FM12 Arsenal Thread - Life after Cesc

[Llew_Arshavin23]

Sorry lads, I havn't been on here much today as I've had football in the morning and ever since then, I've been chopping and changing my Málaga club thread

Will probably be on my demo save later tonight or tomorrow.

[llama3]

Arsenal Update

West Brom 3-3 Arsenal

Vermaelen, Arshavin, Gervinho

Arsenal 0-0 Dynamo Kyiv UCL

Arsenal 1-0 Swansea

Chamakh

Dynamo Kyiv 1-3 Arsenal UCL

van Persie (pen x 2), Gervinho

Blackburn 1-3 Arsenal

Arshavin, Mertesacker, Ramsey

UEFA Champions League

Qualified 3-1 on aggregate against Dynamo Kyiv, with Gervinho scoring an outstanding solo goal.

I have been drawn into group B:

Arsenal

Villarreal

Olympiakos

Trabzonspor

Carling Cup

Drawn away to Manchester United in the League Cup 3rd round.

Team News

Lost Koscielny for 4 months, as well as absent Squillaci, Diaby, Wilshere

[dily]

using the demo to get to know the game, study formations and players. Have made two different starts so far with different new signings to see how thinks work, this is what I observed.

played 4-3-3, works but lacks goals, not my thing. tried 4-2-3-1 with 2 wide men as IF, Attacking Mid, Poacher, Ball winner and advance play maker support and worked a treat, averaging 3 goals a game, not always sound defensively but makes it very exciting.

as for players in the 4-2-3-1 not sure either coqualn and Frimpong will make it as both classified under 3 stars for the CM role, can some one clarify if this will improve if I was to re train them? if not am thinking of getting Ayew, who starts with a 11mil release clause and a bargain for that price. The down side of Ayew is that he will be off to ANC with Song.

in the Attacking mid role i find many options D Costa costs less then 10 mill, Erickson 7 mill, Rafina 10 mill ( but not ready for 1st team yet) Auguesto is about 10 mill too, so is Sigurooson ..question now is who is the best option ( needs for versatility is must as Jack will be back to own that role)

as am using a poacher system have no real place for MC29 but found it hard to sell him on, ...

[llama3]

if you retrain positions you can eventually make them natural in the position, so in other words, yes they would improve. Despite that Frimpong and Coquelin will be excellent prospects to keep. Frimpong has had a good raise in the right areas, and his personality is a very good one too, same for Coquelin's personality.

As for Chamakh I have found him very good as a trequartista in place of van Persie when the dutchman is injured or rested.

[JEinchy]

I wouldn't go by the assistant ratings. Both Frimpong and Coquelin have the attributes to play defensive roles in central midfield, with Coquelin just edging it. Generally, defensive midfielder can perform just as well in central midfield, so I wouldn't even bother retraining them there. It'll hardly have an effect on their overall performance.

[FCArsenal]

I started with Ajax and Ericsen made 6 asisst in 3 games in AM ( attack ) role. He is class.

in the Attacking mid role i find many options D Costa costs less then 10 mill, Erickson 7 mill, Rafina 10 mill ( but not ready for 1st team yet) Auguesto is about 10 mill too, so is Sigurooson ..question now is who is the best option ( needs for versatility is must as Jack will be back to own that role)

as am using a poacher system have no real place for MC29 but found it hard to sell him on, ...

[llama3]

Arsenal Update

Arsenal 2-0 Norwich

Vermaelen, Rosicky

Trabzonspor 1-1 Arsenal (UCL)

Arshavin

Newcastle 0-0 Arsenal

Man Utd 2-1 Arsenal (LC)

Miquel

Arsenal 2-0 Bolton

Walcott, van Persie

Arsenal 4-0 Olympiakos (UCL)

van Persie (2), Benayoun, Arshavin

Man City 2-0 Arsenal

[dily]

thanks guys, advice on coqualn and frimpong taken and will be giving them the chance and use that money in other areas.

[Llew_Arshavin23]

Finally, after completing my Málaga club thread, I can now have a good stint on my Arsenal demo save. Quick update;

I'm going to make a move for Dortmund's Shinji Kagawa. I'm a massive fan of Kagawa and Dormtund so, I'd love to bring him in. I believe he is the type of player that Arsenal need to turn their season around. Also, a move for Rennes and France star Yann M'Vila. He would provide great competition to Alex Song, in my opinion.

Also, 'the forgotten man' Manuel Almunia looks set to be on his way out; Atheltic Bilbao and Palermo are potential suitors.

EDIT: I must admit too that FM12 looks fantastic so far, from what I have seen and played of it. Havn't played a game yet so, I'm looking forward to seeing the match engine at work. Cannot wait until the game actually comes out now.

[llama3]

Just fallen out with Arshavin for the 2nd time, he is now transfer listed and in the reserves. Song has handed in a transfer request for some unknown reason (rejected) and van Persie and me have for the 2nd time failed to agree terms on a new contract. In other words a nice settled team in this demo save!

[Llew_Arshavin23]

My first priority on this demo save was to attempt to tie Robin Van Persie, our talisman, down to a new contract;

He has penned a new £100k a week deal; that may be a bit steep to many but, if this club has any ambition left, we would renew RVP's contract at any cost!

As for my pursuit for Shinji Kagawa, Dortmund have come back to me demanding a £35 million fee so I've transferred my interest to Marvin Martin; the young Souchaux-Montbé and French international. He's recently stated his 'Love for the Arsenal' which can only be a good thing.

Really enjoying this FM12 demo now; everything is much crisper, more advanced and generally better.

[llama3]

Arsenal Update

Arsenal 3-1 Aston Villa

Gervinho, Walcott, Park

Villarreal 0-1 Arsenal (UCL)

Mertesacker

Arsenal 4-0 Everton

Chamakh (2), Gervinho, Chamberlain

Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-2 Villarreal (UCL)

Benayoun, Park

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

Vermaelen, Mertesacker

Stoke 1-3 Arsenal

Gervinho, Chamakh, Benayoun

Arsenal 7-0 Trabzonspor (UCL)

van Persie (2), Squillaci, Diaby, Seyhan og, Koscielny, Park

[Carmi88]

My first priority on this demo save was to attempt to tie Robin Van Persie, our talisman, down to a new contract;

He has penned a new £100k a week deal; that may be a bit steep to many but, if this club has any ambition left, we would renew RVP's contract at any cost!

As for my pursuit for Shinji Kagawa, Dortmund have come back to me demanding a £35 million fee so I've transferred my interest to Marvin Martin; the young Souchaux-Montbé and French international. He's recently stated his 'Love for the Arsenal' which can only be a good thing.

Really enjoying this FM12 demo now; everything is much crisper, more advanced and generally better.

bit steep? I paid Tevez 125k a week, and at the start of the game I foolishly put Pat Rice on contract negotiations, so a week after Tevez arrives, Van Persie signs a new contract and now also gets paid 125k a week. I was livid

[$up@m@n]

Anyone got any team instructions for Arsenal playing 4-2-3-1?

[Carmi88]

Is that with wingers superman?

[$up@m@n]

The whole team really

[Carmi88]

i meant in your formation the 4-2-3-1 is the 3 an AML, AMC, AMR. If so I'll post a screenshot of mine, been very successful

[malikoi]

Has anyone got Mertesacker playing very well? I can get him to play half decently at all, averaging under a rating of 7 a game. Koscielny on the otherhand has been fantastic.

Miyiachi is FANTASTIC aswell, haven't really had a chance to play Oxlade-Chamberlain. I think he definately needs a boost to his stats.

On my second save im half-way through July and I have signed Leighton Baines for £14.5 million, Jack Collison(fan of him IRL) for £4.5 million and Thaigo on loan, 50% wages. I might bring in Gary Cahill if I can get him for under £15 million and sell Djourou.

I've sold Mannone and Almunia for £1.5 million each, Sampdoria and Athletic respectively. Looking to sell Chamakh but nobody wants him, even for £4 million. Tried to bring in Willian but Málaga got him instead! Barcelona and Real Madrid are sniffing around Sagna, so if he goes will look to bring in van der Wiel.

Also Llew I had a look at Kagawa but his passing and a couple of his mental attributes put me off.

[Carmi88]

I was able to flog chamakh for 4.9 million to sunderland

[$up@m@n]

Thanks, I'l let you know how i get on

[Knackered]

I'm doing well so far with my arsenal save, went crazy with transfers (un-arsenal like ), sold rosicky, arshavin to city, sanga and many other players, totalling around 69mil and with that cash i spent 164mil on a huge load of players, Tim wiese, van der wiel (who has been amazing), Gotze, Cardozo, Tevez, jagielka, Thiago, Cissokho, sven bender.

Top of the table by 2 points, 6 wins and 3 draws, van persie out for 4 months with broken ankle (surprise, surprise), tevez and Cardozo have been appalling for me. Switched walcott upfront and has been doing well, but the star of the show has been gervinho who is leading the goal scoring charts with 8 goals and 6 assists in 14 appearances.

[llama3]

Has anyone got Mertesacker playing very well? I can get him to play half decently at all, averaging under a rating of 7 a game.

I have him as a central defender on cover (don't be scared off using it because of his acceleration, he does very well there)

[llama3]

As for Marouane Chamakh he is playing as a trequartista in the lone striker role, where his good off the ball movement and link-play work very well. His record so far this season has been: 4 goals and 3 assists in 9 starts and 5 sub appearances. A pass completion rate of 80%, average rating 7.17 - he may not look like it, but he is actually very comfortable in the role.

[llama3]

Anyone got any team instructions for Arsenal playing 4-2-3-1?

My team is playing like this:

Balanced

Control (starting strategy)

Short Passing

Expressive

Pressing

Zonal

Roaming

4-2-3-1

GK - Sweeper Keeper - Support

DR - Wing Back - Auto

DC - Central Defender - Cover

DC - Central Defender - Stopper

DL - Wing Back - Auto

MC - Ball-Winning Midfielder - Defend

MC - Deep-Lying Playmaker - Support

AMR - Winger - Attack

AMC - Advanced Playmaker - Attack

AML - Inside Forward - Attack

ST - Trequartista - Attack

[llama3]

I'm doing well so far with my arsenal save, went crazy with transfers (un-arsenal like ), sold rosicky, arshavin to city, sanga and many other players, totalling around 69mil and with that cash i spent 164mil on a huge load of players, Tim wiese, van der wiel (who has been amazing), Gotze, Cardozo, Tevez, jagielka, Thiago, Cissokho, sven bender.

Top of the table by 2 points, 6 wins and 3 draws, van persie out for 4 months with broken ankle (surprise, surprise), tevez and Cardozo have been appalling for me. Switched walcott upfront and has been doing well, but the star of the show has been gervinho who is leading the goal scoring charts with 8 goals and 6 assists in 14 appearances.

you sold sagna! ::facepalm::

[Llew_Arshavin23]

Mini-update;

I'm now nearing the end of pre-season with only an away friendly at Napoli. Should be a testing game. The likes of Mikel Arteta, Gervinho, Chu-Young and Thomas Vermaelen have impressed me throughout pre-season too. Chu-Young's made an instant impact since arriving from AS Monaco in the Summer. Looks to be a good acquisition.

In the transfer market, I'm sad to report that my luck hasn't really come, in all honesty. I went in for Dortmund's Shinji Kagawa early on, in an attempt to solve our problems in behind the striker but, a bid of £18 million wasn't enough to convince Dortmund and the deal eventually broke down; similar story with Sochaux-Montbé's Marvin Martin. I then went in for Yann M'Vila - had a £24 million bid accepted but, personal terms were a stumbling block. I then noticed the availability of Thiago Alcantara on a loan deal. I swiftly made a loan offer and he's now looking likely to start against West Brom in my first Premier League match of the campaign.

Going reasonably well so far; my tactic's working well with the match engine improvements

[JEinchy]

I actually did this game two nights ago, but didn't get around to gloating about it until now.

Absolutely battered the crap out of them. I think they only had one shot all game. It's the first time I've ever acheived a double-figure scoreline outside of friendlies, too, so I'm quite pleased with this.

[Hara Bau]

need to buy a back up for sagna. i dont think jenkinson is good enough. any recommendations?

[Falahk]

im suprised that Marouane Chamakh is pretty much unchanged from the last incarnation, I can spot that his determination is a tad lower, but that is pretty much it, he is still outstanding on the game from the looks of things

[lifeiscrazy]

Hi Guys, I've just finished the demo with Arsenal, and I REALLLY want 21st October to come already :'(. Anyways here my update:

Transfers:

Out:

Almunia - 1.3m (didn't really need/want him)

Djourou - 2m (Loan, with possibility of permanent move for 6m. Tbh I never liked him)

Mayaichi- Loan

In:

Mamadou Sakho- 26.5m (yea he's expensive but he's been so solid that he's worth every penny. Esp since verm has been out injured for 4 months )

Marek Hamsik - 28.5m (another expensive signing but he's only 24 and is going to be a star)

Mbaye Niang - 7.5m (16 year old striker who has the potential to be immense)

Yaya Sanogo - 3.4m (If previous fm games are anything to go by then this will be one of my best deals)

Leandro - 9.25m (Another striker/am who will turn out to be good)

Felipe Anderson - 5.5m (Great midfield prospect)

I know I've spent way too much for some players and bought players that I may not need, but tbh I dont see me keeping players like vela/chamakh/santos for too long. Although I think I will have to sell Van Persie soon even though it breaks my heart

Anyways heres the competitions update:

League Cup: Currently in the semi finals against Blackburn

Fa Cup: Hasn't started

Champions League: First round knockout against Napoli

Premier League: Currently 3rd, 3 points behind City.

Potential transfers:

I'm currently very pleased with my squad atm (Gervinho's been on fire!) so I won't make any major changes, but I'll probably buy a left back as Gibbs gets injured way too frequently and I can't really rely on Santos. I also need a young right back (suggestions anyone?) as Jenkinson isn't exactly the greatest in this game. Apart from that it looks like a very solid half season so far and I can't wait to continue.

Cheers!

[Carmi88]

How did you get so much cash? I could of done with 79 million!

edit: It also appears everybody is struggling to find suitable right backs =/ I tried getting Micah richards but I think they outpriced me (22 million I think?)

[JEinchy]

How did you get so much cash? I could of done with 79 million!

edit: It also appears everybody is struggling to find suitable right backs =/ I tried getting Micah richards but I think they outpriced me (22 million I think?)

You can structure your payments for players over a long period of time. For example, a player who costs £30mil could be paid for by paying £10mil up front and £20mil over 48 months. This way, only £10mil gets subtracted from the transfer budget, while you pay something like £416,000 a month for the next 48 months.

So as long as your initial fees are within your specified transfer budget, you can easily spend twice or even three times as much than the budget itself. The obvious downside to this is that if you don't make enough money, it's going to cripple your finances. High risk, high reward sort of thing.

As for right back, try Gregory van der Wiel. Maybe a little too good to be a back-up, but he's a more offensive option and fairly young. He only cost my £13mil, which I think is quite a good deal.

There's also Sebastien Corchia and Serge Aurier, who are both young and a little raw, but very talented.

[Carmi88]

I think I'll stick to paying all cash upfront I like going to other clubs with a briefcase full of money

[llama3]

I have found that while I like paying cash upfront (i only EVER spend what i can afford, partly cos i don't like debt, partly cos i am too damn good to ever need to spend anymore than break-even to be successful) I do prefer asking for player transfer fees in installments and clauses. For example on FM11 I managed to sell Nicklas Bendtner for a deal worth over £15m after a very poor season - simply asked for £5m over 24 months, £5m after 30 league games (highly likely clause to recieve), and a £5m after 20 goals (a very good chance of recieving) and a percentage of profit of next sale of 30% - and as it is all installments and clauses teams are happy to pay it. So I have £10m in clauses that there is a superb chance I will get, plus a sell on, plus a small fee in installments.

[malikoi]

Just played the first League game of my 2nd save, so thought I'd give a quick update of how pre season went.

Transfers (So far)

I'm also looking to bring in van der Wiel from Ajax, in the middle of negotiations with Ajax. Im looking to spend around £12 million on him.

Tactics

This is the tactic I will be using most I think. Seems to be working pretty well at present.

This is the tactic I used in my first save, will use it as a back-up.

Fixtures so far

Arsenal 2-2 Arsenal Reserves

Gervinho, van Persie

Estudiantes (LP) 0-2 Arsenal

Koscielny(2)

Arsenal 0-0 Valencia

Colorado 0-4 Arsenal

Gervinho(2), Walcott(2)

Arsenal 1-2 Corinthians

Thiago

Busan 0-5 Arsenal

Walcott(2), Thiago, Park Chu-Young, 1 own goal(Greyed out)

Jeju 0-2 Arsenal

Vermaelen, Gervinho

West Brom 0-4 Arsenal

Walcott(2), Gervinho(2)

The Valencia game we should of won, their keeper got a rating of 9.1 for keeping us at bay. The game we lost against Conrinthians we were just plain out-played, was rather distressing to watch!

[James9]

My team is playing like this:

Balanced

Control (starting strategy)

Short Passing

Expressive

Pressing

Zonal

Roaming

4-2-3-1

GK - Sweeper Keeper - Support

DR - Wing Back - Auto

DC - Central Defender - Cover

DC - Central Defender - Stopper

DL - Wing Back - Auto

MC - Ball-Winning Midfielder - Defend

MC - Deep-Lying Playmaker - Support

AMR - Winger - Attack

AMC - Advanced Playmaker - Attack

AML - Inside Forward - Attack

ST - Trequartista - Attack

llama would you recommend using a deep lying forward instead of a trequartista and which settings would you use from support or attack. Also do you have your striker and advance playmaker moving into channels or their wide play instructions as normal

[llama3]

llama would you recommend using a deep lying forward instead of a trequartista and which settings would you use from support or attack. Also do you have your striker and advance playmaker moving into channels or their wide play instructions as normal

i normally use a deep lying forward on support instead of a trequartista, but i am trying something different at the moment, looks good so far. i have my striker and advanced playmaker's instructions as default. as a rule of thumb i do not alter anything on the tactics manually

[dily]

made a third start this time tried ganso in behind RVP..result simply irresistible attacking play. Arteta is playing as APM Support and have both ganso and Arteta swapping so when Jack is back i have the option of playing both jack and Ganso in the same team.

[Irchard]

My observations:

Suprised that people are selling Chamakh. He is consistently outperforming RVP for me. If this was going to be a long-term game (it won't, cos I want larger DB) I would be seriously considering making him my long-term first choice.

Finding it difficult to get performances out of Gervinho. Usually playing him AML as a winger. Again, surprised at what I'm reading from other users. Don't know what I'm doing wrong!

My solution to the RB situation was a guy who I'd never heard of before (but I can tell you that His father is a hairstylist and his mother is a homemaker). A scout found him for me and he looked impressive and has done well when called upon so far (4 games, avg 7.65): Gökhan Gönül. Cost me £10million.

More than happy to keep Frimpong/ Coquelin as back up to Song, especially as recent departures have resulted in a lack of HG players.

I signed Kyriakos Papadopoulos from Schalke not out of necessity but simply because he looks like a monster. I can see him being a future captain (might need to tone down the aggression though!)

Arteta has been the highlight for me so far, picking up tons of assists, and a few goals (usually as a deep-lying playmaker, although a fair amount of the assists are from corners).

Happy with current GK, LBs, CBs, most of the midfield (picked up Barnetta to add depth and given Arshavin's age), and strikers. I would hope to have Oxlade-Chamberlain ready for the next season (probably give him some league games towards the end of the first season); same with Ryo, although that would depend how he progresses. I'll probably try to loan him out in the full game. Jury is still out on whether I should have bought another striker, I didn't, but I'm not yet convinved by Park and given RVP's injury proneness I think I might regret it.

The only areas where I have any real doubts (and the only reason I wrote this post, really) is at centre-back. My doubts aren't with the players, but with what roles to use with what players. I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on this. I'm not really sure where to start.

[Guest]

what do people do on match day in terms of opponent instructions?

[llama3]

My observations:

Suprised that people are selling Chamakh. He is consistently outperforming RVP for me. If this was going to be a long-term game (it won't, cos I want larger DB) I would be seriously considering making him my long-term first choice.

Finding it difficult to get performances out of Gervinho. Usually playing him AML as a winger. Again, surprised at what I'm reading from other users. Don't know what I'm doing wrong!

glad someone is judging in-game chamakh differently from the out of favour but talented player irl. Gervinho is a right footer, i would say go for inside forward on the left flank, or winger on the right flank

[Carmi88]

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/819/first11v.jpg/ - First team

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/fixtures.jpg/ - Results

[dily]

My observations:

Suprised that people are selling Chamakh. He is consistently outperforming RVP for me. If this was going to be a long-term game (it won't, cos I want larger DB) I would be seriously considering making him my long-term first choice.

Finding it difficult to get performances out of Gervinho. Usually playing him AML as a winger. Again, surprised at what I'm reading from other users. Don't know what I'm doing wrong!

My solution to the RB situation was a guy who I'd never heard of before (but I can tell you that His father is a hairstylist and his mother is a homemaker). A scout found him for me and he looked impressive and has done well when called upon so far (4 games, avg 7.65): Gökhan Gönül. Cost me £10million.

More than happy to keep Frimpong/ Coquelin as back up to Song, especially as recent departures have resulted in a lack of HG players.

I signed Kyriakos Papadopoulos from Schalke not out of necessity but simply because he looks like a monster. I can see him being a future captain (might need to tone down the aggression though!)

Arteta has been the highlight for me so far, picking up tons of assists, and a few goals (usually as a deep-lying playmaker, although a fair amount of the assists are from corners).

Happy with current GK, LBs, CBs, most of the midfield (picked up Barnetta to add depth and given Arshavin's age), and strikers. I would hope to have Oxlade-Chamberlain ready for the next season (probably give him some league games towards the end of the first season); same with Ryo, although that would depend how he progresses. I'll probably try to loan him out in the full game. Jury is still out on whether I should have bought another striker, I didn't, but I'm not yet convinved by Park and given RVP's injury proneness I think I might regret it.

The only areas where I have any real doubts (and the only reason I wrote this post, really) is at centre-back. My doubts aren't with the players, but with what roles to use with what players. I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on this. I'm not really sure where to start.

gervinho works a treat as a IF for me on the left,

[JEinchy]

Finding it difficult to get performances out of Gervinho. Usually playing him AML as a winger. Again, surprised at what I'm reading from other users. Don't know what I'm doing wrong!

A player like Gervinho excels more when he can cut inside and get himself into goalscoring positions. Try playing him as an Inside Forward. It works a treat for me (6 goals and 4 assists in 4 games).

My solution to the RB situation was a guy who I'd never heard of before (but I can tell you that His father is a hairstylist and his mother is a homemaker). A scout found him for me and he looked impressive and has done well when called upon so far (4 games, avg 7.65): Gökhan Gönül. Cost me £10million.

The only areas where I have any real doubts (and the only reason I wrote this post, really) is at centre-back. My doubts aren't with the players, but with what roles to use with what players. I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on this. I'm not really sure where to start.

I've set my centre backs up like so:

Vermaelen and Djourou - Stopper

Mertesacker and Koscielny - Cover

Vermaelen's aggression and leaping ability makes him an effective Stopper, while Djourou has the height and strength to play that role well. Don't let Mertesacker's lack of acceleataton turn you off from giving him a Cover role; his mental stats are phenomanal for that role. I'd say that Koscielny is a better choice for a Cover role, however, since his mentals are very good and he has more well-rounded physicals.

Basically, centre backs with high attributes for Aggression, Anticipation, Bravery, Composure and Jumping are well suited to a Stopper role, while those with lower stats in Aggression, Bravery and Jumping may be suited to a Cover role, especially if they have good stats in Positioning and/or Acceleration and Pace.

[Liamgannon]

i agree, walcott is the 1st name on my team sheet. absolutely awesome in this game, he always plays on the shoulder of the last defender and is a real handful as he like to work the channels which creates space for others. All i will say is, make sure that the midfield and DMC players are set to mixed passing with lots of through balls - this helps to increase the chance of 1 on 1's. So far walcott gets at least one of these chances every game and in the demo he finished on 29 goals in all competitions, if he keeps it up he'll nearly break the 60 mark at the end of season. i've set myself the challenge to get him to break henry's scoring record.

[Davidbaratunk]

Hi,

I know I may be premature as to tactics here, but how do you play Walcott as the awesome goalscorer he can become in this game apparently and accomodate van Persie. seeing as he's the captain and generally a really good player. Do you go 442? I've been trying my 4-2-3-1 tactic that worked a treat in FM2011 and its not as good anymore. Goals have dried up, really and I would love it if I could get Walcott to be the main goalscorer.

[llama3]

A player like Gervinho excels more when he can cut inside and get himself into goalscoring positions. Try playing him as an Inside Forward. It works a treat for me (6 goals and 4 assists in 4 games).

My solution to the RB situation was a guy who I'd never heard of before (but I can tell you that His father is a hairstylist and his mother is a homemaker). A scout found him for me and he looked impressive and has done well when called upon so far (4 games, avg 7.65): Gökhan Gönül. Cost me £10million.

I've set my centre backs up like so:

Vermaelen and Djourou - Stopper

Mertesacker and Koscielny - Cover

Vermaelen's aggression and leaping ability makes him an effective Stopper, while Djourou has the height and strength to play that role well. Don't let Mertesacker's lack of acceleataton turn you off from giving him a Cover role; his mental stats are phenomanal for that role. I'd say that Koscielny is a better choice for a Cover role, however, since his mentals are very good and he has more well-rounded physicals.

Basically, centre backs with high attributes for Aggression, Anticipation, Bravery, Composure and Jumping are well suited to a Stopper role, while those with lower stats in Aggression, Bravery and Jumping may be suited to a Cover role, especially if they have good stats in Positioning and/or Acceleration and Pace.

Spot on JEinchy about the stopper cover thingy, I found I was originally unsure how to use it back when the TC came out. But I am impressed by how effective it can be used properly and recognisiging how to select players there. It is not simply a fast defender is a cover, and a strong defender is a stopper.

[llama3]

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/277883-Some-thoughts-on-how-to-set-up-a-defence

here is my latest thread, this time on how to set up a defence

I am also planning a thread about training, attacking movement, and the trequartista in the near future too

[Aaron414]

I can't believe I forget the demo had been released. :o I've been playing for a few hours now. Done a bit of business. Managed to get Carlos Tevez in from City. His asking price was set at £51 million but when I went in with an enquiry, City came back with £16 million. Naturally I bit their hand off and although there was some tense haggling over his contract (I had to give his agent a 'take it or leave it' offer), he signed. Also bought in Esteban Granero from Real Madrid for £4.4 million. I like his versatility and should provide good competition for Arteta and Ramsey. Gutted to miss out on Vrsaljko. Rejected me for Sporting. :confused: So what with looking a little short at RB (because Jenkinson's stats look a little off), I signed Carlos Diogo on a free. Very much a back-up for Sagna but a capable one.

Played my first friendly away against Estudiantes. My young team went 1-0 down on the stroke of half-time. Brought on the big guns on the hour mark and won the game 3-1, goals from Koscielny and 2 from Park. Miyachi looked tasty though, had the beating of his full back for the 60 minutes he played. Gonna set up some training scedules tonight and then I'm gonna start experimenting with tactics, see if there's a way I can get Tevez and Van Persie in the same team together.

[JEinchy]

Hi,

I know I may be premature as to tactics here, but how do you play Walcott as the awesome goalscorer he can become in this game apparently and accomodate van Persie. seeing as he's the captain and generally a really good player. Do you go 442? I've been trying my 4-2-3-1 tactic that worked a treat in FM2011 and its not as good anymore. Goals have dried up, really and I would love it if I could get Walcott to be the main goalscorer.

I've had most of my success with Walcott in a 4-4-2, either alongside van Persie or Chamakh. I played him as a poacher and limited the amount of creative freedom he had. That way, he didn't try the more extravagent finsihes and just went with the simple finishes. Teaching him the PPM "Places Shots" also helps him get his shots on target more.

Playing him as a lone striker does also work, as I've had success with him in that position in a 4-3-3. He ended breaking Henry's scoring record on FM11 for me after about seven seasons.

On the demo I had been using him as an AMR (Inside Forward) in a 4-2-3-1 and he was in excellent form until he picked up a three month injury.

http://community.sigames.com/showthr...t-up-a-defence

here is my latest thread, this time on how to set up a defence

I am also planning a thread about training, attacking movement, and the trequartista in the near future too

Very good thread, though I do disagree with a bit about the fullbacks. With the excpetion of my current set-up, I've always played with full backs on defensive duty. I always thought that Clichy and Sagna just didn't have good enough Crossing and Passing attributes to be much use going forward, so I focused more on their defensive qualities instead. It didn't really hinder my attacking play, either, since the full backs will still go beyond the half-way line on defenisve duty so long as the space is there to do so.

I'm very interested in seeing a thread about the Trequartista. I currently have Arshavin in that role, but it's yeilded mixed success.