Arteta’s Arsenal recreation

[Cam NBH]

I have it as a balanced 433, low crosses, play out of defence, counter press.

 

GK - SK/S - Ramsdale

RB- IWB/S - White

CBR - BPD/D - Saliba

CBL - BPD/D - Gabriel

LB - IWB/S - Zinchenko

DM - HB/D - Partey

CMR - CM/A - Odegaard

CML - CM/S - Xhaka

AMR - IW/S - Saka

AML - IF/A - Martinelli

CF - AF/A - Jesus

 

The only PIs are AMR & AML Stay wider and CML Get further forward

Still in pre season but it plays some very nice stuff and has the 5 attacking lanes filled nicely.

[CKBrahMa]

Update : I add the « Dribble less » TI, and the team play way much like IRL, and produced good results 

[kalongtongan]

On 15/11/2022 at 03:01, w_x said:

Haaland not top scorer, inconceievable! 

in my game his get injured more less 1 month.

14 hours ago, CKBrahMa said:

Update : I add the « Dribble less » TI, and the team play way much like IRL, and produced good results 

agree, dribble less is in my default tactic too.

 

i remove the stop crosses in TI out possession.

Edited November 16, 2022 by kalongtongan

[CKBrahMa]

Il y a 13 heures, kalongtongan a dit :

in my game his get injured more less 1 month.

agree, dribble less is in my default tactic too.

 

i remove the stop crosses in TI out possession.

Dribble less is not a defensive TI imo. It is more of a « try to pass the ball instead of moving with it »

I do think it is the best « tiki-taka » TI as you focus more on your position and space rather than « can I beat this guy 1v1 »

[Fantasista10]

Just wanted to post an update on how I’ve been getting on with this system. 

My FM23 save is loosely inspired by the Graham Potter challenge. I’m taking a lower league Scandinavian side and trying to progress up the leagues before making the jump to one of Europe’s Top 5 leagues and eventually a Top 6 PL club. 

I settled on Moss FK in Norway’s 3rd tier. A historic club who had won the league and cup in the 80s, they were predicted to finish 9th. We really punched above our weight, winning the league by 10 points. 

The only defeat being a 1-0 loss after going down to 10 men and conceding from a direct free kick. 

The stats really portray our dominance. 

 

We scored the most, whilst being water tight at the back. Our defensive stability is most definitely a by product of the amount of Possession we have. I believe this to be crucial, as Guardiola and Arteta insist on keeping the ball to both create chances and limit opportunities for the opponent. 

In previous FMs, and also in other tests in FM23 I found that it was difficult to balance realism (staying true to recreation) and success in the game. Scoring goals was particularly difficult and it often resulted in stale possession. So I’m really pleased to have addressed that issue. 
 

Pitch Tilt is one of my favourite additions to this years Data Hub, and it again clearly portrays our final third dominance - another key aspect of this replication (when I last checked, Arsenal had the ‘highest’ pitch tilt this season, after Man City). 

I played the majority of the season with the below tactic, only making small adjustments when necessary in game (I mentioned these tweaks earlier in the thread with my Sporting CP test). 

 

Some observations: 

• Despite good results, I became frustrated with the IW and MEZ taking up similar spaces. And after a great start, my IW began performing terribly. Solution: Change the role of the LCM to a BBM with added PIs (Stay Wider, Run Wide with the Ball, Get Forward).
• Did not seeing much difference between the MEZ on Attack or Support, and the Attack role getting inconsistent ratings and not being a huge threat. Solution: Decided to drop the right sided one to a Support role in the hope of being a bit more of a creator than scorer. 
• My IWs often ended games with low ratings and not contributing much. Solution: Change this back to an IFs as I needed more of a goal threat and due to the success I had with Marcus Edwards at Sporting in this role, I had to give it another try.

I ended up using a creative player in the IF role, with traits “Tries Killer Balls Often” and he often fed the DLF with through balls. A better, more direct player would perform closer to Martinelli I imagine. 

After getting more confident in my players abilities I made some tweaks and became a little more adventurous by increasing the mentality to Positive and adding Be More Expressive. The final version looks like this:  

 

I usually start away games on Balanced however, and see how the game plays out before deciding to go to Positive or leave things as they are. 

The top scorer in the team was the DLF with 17 in 22(2), followed by the Winger who got 11 (also penalty taker).

Overall I am pleased with how the tactic has played out despite having players of low technical quality. I’m sure I will still tweak here and there but I think this is quite a close replication that also brings good results. 

Edited November 17, 2022 by Fantasista10

[CKBrahMa]

Il y a 15 heures, Fantasista10 a dit :

Just wanted to post an update on how I’ve been getting on with this system. 

My FM23 save is loosely inspired by the Graham Potter challenge. I’m taking a lower league Scandinavian side and trying to progress up the leagues before making the jump to one of Europe’s Top 5 leagues and eventually a Top 6 PL club. 

I settled on Moss FK in Norway’s 3rd tier. A historic club who had won the league and cup in the 80s, they were predicted to finish 9th. We really punched above our weight, winning the league by 10 points. 

The only defeat being a 1-0 loss after going down to 10 men and conceding from a direct free kick. 

The stats really portray our dominance. 

 

We scored the most, whilst being water tight at the back. Our defensive stability is most definitely a by product of the amount of Possession we have. I believe this to be crucial, as Guardiola and Arteta insist on keeping the ball to both create chances and limit opportunities for the opponent. 

In previous FMs, and also in other tests in FM23 I found that it was difficult to balance realism (staying true to recreation) and success in the game. Scoring goals was particularly difficult and it often resulted in stale possession. So I’m really pleased to have addressed that issue. 
 

Pitch Tilt is one of my favourite additions to this years Data Hub, and it again clearly portrays our final third dominance - another key aspect of this replication (when I last checked, Arsenal had the ‘highest’ pitch tilt this season, after Man City). 

I played the majority of the season with the below tactic, only making small adjustments when necessary in game (I mentioned these tweaks earlier in the thread with my Sporting CP test). 

 

Some observations: 

• Despite good results, I became frustrated with the IW and MEZ taking up similar spaces. And after a great start, my IW began performing terribly. Solution: Change the role of the LCM to a BBM with added PIs (Stay Wider, Run Wide with the Ball, Get Forward).
• Did not seeing much difference between the MEZ on Attack or Support, and the Attack role getting inconsistent ratings and not being a huge threat. Solution: Decided to drop the right sided one to a Support role in the hope of being a bit more of a creator than scorer. 
• My IWs often ended games with low ratings and not contributing much. Solution: Change this back to an IFs as I needed more of a goal threat and due to the success I had with Marcus Edwards at Sporting in this role, I had to give it another try.

I ended up using a creative player in the IF role, with traits “Tries Killer Balls Often” and he often fed the DLF with through balls. A better, more direct player would perform closer to Martinelli I imagine. 

After getting more confident in my players abilities I made some tweaks and became a little more adventurous by increasing the mentality to Positive and adding Be More Expressive. The final version looks like this:  

 

I usually start away games on Balanced however, and see how the game plays out before deciding to go to Positive or leave things as they are. 

The top scorer in the team was the DLF with 17 in 22(2), followed by the Winger who got 11 (also penalty taker).

Overall I am pleased with how the tactic has played out despite having players of low technical quality. I’m sure I will still tweak here and there but I think this is quite a close replication that also brings good results. 

I was going to drop the Arteta style of play in FM as I was desesperate to have a great recreation that works on FM.

I will give a go to your tactic (I still believe that the right FB can’t be a Wingback, especially if you have a Winger. Maybe a FB-s with overlap TI ?)

I disagree with the low tempo : Arteta’s team quickly move towards goal, don’t you think ?

same with hold shape : they can counter. I leave that untick.

I would also untick the prevent short GK distribution : IRL, Arteta’s team press the CB, but not preventing the distribution to them

[JoOSTAR]

18 hours ago, Fantasista10 said:

Just wanted to post an update on how I’ve been getting on with this system. 

My FM23 save is loosely inspired by the Graham Potter challenge. I’m taking a lower league Scandinavian side and trying to progress up the leagues before making the jump to one of Europe’s Top 5 leagues and eventually a Top 6 PL club. 

I settled on Moss FK in Norway’s 3rd tier. A historic club who had won the league and cup in the 80s, they were predicted to finish 9th. We really punched above our weight, winning the league by 10 points. 

The only defeat being a 1-0 loss after going down to 10 men and conceding from a direct free kick. 

The stats really portray our dominance. 

 

We scored the most, whilst being water tight at the back. Our defensive stability is most definitely a by product of the amount of Possession we have. I believe this to be crucial, as Guardiola and Arteta insist on keeping the ball to both create chances and limit opportunities for the opponent. 

In previous FMs, and also in other tests in FM23 I found that it was difficult to balance realism (staying true to recreation) and success in the game. Scoring goals was particularly difficult and it often resulted in stale possession. So I’m really pleased to have addressed that issue. 
 

Pitch Tilt is one of my favourite additions to this years Data Hub, and it again clearly portrays our final third dominance - another key aspect of this replication (when I last checked, Arsenal had the ‘highest’ pitch tilt this season, after Man City). 

I played the majority of the season with the below tactic, only making small adjustments when necessary in game (I mentioned these tweaks earlier in the thread with my Sporting CP test). 

 

Some observations: 

• Despite good results, I became frustrated with the IW and MEZ taking up similar spaces. And after a great start, my IW began performing terribly. Solution: Change the role of the LCM to a BBM with added PIs (Stay Wider, Run Wide with the Ball, Get Forward).
• Did not seeing much difference between the MEZ on Attack or Support, and the Attack role getting inconsistent ratings and not being a huge threat. Solution: Decided to drop the right sided one to a Support role in the hope of being a bit more of a creator than scorer. 
• My IWs often ended games with low ratings and not contributing much. Solution: Change this back to an IFs as I needed more of a goal threat and due to the success I had with Marcus Edwards at Sporting in this role, I had to give it another try.

I ended up using a creative player in the IF role, with traits “Tries Killer Balls Often” and he often fed the DLF with through balls. A better, more direct player would perform closer to Martinelli I imagine. 

After getting more confident in my players abilities I made some tweaks and became a little more adventurous by increasing the mentality to Positive and adding Be More Expressive. The final version looks like this:  

 

I usually start away games on Balanced however, and see how the game plays out before deciding to go to Positive or leave things as they are. 

The top scorer in the team was the DLF with 17 in 22(2), followed by the Winger who got 11 (also penalty taker).

Overall I am pleased with how the tactic has played out despite having players of low technical quality. I’m sure I will still tweak here and there but I think this is quite a close replication that also brings good results. 

Did you use other PI's than the ones you mentioned for your BBM? If so, which ones?

Thanks!

[(sic)]

18 hours ago, Fantasista10 said:

Just wanted to post an update on how I’ve been getting on with this system. 

My FM23 save is loosely inspired by the Graham Potter challenge. I’m taking a lower league Scandinavian side and trying to progress up the leagues before making the jump to one of Europe’s Top 5 leagues and eventually a Top 6 PL club. 

I settled on Moss FK in Norway’s 3rd tier. A historic club who had won the league and cup in the 80s, they were predicted to finish 9th. We really punched above our weight, winning the league by 10 points. 

The only defeat being a 1-0 loss after going down to 10 men and conceding from a direct free kick. 

The stats really portray our dominance. 

 

We scored the most, whilst being water tight at the back. Our defensive stability is most definitely a by product of the amount of Possession we have. I believe this to be crucial, as Guardiola and Arteta insist on keeping the ball to both create chances and limit opportunities for the opponent. 

In previous FMs, and also in other tests in FM23 I found that it was difficult to balance realism (staying true to recreation) and success in the game. Scoring goals was particularly difficult and it often resulted in stale possession. So I’m really pleased to have addressed that issue. 
 

Pitch Tilt is one of my favourite additions to this years Data Hub, and it again clearly portrays our final third dominance - another key aspect of this replication (when I last checked, Arsenal had the ‘highest’ pitch tilt this season, after Man City). 

I played the majority of the season with the below tactic, only making small adjustments when necessary in game (I mentioned these tweaks earlier in the thread with my Sporting CP test). 

 

Some observations: 

• Despite good results, I became frustrated with the IW and MEZ taking up similar spaces. And after a great start, my IW began performing terribly. Solution: Change the role of the LCM to a BBM with added PIs (Stay Wider, Run Wide with the Ball, Get Forward).
• Did not seeing much difference between the MEZ on Attack or Support, and the Attack role getting inconsistent ratings and not being a huge threat. Solution: Decided to drop the right sided one to a Support role in the hope of being a bit more of a creator than scorer. 
• My IWs often ended games with low ratings and not contributing much. Solution: Change this back to an IFs as I needed more of a goal threat and due to the success I had with Marcus Edwards at Sporting in this role, I had to give it another try.

I ended up using a creative player in the IF role, with traits “Tries Killer Balls Often” and he often fed the DLF with through balls. A better, more direct player would perform closer to Martinelli I imagine. 

After getting more confident in my players abilities I made some tweaks and became a little more adventurous by increasing the mentality to Positive and adding Be More Expressive. The final version looks like this:  

 

I usually start away games on Balanced however, and see how the game plays out before deciding to go to Positive or leave things as they are. 

The top scorer in the team was the DLF with 17 in 22(2), followed by the Winger who got 11 (also penalty taker).

Overall I am pleased with how the tactic has played out despite having players of low technical quality. I’m sure I will still tweak here and there but I think this is quite a close replication that also brings good results. 

I definitely agree with this, except the WB-S. Now, I haven't watched Arsenal that much, but when I have, White was usually either forming a back 3, by staying deep, or pushing into the midfield and forming a midfield 3, but still playing narrow, 
IWB-D makes the most sense, though maybe you could make him overlap sometimes, or even play him as FB-S with sit narrower, hold position, etc. IWB-S definitely is a role that Zinchenko plays, especially because it has Roam from position PI, and I don't think White really plays that role, hence why I think he should have a more conservative role.

Again, I'm not 100% sure on it, maybe he did play as a WB-S in other games. But I do agree with the rest of the tactics, and it is spot on, just like how I would set it up (Maybe I'd put Jesus on CF-S).

Edited November 18, 2022 by (sic)

[Fantasista10]

2 hours ago, CKBrahMa said:

I was going to drop the Arteta style of play in FM as I was desesperate to have a great recreation that works on FM.

I will give a go to your tactic (I still believe that the right FB can’t be a Wingback, especially if you have a Winger. Maybe a FB-s with overlap TI ?)

I disagree with the low tempo : Arteta’s team quickly move towards goal, don’t you think ?

same with hold shape : they can counter. I leave that untick.

I would also untick the prevent short GK distribution : IRL, Arteta’s team press the CB, but not preventing the distribution to them

You are absolutely right. Ben White is not a Wingback, I’d say he is a FB(S) with Sit Narrower. He does overlap at times, especially when we face a back 5 (to create a front 6). 
 

My reason for sticking with the WB(S) was purely because it got the best results, and I had a really good, fast player who could contribute a lot in the final third. My Wingback got the most assists in the team with 8. 
 

Tempo is something that I often changed in game, but I disagree that Arsenal play at a high tempo. I’d probably say its somewhere in between (Standard, if that’s possible in this FM). Again it was something that suited my players more, they lack good decision making to play at a Higher tempo. 
 

I think with the pressing it becomes more difficult. Arsenal don’t have a ‘one size fits all’ approach to pressing the opponent. In some games we engage them really high up, and disrupt the goalkeeper in build up, and other games we sit off and give them time on the ball. So I think this should come down to personal preference, or for the ultimate realism, change your pressing approach based on your opponent and their strengths/weaknesses. 
 

Let me know how you get on with this tactic, I hope it works as well for you as it did for me. 

[Fantasista10]

30 minutes ago, JoOSTAR said:

Did you use other PI's than the ones you mentioned for your BBM? If so, which ones?

Thanks!

Not many PIs overall, I tried to keep it minimal where I could. 
 

The PIs were:

DM(S) - Hold Position 

BBM(S) - Run Wide with Ball, Get Further Forward, Stay Wider

IF(S) - Stay Wider 

The only other PI used is when I rotated my left back. My backup was not suited to the IWB role so I gave him FB(S) with Sit Narrower and Cut Inside with Ball.  

[Fantasista10]

23 minutes ago, (sic) said:

I definitely agree with this, except the WB-S. Now, I haven't watched Arsenal that much, but when I have, White was usually either forming a back 3, by staying deep, or pushing into the midfield and forming a midfield 3, but still playing narrow, 
IWB-D makes the most sense, though maybe you could make him overlap sometimes, or even play him as FB-S with sit narrower, hold position, etc. IWB-S definitely is a role that Zinchenko plays, especially because it has Roam from position PI, and I don't think White really plays that role, hence why I think he should have a more conservative role.

Again, I'm not 100% sure on it, maybe he did play as a WB-S in other games. But I do agree with the rest of the tactics, and it is spot on, just like how I would set it up (Maybe I'd put Jesus on CF-S).

You are also spot on in terms of White’s role. I think we could do with a new fullback role in FM to be honest. Not sure what you would call it but I’d like it to perform as follows: 

Tuck into a back three (perhaps simultaneously pushing the left sided centre back wider) when building out from the back, and once play has progressed up the pitch, and if the role had a support duty, he would be more conservative and tuck into midfield a bit like an IWB. Or if you could give him an Attack duty he would look to overlap. 
 

Basically what Kyle Walker and Ben White do IRL. They are neither IWBs or FB/WB in my opinion. 

[(sic)]

6 minutes ago, Fantasista10 said:

You are also spot on in terms of White’s role. I think we could do with a new fullback role in FM to be honest. Not sure what you would call it but I’d like it to perform as follows: 

Tuck into a back three (perhaps simultaneously pushing the left sided centre back wider) when building out from the back, and once play has progressed up the pitch, and if the role had a support duty, he would be more conservative and tuck into midfield a bit like an IWB. Or if you could give him an Attack duty he would look to overlap. 
 

Basically what Kyle Walker and Ben White do IRL. They are neither IWBs or FB/WB in my opinion. 

I agree, a perfect new role for this would be a Inverted-Fullback. So when you have him on support, rather than roaming around and what not, you'd just have him sit in the midfield, and if on defend, he'd hold the back 3 shape.

[CKBrahMa]

il y a 47 minutes, (sic) a dit :

I definitely agree with this, except the WB-S. Now, I haven't watched Arsenal that much, but when I have, White was usually either forming a back 3, by staying deep, or pushing into the midfield and forming a midfield 3, but still playing narrow, 
IWB-D makes the most sense, though maybe you could make him overlap sometimes, or even play him as FB-S with sit narrower, hold position, etc. IWB-S definitely is a role that Zinchenko plays, especially because it has Roam from position PI, and I don't think White really plays that role, hence why I think he should have a more conservative role.

Again, I'm not 100% sure on it, maybe he did play as a WB-S in other games. But I do agree with the rest of the tactics, and it is spot on, just like how I would set it up (Maybe I'd put Jesus on CF-S).

Problem is : all the data show that White is higher than Zinchenko, so he can’t be on a Defense duty.

It is impossible to recreate Ben White role.

That’s why I used different scenario depending on the number of stricker and midfielders.

The best way, overall, is a FB-s with sit narrower + overlap right TI’s

[The3points]

4 hours ago, CKBrahMa said:

I was going to drop the Arteta style of play in FM as I was desesperate to have a great recreation that works on FM.

I will give a go to your tactic (I still believe that the right FB can’t be a Wingback, especially if you have a Winger. Maybe a FB-s with overlap TI ?)

I disagree with the low tempo : Arteta’s team quickly move towards goal, don’t you think ?

same with hold shape : they can counter. I leave that untick.

I would also untick the prevent short GK distribution : IRL, Arteta’s team press the CB, but not preventing the distribution to them

I think the combo for me that works best in Arteta and JDP sides is much shorter passing and slightly higher tempo. That way you get quick passing but also methodical buildup

[kalongtongan]

On 16/11/2022 at 21:05, CKBrahMa said:

Dribble less is not a defensive TI imo. It is more of a « try to pass the ball instead of moving with it »

I do think it is the best « tiki-taka » TI as you focus more on your position and space rather than « can I beat this guy 1v1 »

In the @crusadertsar thread I explained about my philosophy when I was going to make tactics, "Defence first" was the first thing I thought about the tactics that I would make. If we look at Arteta when he first entered management, what he applied was how a team defended first. We can see the metamorphosis of changes implemented by Arteta until now 5-2-3(343) -> 4-2-3-1 -> 4-3-3. And arteta this season has been seen several times in his tactics of placing 4 defenders who play cb's mainset (tomi-gabriel-saliba-white).

Now in this thread I show the tactics of how I tried to replicate Arsenal's game under Arteta. One of the important principles of "Positional Play" is a way of playing that emphasizes how a team moves when attacking and defending without the ball, therefore dribble-les and BME are key in my "in-possession" tactics. and so far the tactics that I have applied in my opinion are close to what arteta did, once again this is just my opinion and style preference in implementing arteta's tactics in FM23. It's very difficult to replicate a team's playing style in this simulation game. At least I'm happy with what I did in this case, replicating the Arteta style in Arsenal on FM23.

 

PI :

• All Outfield players shot less often.
• Both Cm's and Cb's tigh marking.
• Both FB close down more.
• Both Wingers stay wider.
• LCM (CM-s) Roam From Position.

Its not a PnP tactic but mostly around 75% i don't tweak in match at all. sometimes I change FB-A to FB-s and go further forward on thick, CM-s to BBM / RPM / Mez-s / Carrilero and things like that.

Edited November 18, 2022 by kalongtongan

[The3points]

4 hours ago, kalongtongan said:

In the @crusadertsar thread I explained about my philosophy when I was going to make tactics, "Defence first" was the first thing I thought about the tactics that I would make. If we look at Arteta when he first entered management, what he applied was how a team defended first. We can see the metamorphosis of changes implemented by Arteta until now 5-2-3(343) -> 4-2-3-1 -> 4-3-3. And arteta this season has been seen several times in his tactics of placing 4 defenders who play cb's mainset (tomi-gabriel-saliba-white).

Now in this thread I show the tactics of how I tried to replicate Arsenal's game under Arteta. One of the important principles of "Positional Play" is a way of playing that emphasizes how a team moves when attacking and defending without the ball, therefore dribble-les and BME are key in my "in-possession" tactics. and so far the tactics that I have applied in my opinion are close to what arteta did, once again this is just my opinion and style preference in implementing arteta's tactics in FM23. It's very difficult to replicate a team's playing style in this simulation game. At least I'm happy with what I did in this case, replicating the Arteta style in Arsenal on FM23.

 

PI :

• All Outfield players shot less often.
• Both Cm's and Cb's tigh marking.
• Both FB close down more.
• Both Wingers stay wider.
• LCM (CM-s) Roam From Position.

Its not a PnP tactic but mostly around 75% i don't tweak in match at all. sometimes I change FB-A to FB-s and go further forward on thick, CM-s to BBM / RPM / Mez-s / Carrilero and things like that.

Do Arsenal really focus the play through the middle? A lot of the the play is Saliba to White to Saka, cut in, cross or recycle

[Sammie B]

On 10/11/2022 at 17:32, Fantasista10 said:

I start with the Tiki Taka preset, only adding Trap Outside which compliments my opposition instructions. 

What opposition instructions do you tend to use?

[Fantasista10]

11 hours ago, Sammie B said:

What opposition instructions do you tend to use?

Away from my laptop, but off the top of my head:

I trigger press on the goalkeeper and entire back line (including wingbacks). And show fullbacks/wingbacks to the touchline. For example, I show a right back onto his right foot. 
 

I do the same for MR/ML positions. 
 

The thought process behind this is to force them wide to the touchline where their options are limited. As I said before, this compliments the Trap Outside instruction. 
 

I then tackle hard on DMs, CMs and AMs. And then show AMR, AML and ST onto weak foot. 
 

I use the same set of OIs every game regardless of opponent. 

[MrMourinho]

I have followed this thread with great interest. This season I have been fascinated by Mikel Arteta and his young Arsenal side. They play an attractive football and at the same time winning a lot of football matches. I must admit that I am a big Chelsea supporter since I was five years old. At the moment, I coach an under-21 side here in Sweden and I'm about to implement some of Arteta's ideas about positional play. I have watched Arsenal in educational purpose this season, but I'm not probably as informed as many of you guys here. Right now, I have a save in FM22 with Chelsea and here is my take on replicating Arteta's Arsenal.

When I watch some of Arsenal's games this season I see a dedicated and disciplined red team. When they defend in their own half it often to me looks like a 4-4-1-1. Martinelli and Saka are quick and disciplined to come back beside Partey and Xhaka. I have a question for you: The base formation we see on the tactics screen in FM, is that how the team defend in their own half or what? This would be great to know for sure, since it's the base formation.

With that in mind I set-up my team like this to replicate how well Arsenal's wingers track back. Watching Arsenal this season I often see Odegaard hovering in front of the midfield 4 and a little bit to the right when they defend. Then, if they have to defend really deep he sometimes seems to get back to the right in a 4-5-1 formation. Do you agree or am I wrong?

In my save I'm into the second season with Chelsea and in the beginning of this season I changed to the following line-up (transfers this season are Brahim Diaz, Musiala and Bastoni) trying to replicate Arteta's team: 

I have followed this thread carefully and got some bright ideas and at the moment I have a team who is playing some magnificent football. The style is a joy to watch and also very successful so far. In my opinion, it's also reflects Arteta's style pretty well...

- A back four with the same thoughts as many of you. James for White is a huge upgrade and Cucurella should interpret the inverted role well.

- The midfield four:  In the Martinelli/Saka roles I have Sterling and Musiala as inverted wingers on attack. In the Xhaka role I use Mount as Segundo Volante with get further forward and move into channels. In the Partey role I use Kanté as a defensive midfielder with hold position.

- In Odegaard's role I have Diaz who is located to the right with move into channels as a PI. 

- In Jesus's role I have Havertz who plays as a pressing forward. I have thought about training him to come deep to get the ball.

When I have two central midfielders in the defensive strata I am much more solid in the centre of the pitch. Combining that with Musiala and Sterling in the midfield strata I get a very compact midfield. I also have a higher defensive line together with standard line of engagement. This makes it even more solid and compact. Since I also have Diaz/Odegaard in a support role, I also get the benefit of him taking defensive responsibility. 

What is important though, is that I still have an effective and dominating team in possession replicating Arsenal's current style with a rock solid defense. 

I would love if you could comment and give me some more nuggets of useful information. 

Isn't it great that you can use this forum to broaden your knowledge about how to set-up your team in real life :). 

Thanks and keep up the good work guys!

P.s. I forgot to tell you that I use fairly narrow width. This because it seems to be a lot more effective when counter pressing and I get the impression that I more often and quickly win the ball back. Also, I have set-up my pressing scheme so we press the opponents' fullbacks inside. Sometimes I see a beautiful press where my winger comes in and also press the central defender from the outside so they have to hoof the ball up for us to easily get back.

Often we have a front 5 in attack with the inverted wingers stretching the pitch ok (PI staying wide) and Mount with his high work rate occupying the left half space (get further forward together with moving into channels) and Diaz/Odegaard taking care of the right half space. I don't use any roaming instructions since I want my players to stick to their zones as much as possible. How do you think the inverted wingers on attack would play if they also had the hug touchline PPM?

Edited November 19, 2022 by MrMourinho

[CKBrahMa]

Il y a 1 heure, MrMourinho a dit :

I have followed this thread with great interest. This season I have been fascinated by Mikel Arteta and his young Arsenal side. They play an attractive football and at the same time winning a lot of football matches. I must admit that I am a big Chelsea supporter since I was five years old. At the moment, I coach an under-21 side here in Sweden and I'm about to implement some of Arteta's ideas about positional play. I have watched Arsenal in educational purpose this season, but I'm not probably as informed as many of you guys here. Right now, I have a save in FM22 with Chelsea and here is my take on replicating Arteta's Arsenal.

When I watch some of Arsenal's games this season I see a dedicated and disciplined red team. When they defend in their own half it often to me looks like a 4-4-1-1. Martinelli and Saka are quick and disciplined to come back beside Partey and Xhaka. I have a question for you: The base formation we see on the tactics screen in FM, is that how the team defend in their own half or what? This would be great to know for sure, since it's the base formation.

With that in mind I set-up my team like this to replicate how well Arsenal's wingers track back. Watching Arsenal this season I often see Odegaard hovering in front of the midfield 4 and a little bit to the right when they defend. Then, if they have to defend really deep he sometimes seems to get back to the right in a 4-5-1 formation. Do you agree or am I wrong?

In my save I'm into the second season with Chelsea and in the beginning of this season I changed to the following line-up (transfers this season are Brahim Diaz, Musiala and Bastoni) trying to replicate Arteta's team: 

I have followed this thread carefully and got some bright ideas and at the moment I have a team who is playing some magnificent football. The style is a joy to watch and also very successful so far. In my opinion, it's also reflects Arteta's style pretty well...

- A back four with the same thoughts as many of you. James for White is a huge upgrade and Cucurella should interpret the inverted role well.

- The midfield four:  In the Martinelli/Saka roles I have Sterling and Musiala as inverted wingers on attack. In the Xhaka role I use Mount as Segundo Volante with get further forward and move into channels. In the Partey role I use Kanté as a defensive midfielder with hold position.

- In Odegaard's role I have Diaz who is located to the right with move into channels as a PI. 

- In Jesus's role I have Havertz who plays as a pressing forward. I have thought about training him to come deep to get the ball.

When I have two central midfielders in the defensive strata I am much more solid in the centre of the pitch. Combining that with Musiala and Sterling in the midfield strata I get a very compact midfield. I also have a higher defensive line together with standard line of engagement. This makes it even more solid and compact. Since I also have Diaz/Odegaard in a support role, I also get the benefit of him taking defensive responsibility. 

What is important though, is that I still have an effective and dominating team in possession replicating Arsenal's current style with a rock solid defense. 

I would love if you could comment and give me some more nuggets of useful information. 

Isn't it great that you can use this forum to broaden your knowledge about how to set-up your team in real life :). 

Thanks and keep up the good work guys!

P.s. I forgot to tell you that I use fairly narrow width. This because it seems to be a lot more effective when counter pressing and I get the impression that I more often and quickly win the ball back. Also, I have set-up my pressing scheme so we press the opponents' fullbacks inside. Sometimes I see a beautiful press where my winger comes in and also press the central defender from the outside so they have to hoof the ball up for us to easily get back.

Often we have a front 5 in attack with the inverted wingers stretching the pitch ok (PI staying wide) and Mount with his high work rate occupying the left half space (get further forward together with moving into channels) and Diaz/Odegaard taking care of the right half space. I don't use any roaming instructions since I want my players to stick to their zones as much as possible. How do you think the inverted wingers on attack would play if they also had the hug touchline PPM?

I did give a go to your tactic and it's great ! Maybe one of the best recreation so far ! I would only change Musiala to Winger and train him the PPM to cut inside.

Also, I don't know if AP-s is the best way to replicate Odegaard role IRL...

[The3points]

I had to compromise and try a 4-3-3, but this plays really nice football

*Note FM23 demo, not the real game

Edited November 19, 2022 by The3points

[The3points]

 

While Gakpo does seem a little narrow, Smith Rowe keeps the width and we make a really good chance from back to front

[frukox]

This thread really intrigued my interest so I watched a video on YouTube and this is my take on it.

Attack:

-They play out of defence

-Partey is the distributor to 5 attackers.

- They make use of 2 inverted full-backs supporting attackers

- Gabriel Jesus is the spearhead ready to drop deep when space is created in front of defenders.

- Wing play is fluid, something we cannot recreate completely. Xhaka and Martinelli swap positions at times when needed just as Odegaard and Saka do on the right flank.

Defence: 

- They defend in 4-4-2. 

- They counter-press easily due to postional play

- Narrow, aggressive defending while moving as a unit to ball side. 

So I would start with a 4-3-3:

                SKS

FBS    CDD   BPD    IWBS

                DMS

         MEZA  RPM

IWA                          IWS

                CFA

 

PIs and/or Traits:

FBS: Sit Narrower, Get Forward

DMS: Hold Position 

RPM: Move into Channels

IWS and IWA: Stay Wider

Mentality: Balanced

In Possession: 

Work Ball Into Box

Play out of Defence

Play Narrower

In transition:

Counterpress, Distribute to CBS, Take Short Kicks

Out of Possession:

Higher DL, Higher LOE, Tighter Marking, Use Offside Trap, Stay On Feet, Defend Narrower

From the tactical perspective this tactic has the needed width(Martinelli and Saka) as well as vertical height provided by Gabriel Jesus. RPM MEZA will provide the creativity and runs into the box at different times. DMS will be the defensive pivot orchestrating attacks from the back without being a ball magnet. IWBS and FBS are the outlets at the back for the attackers.

What do you think about this set-up? I tried to optimize it in accordance with the match engine.

 

 

Edited November 20, 2022 by frukox

[The3points]

I don't think Xhaka is really a play maker role, I had a similar setup, and with the playmaker, every progressive pass goes to them, and an RPM doesn't get to high in the first place, so I'd be worried about progression

[frukox]

1 saat önce, The3points said:

I don't think Xhaka is really a play maker role, I had a similar setup, and with the playmaker, every progressive pass goes to them, and an RPM doesn't get to high in the first place, so I'd be worried about progression

Then, a BBM with Get Forward and Risky Passes or a MEZS with Risky Passes. But I am not a fan of using two very wide roles in the midfield.

Edited November 20, 2022 by frukox

[CKBrahMa]

What about « Pass into spaces » TI’s ?

[frukox]

2 dakika önce, CKBrahMa said:

What about « Pass into spaces » TI’s ?

Nah, maybe risky passes PI for creative players(Odegaard, Partey and Xhaka)

[DNZ-8]

I am having fantastic results with this tactic. But I am confused by one thing and I would like to ask you guys if you experience something similar. My DM (support) gets relatively poor ratings and I can't understand why, since his stats are good. In that position I have Declan Rice, who is supposed to be one of the best DM in the game. Also, the role seems to fit him perfectly. Unless he produces an assist (which is rare and that's OK), even when we win and have a dominant performance, he often gets a 6.6, 6.7 while several other players are above 7. Do you see something similar in your game?

[CKBrahMa]

il y a 16 minutes, DNZ-8 a dit :

I am having fantastic results with this tactic. But I am confused by one thing and I would like to ask you guys if you experience something similar. My DM (support) gets relatively poor ratings and I can't understand why, since his stats are good. In that position I have Declan Rice, who is supposed to be one of the best DM in the game. Also, the role seems to fit him perfectly. Unless he produces an assist (which is rare and that's OK), even when we win and have a dominant performance, he often gets a 6.6, 6.7 while several other players are above 7. Do you see something similar in your game?

Which tactics ?

[Fantasista10]

8 hours ago, frukox said:

This thread really intrigued my interest so I watched a video on YouTube and this is my take on it.

Attack:

-They play out of defence

-Partey is the distributor to 5 attackers.

- They make use of 2 inverted full-backs supporting attackers

- Gabriel Jesus is the spearhead ready to drop deep when space is created in front of defenders.

- Wing play is fluid, something we cannot recreate completely. Xhaka and Martinelli swap positions at times when needed just as Odegaard and Saka do on the right flank.

Defence: 

- They defend in 4-4-2. 

- They counter-press easily due to postional play

- Narrow, aggressive defending while moving as a unit to ball side. 

So I would start with a 4-3-3:

                SKS

FBS    CDD   BPD    IWBS

                DMS

         MEZA  RPM

IWA                          IWS

                CFA

 

PIs and/or Traits:

FBS: Sit Narrower, Get Forward

DMS: Hold Position 

RPM: Move into Channels

IWS and IWA: Stay Wider

Mentality: Balanced

In Possession: 

Work Ball Into Box

Play out of Defence

Play Narrower

In transition:

Counterpress, Distribute to CBS, Take Short Kicks

Out of Possession:

Higher DL, Higher LOE, Tighter Marking, Use Offside Trap, Stay On Feet, Defend Narrower

From the tactical perspective this tactic has the needed width(Martinelli and Saka) as well as vertical height provided by Gabriel Jesus. RPM MEZA will provide the creativity and runs into the box at different times. DMS will be the defensive pivot orchestrating attacks from the back without being a ball magnet. IWBS and FBS are the outlets at the back for the attackers.

What do you think about this set-up? I tried to optimize it in accordance with the match engine.

 

 

The Odegaard role is definitely not a MEZ(A). The Attack duty makes this role a runner, rather than a creator or facilitator. He doesn’t make many penetrating runs in behind defences, instead he is likely to drop deep or ask for the ball into feet in between the lines - often in the right half space. A MEZ(S) is more accurate, or potentially an AP(A) which is more creative and aggressive than an AP(S). Although I don’t think he is a true playmaker either. 
 

The same goes for Xhaka. I don’t think Arsenal have any real playmakers, the ball doesn’t go through one player. He is, like you also said later on, more of a BBM with certain PIs. He often drops deeper than Odegaard to help build up play from the back, also drifting out wide to rotate with either Zinchenko, or Martinelli. 

[frukox]

1 dakika önce, Fantasista10 said:

The Odegaard role is definitely not a MEZ(A). The Attack duty makes this role a runner, rather than a creator or facilitator. He doesn’t make many penetrating runs in behind defences, instead he is likely to drop deep or ask for the ball into feet in between the lines - often in the right half space. A MEZ(S) is more accurate, or potentially an AP(A) which is more creative and aggressive than an AP(S). Although I don’t think he is a true playmaker either. 
 

The same goes for Xhaka. I don’t think Arsenal have any real playmakers, the ball doesn’t go through one player. He is, like you also said later on, more of a BBM with certain PIs. He often drops deeper than Odegaard to help build up play from the back, also drifting out wide to rotate with either Zinchenko, or Martinelli. 

Fair enough, you definitely watch more Arsenal games than I do:) so I won't disagree with you. I was just trying to create a nice penetrative tactic.

          

[DNZ-8]

43 minutes ago, CKBrahMa said:

Which tactics ?

[CKBrahMa]

I am so sick of this version of FM23. Really.

I don't know if it's me or the Match Engine in his current state.

I just don't get it. I find myself loosing my cool because the players are dumb. Theyre really are.

I usef to be at least okay as creating FM tactics (look at my F9 Odegaard for FM22). For the beta, i played Monaco with a 442 and it worked like a charm.

 

But trying to play with a positionnal play like Arsenal does. I just got **** every ****ing game. I find myself save scumming like a child because i can't understrand why it doesn't work.

[frukox]

1 saat önce, Fantasista10 said:

The Odegaard role is definitely not a MEZ(A). The Attack duty makes this role a runner, rather than a creator or facilitator. He doesn’t make many penetrating runs in behind defences, instead he is likely to drop deep or ask for the ball into feet in between the lines - often in the right half space. A MEZ(S) is more accurate, or potentially an AP(A) which is more creative and aggressive than an AP(S). Although I don’t think he is a true playmaker either. 
 

The same goes for Xhaka. I don’t think Arsenal have any real playmakers, the ball doesn’t go through one player. He is, like you also said later on, more of a BBM with certain PIs. He often drops deeper than Odegaard to help build up play from the back, also drifting out wide to rotate with either Zinchenko, or Martinelli. 

While thinking about how to maintain the offensive capability of the system with supporting free eights something interesting crossed my mind: What about moving the duty of making penetrative runs to front three either using traits or attack duties if the free eights are BBM and a CMS with moving into channels, roam from position and stay wider PIs? So it will look like this:

                   CFA

IFA                                  IWA

            BBM      CMS

                   DMS

IWBS   BPDD     CDD    FBS

                    SKS

I'll give this a try in my next match.

IFA/IWA: Stay wider

BBM : Move Into Channels, Risky Passes

CMS: Stay Wider, Roam from Position and Risky Passes

DM: Risky Passes

FBS: Get Forward, Sit Narrower

                

Edited November 20, 2022 by frukox

[CKBrahMa]

 

[CKBrahMa]

[CKBrahMa]

[CKBrahMa]

[frukox]

Feedback on my final version of the tactic with a second league good side. The result is 1-0 but I missed a penalty and a clear cut chance.

6 shots on target out of 17

The opposition never had a noteworthy chance.

Xg is 2.48, which means still need a final touch on the system.

%62 possession with only Play Narrower TI and a upper-mid narrow defensive block

 

Edited November 20, 2022 by frukox

[CKBrahMa]

All the screens I posted is my problem : Even with a "front 5", I only have max 3 players in front. Which means it is not possible to replicate the 5 front of Arteta.

[frukox]

19 dakika önce, CKBrahMa said:

All the screens I posted is my problem : Even with a "front 5", I only have max 3 players in front. Which means it is not possible to replicate the 5 front of Arteta.

I also have the same problem but I don't care about it because I have to make do with what we have. However, I strongly recommend you to try out my experimental tactic; it worked like charm in my last two matches.

[CKBrahMa]

The ME is fine

[CKBrahMa]

il y a 3 minutes, frukox a dit :

I also have the same problem but I don't care about it because I have to make do with what we have. However, I strongly recommend you to try out my experimental tactic; it worked like charm in my last two matches.

2 games aren't enough to judge if it's working or not

[CKBrahMa]

 

Sure the game is not rigged

[frukox]

20 dakika önce, CKBrahMa said:

2 games aren't enough to judge if it's working or not

Ok, my findings are my tactic is really good at keeping possession(around%60) Btw, the third match is 2-1 again(conceded a set-piece goal) The goals were from the distance, which is something I don't want to see much.

I dropped the forwards to midfield strata and told them to stay wide and cut inside, the play looked like Arteta's side only in the final third but I feel the system still needs a kick from the middle.

[frukox]

14 dakika önce, CKBrahMa said:

 

Sure the game is not rigged

What was the system you used in this match?

[CKBrahMa]

Sorry I rage that much.

It just pisses me off that we « have » to play a certain way or the ME don’t get our animation.

I’m playing with 2 IW-A and a CF-s and it seems to work. It doesn’t make any sens (no one keeping the width when the IW cuts inside, Mezz and IW staying at the same spot, etc.). But it seems to work (3 games with this : 2-0, 1-0, 3-0. High shots on target, high xG, juste some players lacking composure in front of the goal).

[WhyMe]

I am only playing the demo at the moment, but I thought I'd add this tactic to the discussion.  Results wise it has been excellent for me, though I had to change to an alternative against Newcastle as for some reason their system just shut me down completely.  I am only playing a tactic test game at the moment, but have been pleasantly surprised by results from this even when I played a second 11 in the Europa.

The PIs are: roam from position for Jesus, stay wider on Odegaard and White and get further forward on White.  The White role is tricky to replicate so this was a compromise for effectiveness.

The main thing that doesn't quite replicate Arteta's play is the pressing in the opposition third in particular is nowhere near as aggressive as it is ILR, despite this the defence has actually been pretty solid (conceding 8 in 11 PL games with 5 clean sheets).

The slightly weird thing is that Jesus has scored 13 times in 10 starts and 1 sub appearance and only 1 assist, despite being a PF-s the vast majority of the time (CF-s occasionally) and Saka and Odegaard have more assists than goals as a result of this, but both are playing well and making plenty of goal contributions so I'm not complaining.  Martinelli hasn't been too productive so far (3 goals in 8 starts and 3 sub) but has spent time out injured.

I would like to try Saka as IW-a with a stay wider PI, but this system has worked so well I didn't want to mess with it.

If anyone has any thoughts on how to get the pressing more like Arteta's then that would be most welcome or any discussion points or potential improvements (either to improve the replication or the effectiveness)

[Time_Consumer]

Am 21.11.2022 um 10:53 schrieb WhyMe:

I am only playing the demo at the moment, but I thought I'd add this tactic to the discussion.  Results wise it has been excellent for me, though I had to change to an alternative against Newcastle as for some reason their system just shut me down completely.  I am only playing a tactic test game at the moment, but have been pleasantly surprised by results from this even when I played a second 11 in the Europa.

The PIs are: roam from position for Jesus, stay wider on Odegaard and White and get further forward on White.  The White role is tricky to replicate so this was a compromise for effectiveness.

The main thing that doesn't quite replicate Arteta's play is the pressing in the opposition third in particular is nowhere near as aggressive as it is ILR, despite this the defence has actually been pretty solid (conceding 8 in 11 PL games with 5 clean sheets).

The slightly weird thing is that Jesus has scored 13 times in 10 starts and 1 sub appearance and only 1 assist, despite being a PF-s the vast majority of the time (CF-s occasionally) and Saka and Odegaard have more assists than goals as a result of this, but both are playing well and making plenty of goal contributions so I'm not complaining.  Martinelli hasn't been too productive so far (3 goals in 8 starts and 3 sub) but has spent time out injured.

I would like to try Saka as IW-a with a stay wider PI, but this system has worked so well I didn't want to mess with it.

If anyone has any thoughts on how to get the pressing more like Arteta's then that would be most welcome or any discussion points or potential improvements (either to improve the replication or the effectiveness)

Solid approach I think. What's your thought process behind giving White the stay wider instruction? I had a go for a couple of matches with your tactic, pretty good so far. Some defensive shenanigans that look more like an ME flaw rather than the tactic's fault. I dropped stay wider for White, it looked pretty good in terms of triangles with Saka and Ödegaard. I added stay wider for Martinelli, because I feel the formation and roles lack a bit of width on the left side. To be honest, I don't see a huge difference here. Thinking about dropping Martinellis duty to support - in theory, he should still be a goal threat but a bit more involved? I find the in game descriptions a bit misleading, also the standard PIs that give the attack duty "take more risks", although this is supposed to be a passing instruction. IF(s) has "vison" as a favoured attribute, IF(a) hasn't, so in my book it should be the other way around. That's a pet peeve I had for many FM iterations now....

How's the IWB(s) doing for you? I feel this role is just another body in midfield and doesn't do a lot. I also don't like the roam from position PI very much. I might tinke with FB(s) sit narrower, cut inside, take more risks or something similar.

Also, PF(s) feels super weird as a role for Jesus, but it looks good for now. Heavily involved in the pressing, dropping deep, going to the wings through the added roaming instruction, still scores okay. 

Thanks anyway for posting your approach here, as said, very good base to tinker on. 

Edited November 24, 2022 by Time_Consumer

[WhyMe]

2 hours ago, Time_Consumer said:

Solid approach I think. What's your thought process behind giving White the stay wider instruction? I had a go for a couple of matches with your tactic, pretty good so far. Some defensive shenanigans that look more like an ME flaw rather than the tactic's fault. I dropped stay wider for White, it looked pretty good in terms of triangles with Saka and Ödegaard. I added stay wider for Martinelli, because I feel the formation and roles lack a bit of width on the left side. To be honest, I don't see a huge difference here. Thinking about dropping Martinellis duty to support - in theory, he should still be a goal threat but a bit more involved? I find the in game descriptions a bit misleading, also the standard PIs that give the attack duty "take more risks", although this is supposed to be a passing instruction. IF(s) has "vison" as a favoured attribute, IF(a) hasn't, so in my book it should be the other way around. That's a pet peeve I had for many FM iterations now....

How's the IWB(s) doing for you? I feel this role is just another body in midfield and doesn't do a lot. I also don't like the roam from position PI very much. I might tinke with FB(s) sit narrower, cut inside, take more risks or something similar.

Also, PF(s) feels super weird as a role for Jesus, but it looks good for now. Heavily involved in the pressing, dropping deep, going to the wings through the added roaming instruction, still scores okay. 

Thanks anyway for posting your approach here, as said, very good base to tinker on. 

Hi thanks for the response TC,

There is definitely more than one way to achieve the same thing in FM and there are always going to be compromises, but I'll try answer your questions/give my reasoning for why I went with the options I did: for White you often hear comments about how he is a bit narrower when the ball is in Arsenal's half but then will get wide and overlap Saka when the ball moves towards the final third, there isn't really a role that replicates this in FM and I didn't want to reduce Saka's mentality by using the overlap right TI which is probably the only way to get close to replicating this movement in FM.  Therefore, the White PIs were to increase the likelihood of the final third movement (i.e. get wide and further forward) and compromised on the build-up positioning.  In an ideal world I'd instruct him to stay narrower in our half and then wider in the opposition half, but this is sadly not an option.  However, it is interesting that he is still effective without the stay wider, potentially more effective even, just not the movement in the final third I was trying to get.

On Martinelli, I have occasionally added stay wider to him in a match situation if I feel he is not being effective, but by default I want him closer to goal than Saka as his strengths are definitely more with his movement and finishing than his creativity (at least with his in-game stats).  IRL he tends to drift towards the middle quite often, both in the build-up to get into goal scoring positions to receive the ball.  I completely agree that an IF-s role which has get further forward as a default instruction could definitely also work (though I'd be worried about a clash with the Mez-s) and may be a more accurate reflection of his real-life role, but in game I wanted to emphasise his goal threat, essentially a compromise to get this working in FM terms.  Also agree on the take more risks hard coded instruction for IF-a over IF-s being a bit weird.  Another alternative option could be adding both the stay wider AND roam from position to reflect that he does do a bit of both IRL and potentially would give him the freedom to decide which to do in game, this is actually probably closest to his IRL movement, might have to give this a try and see if it works in game.

IWB-s is actually a role I really like, for me its main point is to provide that ball recycling option in midfield essentially forming a double pivot with Partey in much the same way Zinchenko does IRL.  It isn't a role from which I expect hatfulls of goals or assists, it is more a stable platform from which to build attacks as a partner to Partey and it does chip in with some key passes and the odd assist.  The downside of this in FM is that it isn't likely to lead to particularly high ratings, but is an important part of the build-up in how the team plays and definitely closest to the role Zinchenko plays IRL.  

Last but not least, the PF-s role for Jesus was selected originally because Jesus's impact on Arsenal's pressing game has been immense and I felt that the PF-s role would be the one that had the best chance of reflecting this in game whilst combining the roles tendency to drop deep in the build-up providing the foil for Martinelli, Saka and Odegaard that is very much his role for Arsenal.  For me he definitely isn't an attack duty striker, though a CF-a and DLF-a aren't ridiculous.  I do use him occasionally as a CF-s and could also reasonably make a case for False 9 as they reflect his involvement in the build-up very well too, but pressing wise the default for me was PF-s (TQ is definitely out because of the pressing).  I know this is very much open to interpretation and I am not saying this is the only role that can replicate his IRL pressing/movement, but so far for me it does do a pretty good job.

I am glad you found the tactic both interesting and useful and I would be interested in hearing how your tweaking turns outs and in particular against which teams/managers you found those tweaks improved performances.  I do some in-game tweaking if things aren't going according to plan, mostly this is changing one or two roles or instructions, but I also usually end up developing a full plan B and C which are quite different for use against teams where for some reason the main tactic just flops regardless of small tweaks (Newcastle being the primary example of this for me this time around).  The plan B and C are definitely not replications though and are more me just being pragmatic.