Christmas, everyone! Boxing Day sees us go to Crystal Palace, an in-form side that can present a banana skin for anyone. Uncle Roy fields an old-fashioned 4-4-2, featuring a who’s who of ‘whatever happened to’ players – Benteke, Schlupp, Sakho, knackered Nathaniel Clyne. My worries over Ebere Eze’s potential impact are calmed as the winger does nothing, and even Zaha looks reined in. What they can do is defend, hard and often, and I think we do well to get out of there with a 1-0 win, Auba doing the honours.

For Southampton two days later, I make a few changes to the line-up without resting players for the sake of it. The Saints don’t care about this. They haven’t got the squad depth we can command, and even though they can wield the likes of Ings and Romeu their cause begins to suffer from fatigue as time wears on. Shane Long opens the scoring for the visitors, which is kind of embarrassing for us, especially as we seem intent at the time to win nothing but the fouls count. But then Auba racks up a brace before the break, completes his hat-trick ahead of the hour mark, and there are further strikes from Pepe and Holding to complete a 5-1 rout. It hasn’t been our prettiest performance. I’d argue that we have never moved out of second gear in this one, but our shooting has been crisp and accurate, and the Saints faded long before the end.

As a consequence, we end 2020 five points behind the two leaders but with a match in hand, and we’re ten ahead of fourth-placed Man City. Keep plugging away and we will get to form a mini-league with the Pool and United, though clearly in their case there is little room for error, a fact that makes me grateful for removing David Luiz from the roster. Aubameyang is named World Footballer of the Year, along with a haul of awards in the African categories. He deserves it. The Gabonese has scored sixteen league goals, seven ahead of Mane and Rodrigo. And to think I was going to start the season playing him on the left wing! I might as well have gone the whole hog and neutered the guy.PL1220.png.ca67ae6b83ab770cf3ba3a4db552b4f1.png

Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Tee2 said:

December 2020

A busy month is in store. Five league games jostle for space with Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup and the remaining two Europa League fixtures. I’m beginning to get a much better grip on Arsenal’s big hitters and who might be heading for the exit. Demiral is emerging as a great signing and leads a very good defensive unit. Auba can’t stop scoring goals, which is good. There’s been a definite impact made by the Ox, and the flexibility of Calum Chambers – able to play at centre-back, right-back and defensive midfielder – means I can put Saliba out for loan. Adversely, Willian has done little to break my impression that Pepe and Nelson should be representing our right wing. Vinicius hasn’t been as effervescent on the left as Saka, though I need to bear in mind that the latter is enjoying softer Europa League nights rather than the challenge of the Prem. Longer term, I see the position as being a three-way challenge between Saka, Smith-Rowe – impressing on loan – and Martinelli, who will probably get a loan move in January to aid his recovery from a nasty knee injury. I’m increasingly unconvinced by Lacazette, and Nketiah looks frankly distant from being good enough. I will need to think about the future of our attacking options. They’re either getting on a bit or fall short of the standard.

There’s no league fixture at the weekend, so we have a week to recover before taking on Sivasspor in what looks more and more like superfluous Europa League commitments. The Turks scored twice against us at their place and need to be respected. At the Emirates it’s a more subdued contest. We have many shots and two disallowed goals from Lacazette, but ultimately we have to accept the single strike from Lewis Cook as the decider. Another fine defensive effort, with further plaudits heading in the direction of Willock and Saka, but the striker pulls a dud, and Nelson fails to make an impact. Close to 60,000 souls have turned up for this one. They wouldn’t be criticised for feeling that our win ought to be far more emphatic than it is.

We will be playing Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round, and in rehearsal for that tie we’re off to Villa Park in the league. You know their qualities just as well as I do. Grealish needs to be monitored, and they have a particularly good central midfield pairing in McGinn and Barkley. Their effort is based around showcasing Mr Grealish, who has a free hand to work his magic. Fortunately, when we man-mark someone they tend to stay man-marked. The home cause is neutralised, and a hat-trick by Vinicius, who for some reason comes to this one determined to prove his worth, gifts us the points. Villa are quiet. So are we for the most part. Ceballos and Wilshere cancel out the home midfield but are themselves made less impactful in return, and it’s left to the on-loan Brazilian to produce the goods.

The last and utterly redundant Europa League commitment, against Zorya, produces a 2-0 victory. As I recall it, when the group was announced this lot were considered our main challengers. They’re rubbish. Perhaps that’s the point. A second string eleven makes it a clean sweep of continental wins as Chambers and Lacazette find the net. On the whole it’s like watching a Mike Tyson fight when the heavyweight was at his most dangerous – nothing more than a matter of time before we deliver the decisive blow, neither do we need to be at our best in delivering it. The first knockout round, which is scheduled for February, will see us take on Kradsnodar.

At the weekend we entertain Leeds United, who are riding high in the table. We are handed a pre-match uppercut when Willian is ruled out for a month, following a training ground incident that results in a hernia. This should give Pepe and Nelson more chances to show their quality. The former especially deserves his opportunity, and he’s a significant factor in our 2-0 home win. The visitors are restricted to scraps. They manage one off-target shot throughout the entire ninety, whilst Aubameyang pads out his account with a brace to deliver a sound thrashing. Bielsa’s entertainers play very much like we do, except they aren’t as good at it, only Klich emerging with any credit as elsewhere they’re subdued. This is a great result for us. We dominate in every department, and – while being conscious of typing such banana skin words – it seems the side is really starting to get to grips with how they’re being asked to play.

A few days’ rest and then it’s across London to play Fulham. Currently eighth and defying the pre-season predictions, this has all the makings of a proper test. Most of the attention goes on striker Mitrovic, however we’re scouting the on-loan Ruben Loftus-Cheek in midfield, and beanpole centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo. Both could make for fine additions as we continue to rebuild with a more homegrown squad. Another alumnus of my FM20 Derby County outfit, Ademola Lookman, is starting for the home side on their left wing, but the reports on him are less positive. Fulham are decent, and there’s a danger that we will drop cheap points, but first half strikes from Vinicius and Aubameyang secure the victory. Bellerin is terrific in his forays down the right wing, rather more reliable than Pepe who does the time-honoured thing of being ordinary when injuries elsewhere have given him a chance to shine. One gaff, a lazy pass deep in the opposition half that’s picked up by Lookman and sparks a Fulham attack, lingers in the memory. Cook has one of his poorer games, but Demiral is commanding at the back and Leno deals with everything that’s sent his way.

Liverpool are finally beaten. At Elland Road they collapse 3-0 against Leeds in a shocker of a reverse. Both leaders are ahead of us in the table but suddenly look that little bit less invulnerable. Mustafi goes to Monterrey. Bye then. Four and a half years in England that produced only disappointment and diminishing returns. We made a £27.5 million loss on him overall, which makes his time at Arsenal one of the more abject late-Wenger transfers.

Chris Wilder is handed his cards as we head to west Yorkshire to play Huddersfield Town in our Carabao Cup quarter-final. The opposition are fifteenth in the Championship and are steadily settling into post-Premier League life. We’re expected to have far too much for them, even fielding a weakened eleven, and that’s exactly what happens. The 3-0 win we achieve at the John Smiths is underlined by solid attacking pressure and superior finishing. Saka and a Ceballos rocket carve out an early two goal lead, and Nketiah’s late clincher is a reward for the smart positioning he’s produced since coming on for Lacazette. In the semi-final we are drawn at home to face Newcastle. The other half pits Liverpool against Chelsea.

Merry Christmas, everyone! Boxing Day sees us go to Crystal Palace, an in-form side that can present a banana skin for anyone. Uncle Roy fields an old-fashioned 4-4-2, featuring a who’s who of ‘whatever happened to’ players – Benteke, Schlupp, Sakho, knackered Nathaniel Clyne. My worries over Ebere Eze’s potential impact are calmed as the winger does nothing, and even Zaha looks reined in. What they can do is defend, hard and often, and I think we do well to get out of there with a 1-0 win, Auba doing the honours.

For Southampton two days later, I make a few changes to the line-up without resting players for the sake of it. The Saints don’t care about this. They haven’t got the squad depth we can command, and even though they can wield the likes of Ings and Romeu their cause begins to suffer from fatigue as time wears on. Shane Long opens the scoring for the visitors, which is kind of embarrassing for us, especially as we seem intent at the time to win nothing but the fouls count. But then Auba racks up a brace before the break, completes his hat-trick ahead of the hour mark, and there are further strikes from Pepe and Holding to complete a 5-1 rout. It hasn’t been our prettiest performance. I’d argue that we have never moved out of second gear in this one, but our shooting has been crisp and accurate, and the Saints faded long before the end.

As a consequence, we end 2020 five points behind the two leaders but with a match in hand, and we’re ten ahead of fourth-placed Man City. Keep plugging away and we will get to form a mini-league with the Pool and United, though clearly in their case there is little room for error, a fact that makes me grateful for removing David Luiz from the roster. Aubameyang is named World Footballer of the Year, along with a haul of awards in the African categories. He deserves it. The Gabonese has scored sixteen league goals, seven ahead of Mane and Rodrigo. And to think I was going to start the season playing him on the left wing! I might as well have gone the whole hog and neutered the guy.PL1220.png.ca67ae6b83ab770cf3ba3a4db552b4f1.png

good going mate. what is your formation? my favourite is 4231, but i think i should go for 41221 really. have someone protect the back 2 as the fullbacks bomb forward.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, oze07 said:

good going mate. what is your formation? my favourite is 4231, but i think i should go for 41221 really. have someone protect the back 2 as the fullbacks bomb forward.

 

Thanks oze07 - 4-1-2-2-1 is pretty much what I play. Thomas Partey plays as DM in our first season, for the exact reason that I try to balance the XI between defence and attack. We've conceded six goals in seventeen league games so I guess it's working.

Link to post
Share on other sites

58 minutes ago, Tee2 said:

Thanks oze07 - 4-1-2-2-1 is pretty much what I play. Thomas Partey plays as DM in our first season, for the exact reason that I try to balance the XI between defence and attack. We've conceded six goals in seventeen league games so I guess it's working.

wow. what is your first 11 then?

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, oze07 said:

wow. what is your first 11 then?

 

GK: Leno

DR: Bellerin

DL: Tierney

DC: Demiral

DC: Gabriel

DM: Partey

MC: Xhaka

MC: Oxlade-Chamberlain (signed from Liverpool)

AMR: Willian

AML: Vinicius Jr (on loan from Real)

SC: Aubameyang

Link to post
Share on other sites

I’m heading towards Christmas on my save, taking it slowly and trying to implement a system in the club

 

i was using a vertical tiki taka 433 but changed it to a 4231 which seemed more effective. Recently, I implemented a gegen press 433 which hammered West Ham 4-0 away and won two easy europa league games well

 

im gonna test it vs Utd and Chelsea soon which should be interesting. I think the Utd researcher went a bit too rose tinted with his data this year personally and our youth isn’t well rated (balogan having random stats for determination etc) 

 

Pepe has been amazing for me, he had 3 vs West Ham, and can’t stop scoring as an amr inside forward attack

 

im using Willian on the left as an inverted winger support and auba as an advanced forward. That seems to be the strongest 3 I have found. Ceballos works well as a ten in an advanced playmaker role and as a mezzala support in a cm position

ive ended up dropping. Xhaka as he wants a payrise. I’m going to sell him and get camavinga if I can again. I think the team is pretty strong generally, willock, reiss, saka, amn are all excellent young talents who can plug in . Holding and chambers are also solid. 
 

managed to loan out sok and mustafi to young boys and xhaka and kolacinac should be gone in jan. ozil was homesick but wants to join Valencia for free (currently being negotiated but I will still pay £34k a week wages)

 

I will keep mari and luiz for this season and let luiz go for a free. I then will look at upamecano if possible or Ajer as a bpd. 
 

one player that interests me is orayzabal as a ten or wide playmaker. Anyone ever used him? I can generate fund with Laca and Willian potentially as well in the summer so should have a massive wage pot and money for players 

 

can anyone advise me on alternate talent?

I want a young keeper to replace Leno eventually, don from Milan is obvious

a good ball playing cb. Ajer seems good? Upamecano looks more of a brute but could be good next to Gabriel who is amazing 

I might sell bellerin and look at Aaron’s 

camavinga is a great talent, any young cms who can be that solid def dive player capable of a pass? I also like the look of aouor and the lad at rb Salzburg 

nketiah seems brilliant but I have never used haaland. Not sure I can afford him so an all round pacey and strong Striker would be nice?

 

sorry for the long post, but I’m really enjoying the game after 8 years away

training is the only thing I suck at. Any help there would be good

Link to post
Share on other sites

Does anyone think that partey is actually any good in this? he has been my b2b player in this and doesnt seem to really do a brilliant job, last year i was using nididi as a bwm and willock as a b2b as that was an intense combination, actually am thinking about selling him as well as tierney, he is to injury prone for me, am using a 4-2-3-1 formation to

Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, 1984mattyd said:

Does anyone think that partey is actually any good in this? he has been my b2b player in this and doesnt seem to really do a brilliant job, last year i was using nididi as a bwm and willock as a b2b as that was an intense combination, actually am thinking about selling him as well as tierney, he is to injury prone for me, am using a 4-2-3-1 formation to

He’s decent in a b2b role next to a mezzala or advanced playmaker in a 433 

 

Not particularly outstanding though 

Link to post
Share on other sites

On 02/12/2020 at 17:01, Garygooner666 said:

Looking to strip the squad down in 1st window and add some quality youth players by selling the following

Mustafi,  Sokratis,  David Luiz (possibly),  Cedric,  Kolasinac,  Elneny and maybe Lacazette.

If you have had success selling these in the first window can you indicate who they went to, the fee etc.

 

From Lacazette, I was able to get £60M from Real Madrid in the beta; £50M from Manchester United in v21.1.2

I haven't tried selling Elneny, yet, but everyone gets interest, even Özil. I had to include some wage contribution on Luiz and Sokratis, but it's only a season and still frees up money.

Edited by Harper
Link to post
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, 1984mattyd said:

Does anyone think that partey is actually any good in this? he has been my b2b player in this and doesnt seem to really do a brilliant job, last year i was using nididi as a bwm and willock as a b2b as that was an intense combination, actually am thinking about selling him as well as tierney, he is to injury prone for me, am using a 4-2-3-1 formation to

He's good for B2B and I've used him in that role significantly. I like him more as a BWM with risky passing.

Link to post
Share on other sites

On 14/11/2020 at 12:51, BrickCommo23 said:

Great work - what sort of system have you got on the go?

I'm curious how you got defensive cover for the Raumdeuter as they tend not to track back. Good goal return from Auba though and you've made me think I need to try him there as opposed to an IF.

Link to post
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, 1984mattyd said:

Does anyone think that partey is actually any good in this? he has been my b2b player in this and doesnt seem to really do a brilliant job, last year i was using nididi as a bwm and willock as a b2b as that was an intense combination, actually am thinking about selling him as well as tierney, he is to injury prone for me, am using a 4-2-3-1 formation to

For me he's always around the 7-7.3 unless he scores, not brilliant but not bad. He usually plays as a B2B or RPM for me. 

 

BTW, I started an Arsenal save and posted a new topic in the career updates section, if you want to check it out..!

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, The Solman said:

I'm curious how you got defensive cover for the Raumdeuter as they tend not to track back. Good goal return from Auba though and you've made me think I need to try him there as opposed to an IF.

Ah I couldn't get the RMD to work at all - absolutely no idea what I am missing there but he was terrible. 

I'm sure someone somewhere has got that role to work but it's not one for me!

Link to post
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, BrickCommo23 said:

Ah I couldn't get the RMD to work at all - absolutely no idea what I am missing there but he was terrible. 

I'm sure someone somewhere has got that role to work but it's not one for me!

Didn't he score you 20+ goals.

Link to post
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, BrickCommo23 said:

No, I'm only a couple of games into the season. I think you've mixed up my posts with someone elses

Maybe! I've now decided to put Auba as a RMD😂😦 so I'll try to make it work.

Edited by The Solman
Link to post
Share on other sites

Auba is killing it for me in my gegen press 433 as an advanced forward attack

i got the board to buy aouor in January as an extra creative cm with ceballos. I might request another loan for Danny as he’s been very effective for me 

el neney has been the most surprising player. He’s played a few great long through balls vs higher lines for auba in the dm defend role. 
 

garcia of city is on the transfer list so I may take a look if I can get him cheap 

He looks a potential great ball playing cb. Giving the kids game time in the Europa league to keep them happy. Laca is banging them in there and isn’t complaining about not playing prem games. Looking forward to seeing how good martinelli can be

anyway here is the league and fixtures below. Both Lampard and mourinho talked smack and got spanked. Team stats are there too

 

 

 

1E15ACE5-8655-436A-9DAF-FA02114C41F3.jpeg

801A8EE6-CF81-460D-BD92-0C4171FD319D.jpeg

D1EC6C21-3325-47E0-9DE8-E26C73966C02.jpeg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Two games in and I am playing 4-3-3. Another member was speaking about Auba as a Raumdeuter, so far two games 3 goals and and 2 goals for Laca, 2 for Ceballos, 1 for Willian and 1 for Partey. I've used RDFs Liverpool formation as a base and altered it. I'll play a few more games and see how I get on before posting some screen shots.

From back to front I'm playing 

4-3-3

Leno (SK/D)

Bellerin (WB/A)

Holding (CD/D)

Gabriel (CD/D)

Tierney (WB/SU)

Xhaka/Elneny (DLP/D)

Thomas (BBM/SU)

Ceballos(AP/A)

Aubameyang (RMD)

Lacazette (DLP/SU)

Willian/Saka/Pepe(IF/A)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

On 06/12/2020 at 09:04, Cam NBH said:

how does Ajer play for you? I have just agreed a contract. He adds height, determination and leadership which is why I picked him.

Hello mate, just to interject, I signed Ajer & he's been better than I expected. Initally as a DM/Sup but he's played as BPD/Def as cover & has been very solid. I bought him for the same reasons. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, WillyBroadband said:

Hello mate, just to interject, I signed Ajer & he's been better than I expected. Initally as a DM/Sup but he's played as BPD/Def as cover & has been very solid. I bought him for the same reasons. 

Thanks matey, going to get him as bpd/d. Much appreciated.

 

Anyone have any ideas on backup LB please?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Just started a new game - my first on fm20 or 21 with a slightly earlier start time.

Early days (2 EPL games in), but squad overhaul has started.

Managed to get £8.75m for Sokratis (some wage retention, but not too bad) from China.

Sold Mesut for £13m with rather more wage retention (but still less than the £13m so win-win!)

Sold Kola to Roma for 21m somehow.

In the process of selling Borino who has just arrived but asked to leave when not in EPL squad for what will rise to £16m, which was a nice boost.

Matt Macey went for £100k & a few kids who likely won't make it have been loaned out for maybe £500k in total.

Trying to sell Xhaka & Mustafi, but only had some seriously low ball bids for the latter. Hoping to smoke out some more before the transfer window ends

All in all this has given me wiggle room in the market -

Managed to get John Stones for £13m which looks a steal, especially if I can recoup that for Mustafi. I also got Garcia on loan from City for no fee and tiny wages. Not sure I can convince him to join me on a bosman in june rather than Barca in Jan, but either way, its low risk.

Brought in Rovella, Poku, Sieb and Papetti along with some less rated kids for compensation. Nabbed Rhys WIlliams and Leyton Stewart form Liverpool for a combined £1m

Ugarte comes in at DM for £1.8 which looks a snip.

Also brought in Clichy on a free for a HG squad left back (seeing as there is space for HG guys over 21), WIlshere also on a free, and to complete the HG freebie hat-trick, Daniel Sturridge once his wages dropped.

What has been unexpected is that I gave my staff permission to buy young players and added a few cheap kids to my transfer targets and Edu & Mertesacker have been busy!

My under 23s & U18s have been bolstered by some v cheap /free guys I've never heard of who probably wont amount to anything, but also Raul Moro, Ben Knight from City, Moises Caicedo, Pelayo Morilla, Koni De WInter & Sivert Mansverk have all joined independently of me bar scouting them (and in the case of Knight and De Winter I didn't even scout them) for about £10m. Apart from signing of on Caicedo, I had no say in the matter. Thankfully they all look to have EPL potential and the other arrivals were frees on low wages, who might raise a few quid down the line.

So far I'm in the black. My big hope is that I can find buyers for Mustafi and Xhaka & then I will try to get Camavinga with small up front / big installments deal. Kid is already great and will be immense on FM & IRL. Currently in discussions to bring in Calafiore from from Roma for £4m, largely inspired by his worldy for them last week IRL, and if I can't get Camavinga or can defer payments enough, and left over will go on a more attacking midfielder...but in my 4-3-3, a number 10 isn't a priority.

Won the Charity shield 3-0 with equal xG to liverpool, but Adrian was in goal for them and did me a solid!

Link to post
Share on other sites

On 06/12/2020 at 04:04, Cam NBH said:

Had to pay kola off 2.5m to go but that was a steal for me!

Mustafi even accepted speeding up his decision to go.

@Harper how does Ajer play for you? I have just agreed a contract. He adds height, determination and leadership which is why I picked him.

Anyone have any good suggestions for backup LB? Can AMN cover well enough?

Sorry, not sure how I missed your question. 

Ajer has been my go to DC purchase the last few iterations. I haven’t opened my game up yet this morning, but he does everything right. In FM20, he was a set piece wizard, thumping headers into the back of the net or across the face of goal for someone else to poke in. The DM versatility is a bonus.

Greg Taylor, another lad from Celtic, has been a surprise for me at LB. He is only rated two stars by my staff, but his attributes are appropriate for a backup. Was in a pinch cause I got a surprise offer for Kolasinac and needed a backup for Tierney at the deadline. Was the easiest one to get done. Also loaned Cedric out, so didn’t want to rely on AMN. Worked out because there was a week or so where Bellerín and Tierney had overlapping periods of injury in the height of April FA Cup/EL/PL congestion.

 

 

 

Edited by Harper
Link to post
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, WillyBroadband said:

Wow man, how did you manage to get that? I offered him for free & half his wages & no biters at all - the squad got annoyed with how I treated him so I'm just going to keep him. 

AS said before by someone else on here -for some reason Gattuso likes him! I think they sold someone so were desperate. They did knock his wages down a fair what on top of what I am subsidising

Link to post
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, bigman said:

Im definitely going to look at ajer and Garcia. Garcia is listed by city for me so may try in January

how does he play? Does he develop quickly? Definitely want him as a bpd the same way that I want ajer 

Small sample size (handful of games) but Garcia has been superb for me so far mate. Got him on loan & will hopefully get him on a free. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Saw mad mario balotelli was stil available on a free so thought I'd have a punt given he wanted a pittance in wages, and the idea of trying to get a short term tune out of one of the least professional potentially elite players ever. Laca had picked up a knock in training, so popped the Italian in against Southampton at home.  Wasn't involved in the play at all in a dominant team performance, but was totally lethal with chances presented. 5 goals and an assist! I will be very suprised if he doesn't sulk and demand to leave by January, but he's already got his piece of Arsenal history! Always though Wenger could have found a way through to him...

Link to post
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, WillyBroadband said:

Small sample size (handful of games) but Garcia has been superb for me so far mate. Got him on loan & will hopefully get him on a free. 

Ah is he another player whose contract runs down in the summer? I’ll offer him a contract in January or a very low transfer fee. Same with don at ax Milan in goal. Is there anyway to convey to a player u want them on a free so they don’t sign a new deal? 

Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, bigman said:

Ah is he another player whose contract runs down in the summer? I’ll offer him a contract in January or a very low transfer fee. Same with don at ax Milan in goal. Is there anyway to convey to a player u want them on a free so they don’t sign a new deal? 

I think the most you can do is declare your interest and keep putting bids in for them.

Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, WillyBroadband said:

He's been on my radar, I think I'll get him as his agent was saying about £2M I think. Bargain really. 

Can't complain for a no-fuss backup. I'm trying really hard to not sign too many players who expect to have regular starter status or greater at anyone one position (easier said than done).

Stats only in the spoilers

Spoiler

 

1543499338_ScreenShot2020-12-08at10_14_49AM.thumb.png.d559be60c2172df72ea57a75c4fd980d.png

578965431_ScreenShot2020-12-08at10_14_22AM.thumb.png.5a9ce7fd8780f4a89448685df25daf2d.png

1658304757_ScreenShot2020-12-08at10_19_48AM.thumb.png.a773427f637454c36ee11f78aa3db6b7.png

371666735_ScreenShot2020-12-08at10_19_55AM.thumb.png.09b104272017af5640c6d3d44ae873c3.png


 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, WillyBroadband said:

Haha, that's what I'm after too man! Was thinking of getting Schmelzer from Dortmund as a short term fix. Saka has played good at LB when needed though. 

 

6 hours ago, Harper said:

Sorry, not sure how I missed your question. 

Ajer has been my go to DC purchase the last few iterations. I haven’t opened my game up yet this morning, but he does everything right. In FM20, he was a set piece wizard, thumping headers into the back of the net or across the face of goal for someone else to poke in. The DM versatility is a bonus.

Greg Taylor, another lad from Celtic, has been a surprise for me at LB. He is only rated two stars by my staff, but his attributes are appropriate for a backup. Was in a pinch cause I got a surprise offer for Kolasinac and needed a backup for Tierney at the deadline. Was the easiest one to get done. Also loaned Cedric out, so didn’t want to rely on AMN. Worked out because there was a week or so where Bellerín and Tierney had overlapping periods of injury in the height of April FA Cup/EL/PL congestion.

 

 

 

 

Thanks chaps 

Link to post
Share on other sites

SEASON 3 CONCLUSION

Champions of Europe for the first time though Utd proved far too strong in the league where our awful start to the season cost us badly. Auba will leaving on a free as the only contract offer he'll accept is as a star player, where as I view as an impact sub now. Leaves on a high. Aston Villa were relegated so may be in for Grealish as has now been listed.

ZCKXGd2.png

oiget8z.png

GUFjSaa.png

My strike partnership of DCL and Nketiah scored 83 goals between them with DCL also managing 24 assists.

hJKxVso.png

LXqOC3S.png

cVr3gMG.png

ZaLAfjG.png

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...