FM14: Arsenal Thread - "Remember who you are, what you are and who you represent!"

[llama3]

Welcome to the FM14 Arsenal Thread, begun by that wonderful quote by the late, great, David Rocastle.

Arsenal are a Professional Football Club in England, based in London. They compete in the English Premier League.

Arsenal were formed in 1886, and were originally known as Dial Square. The club was formed by workers at the Royal Arsenal munitions factories in Woolwich. The club wore red shirts donated by Nottingham Forest after Fred Beardsley & Morris Bates wrote to their former club requesting assistance. Arsenal moved north of the river in 1913 to Highbury, and were by then in the Second Division.

After World War I the football system was reorganised, with Arsenal voted into the top division, controversially, at the expense of Tottenham Hotspur, thanks to enterprising chairman, Sir Henry Norris. This enhanced a rivalry already beginning to burn after Arsenal had moved into North London.

Arsenal appointed Herbert Chapman as Manager in 1925, and he revolutionised Arsenal, bringing their greatest period of success in the 1930’s with his tactical genius and the W-M formation which was a mainstay in England in across the world for decades. Chapman was responsible for the white sleeves on the shirts, and hooped socks being introduced, as well as the renaming of Gillespie Road tube station into Arsenal Station. Arsenal were the first team broadcast on TV in 1937 with the BBC filming a practice game between the first team and reserves. Arsenal and Chelsea also featured in the first game to use numbered shirts.

Arsenal began a period of success in the 1970’s by overturned a first leg deficit to win the Fair’s Cup 4-3 on aggregate, before winning the Double in 1971, the first of 2 league titles won at White Hart Lane. Arsenal won the 1979 FA Cup Final against Man Utd in the “5 minute final”, however, Arsenal lost the FA Cup Finals of 1972 (to Leeds, Centenary Final), 1978 (to Bobby Robson’s Ipswich) and 1980 (to West Ham, Trevor Brooking’s header) as well as the Cup Winners Cup Final on penalties to Valencia after a goalless draw.

Arsenal had stagnated, but under George Graham improved hugely, thanks to the Scotsman’s disciplinary regime and tactics (most unlike the former player, nicknamed “The Stroller”). Arsenal ended an 8 year wait for a trophy in 1987 with a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Wembley, the late Semi Final win over Tottenham a notable highlight. Arsenal narrowly lost against Luton the next year in the final, after leading 2-0 with 10 minutes left after Nigel Winterburn missed a penalty.

Arsenal won the 1989 League Title with a stunning last-gasp win at Anfield to beat Liverpool by the required 2-0 margin to steal the title from under Liverpool’s noses. Arsenal went on to win the title in 1991, only losing a single game and setting a record for the lack of goals conceded. Arsenal won the 1993 League Cup & FA Cup Finals against Sheffield Wednesday, before a memorable night in Copenhagen as Arsenal beat Parma 1-0 to win the Cup Winner’s Cup Final, losing the Final in 1995 in heart-breaking fashion at the end of extra time against Real Zaragoza. Graham was dismissed following bung allegations & replaced by Bruce Rioch.

Rioch’s time was short-lived and after a single season and a row with the board over transfer funds he was dismissed and replaced by little-known Frenchman Arsene Wenger began to revolutionise Arsenal’s dietary and fitness regimes, excellent scouting knowledge, as well as turning Arsenal into a creative, attacking force. Wenger lead Arsenal to the double in his first full season at the club in 1998, and then again in 2002. Arsenal won the FA Cup in 2003 in a tight final against Southampton, went the entire league season unbeaten in 2004, and won the FA Cup Final in 2005 against Manchester United on penalties in Cardiff. That remains Arsenal’s latest trophy after a heart-breaking late loss to Barcelona in the Champions League Final in Paris, a defeat of Arsenal’s youngsters in the league cup final in Cardiff against Chelsea, and a shocking last-gasp defeat to Birmingham in the 2011 League Cup Final at Wembley against Birmingham.

Honours

League Champions (13): 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1971, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2002 & 2004 (Unbeaten)

FA Cup Winners (10):

• 1930 – Arsenal 2-0 Huddersfield Town

• 1936 – Arsenal 1-0 Sheffield United

• 1950 – Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool

• 1971 – Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool (after extra time)

• 1979 – Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United

• 1993 – Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday (after extra time; replay after 1-1 draw)

• 1998 – Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle United

• 2002 – Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea

• 2003 – Arsenal 1-0 Southampton

• 2005 – Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United (won 5-4 on penalties)

FA Community Shield Winners (11+1 shared):

• 1930 – Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday

• 1931 – Arsenal 1-0 West Bromwich Albion

• 1933 – Arsenal 3-0 Everton

• 1934 – Arsenal 4-0 Manchester City

• 1938 – Arsenal 2-1 Preston North End

• 1948 – Arsenal 4-3 Manchester United

• 1953 – Arsenal 3-1 Blackpool

• 1991 – Arsenal 0-0 Tottenham (shared)

• 1998 – Arsenal 3-0 Manchester United

• 1999 – Arsenal 2-1 Manchester United

• 2002 – Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool

• 2004 – Arsenal 3-1 Manchester United

League Cup Winners (2):

• 1987 – Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool

• 1993 – Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday

European Fairs Cup Winners (1):

• 1970 – Arsenal 4-3 Anderlecht (aggregate)

European Cup Winners Cup Winners (1):

• 1994 – Arsenal 1-0 Parma

2012-13 Season Review

Arsenal began the 2012/13 Season with the loss of Robin van Persie to Manchester United & Alex Song to Barcelona. They were replaced by Olivier Giroud, Lukas Podolski & Santi Cazorla. Arsenal began the season with 2 goalless draws, before beating Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield in September. Arsenal began to stutter throughout the rest of 2012, however there were notable highlights like the 5-2 win over Tottenham at the Emirates, the 7-5 extra time win over Reading after being 4-0 down, and the 7-3 Christmas win over Newcastle. Arsenal began to start picking up more wins into the New Year, and demolished West Ham 5-1 at the Emirates. Theo Walcott signed a new contract after a much publicised dispute over terms and role. However defeats to Bayern Munich & Tottenham Hotspur proved a watershed moment. For the return leg in the Allianz Arena, Wenger dropped Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny & Captain Thomas Vermaelen. The reshuffled Arsenal side looked significantly more disciplined and took an early lead, and then a late 2nd goal frayed the eventual European Champion’s nerves before being eliminated on away goals. Arsenal began to pick up more form and won crucial games at Swansea, West Brom and a superb comeback win at home to Norwich 3-1, after being 1-0 down with 5 minutes left. Draws with Everton and Manchester United did not ease the pressure, but late season wins at Fulham, QPR, a home win to relegate FA Cup holders Wigan, and finally a tense final day at Newcastle saw Arsenal into the Champions League places ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who bizarrely began celebrating a non-existant goal for Newcastle at St James’ Park…

Club Information

• Nation - England
  
• Founded - 1886
  
• Status - Professional
  
• Nickname - The Gunners
  
• Chairman Status - Loves the club
  
• Legends - Arsene Wenger (Manager), Patrick Vieira (Player), Thierry Henry (Player), Tony Adams (Player), Dennis Bergkamp (Player), Cliff Bastin (Player), Bob Wilson (Player), Herbert Chapman (Manager).
  
• Icons - Ken Friar (Player), David Rocastle (Player), Lee Dixon (Player), Martin Keown (Player), Steve Bould (Player), Robert Pires (Player), David Seaman (Player), Nigel Winterburn (Player), Ray Parlour (Player), Liam Brady (Player), Paul Merson (Player), Pat Rice (Player), Charlie George (Player), Marc Overmars (Player), David O'Leary (Player), John Radford (Player), Michael Thomas (Player), Alex James (Player), Frank McLintock (Player), Charlie Nicholas (Player), David Jack (Player), Ted Drake (Player), George Graham (Manager), Fredrik Ljungberg (Player), Pat Jennings (Player)
  
• Favoured Personnel - Cesc Fabregas (Player)
  
• Derbies - North London Derby (vs Tottenham)
  
• Fierce Rivals - Tottenham (Local), Man Utd (Competitive), Chelsea (Local)
  
• Other Rivals - Liverpool (Competitive), West Ham (Local)
  
• Finances - Rich
  
• Average Ticket Price - £48
  
• Average Season Ticket Price - £1,390
  
• Season Ticket Holders - 40,000
  
• Estimated Value - £780M (Loan Debt: £372M)
  
• Continental Competition - UEFA Champions League
  
• Media Prediction - 4th
  
• Squad Personality - Ambitious
  
• Region - UK & Ireland
  
• Captain - Thomas Vermaelen
  
• Vice-Captain - Mikel Arteta

Facilities Information - Emirates Stadium

• City - London
  
• Stadium Capacity - 60,338 all-seater
  
• Year Built - 2006
  
• Owned By - Arsenal
  
• Stadium Condition - Very Good
  
• Under Soil Heating - Yes
  
• Roof - No
  
• Surface - Grass
  
• Pitch Dimensions - Length: 105m, Width: 68m
  
• Maximum Pitch Dimensions - Length: 110m, Width: 72m
  
• Pitch Condition - Perfect
  
• Corporate Facilities - Top Corporate Facilities
  
• Training Facilities - Excellent Training Facilities
  
• Youth Facilities - Excellent Youth Facilities
  
• Youth Setup Category - 1
  
• Stadium Sponsor -
  
• Planned Expansion -
  
• Youth Stadium - London Colney, St. Albans
  
• Training Ground - London Colney, St. Albans
  
• Junior Coaching - Good Junior Coaching
  
• Youth Recruitment - Well Established Youth Recruitment

First Team Squad Analysis

Now time for an in-depth look at the first team squad you will inherit from your predecessor, Arsene Wenger.

Goalkeepers:

• 1 Wojciech Szczesny: Arsenal’s first choice goalkeeper, developed through academy after early spell at Legia Warsaw. Commanding goalkeeper, strong in the air & a good shot stopper. Decision making can let him down sometimes.*****

• 13 Emiliano Viviano: On-loan goalkeeper from Palermo, with a view to a permanent deal. A good shot stopper, but not very fast off his line, so be very wary of playing a high-line in front of him.*****

• 21 Lukasz Fabianski: Experienced goalkeeper who has been at Arsenal since a £2m move from Legia Warsaw in 2007. Another excellent shot-stopper and good off his line. Can struggle in the air at times. Has only 1 year left on his contract, which is an issue to resolve.*****

Defenders:

• 3 Bacary Sagna: Experienced full back, who can cover right across the back line. Arrived at Arsenal in an £8m deal from Auxerre in 2007. Very consistent defender, with a good work rate. Final ball can let him down at times though.*****

• 4 Per Mertesacker: Giant German defender who arrived at Arsenal in late August 2011. Has become an integral part of the club. He is powerful in the air and very intelligent, with excellent positioning. However he is not very mobile and can be turned for pace, as well as being technically the weakest player in the squad.*****

• 5 Thomas Vermaelen (Captain): Gunners skipper since van Persie’s departure in August 2012, arriving from Ajax in 2009 for £11m and quickly becoming popular with his goalscoring exploits. Vermaelen is excellent technically and is an aggressive defender, looking to win the ball early. His positioning at times can be suspect.*****

• 6 Laurent Koscielny: In his 4th season with the Gunners, since a £10m move from Lorient in 2010. A mobile defender, who has good positioning and great tackler. He has a poor record of red cards and own goals though, with the occasional poor decision.*****

• 17 Nacho Monreal: A January signing from Malaga for £8.5m who impressed immediately, scoring in the away win at Swansea. He is intelligent and defensively solid, with good energy and mobility. He is not as much of an attacking threat as Kieran Gibbs.*****

• 25 Carl Jenkinson: Life-long Gunners fan Jenkinson struggled in his first year at the Gunners following his £1m move from Charlton in 2011, but improved significantly last season. He has a superb work rate and team work, with a superb final ball as well. Jenkinson is defensively suspect though, and this will need improving significantly. *****

• 28 Kieran Gibbs: Product of the Arsenal academy, he is quick and excellent getting forward, but is defensively much less impressive than Monreal, although he is improving in this regard.*****

Midfielders:

• 7 Tomas Rosicky: Experienced Czech playmaker, long-serving Gunner since his arrival from Dortmund in 2006. Is intelligent, determined and technically excellent, but his injury record is very poor. Rosicky is in the final year of his contract.*****

• 8 Mikel Arteta: Experienced playmaker, who has become integral to Arsenal since a deadline day move in 2011. Has adapted into a more defensive midfielder last season, and is intelligent, still possession good creativity and technical ability. He is not a natural defensive player, and is not an especially quick player in midfield either.*****

• 10 Jack Wilshere: Product of the Arsenal academy. Wilshere is an aggressive & determined midfielder, with excellent technical ability and mobility. Defensive work is not a strength of Wilshere’s and he has a very poor injury record, with several major knee and ankle issues keeping him absent for much of the last 2 seasons.*****

• 11 Mesut Ozil: Record signing from Real Madrid for £42.5m and has lifted the mood at Arsenal. Outstanding technically with superb creativity, movement and mobility. Poor defensively, although not likely to be an issue.*****

• 15 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Signing from Southampton in 2011, and highly rated talent. Versatile, attack-minded midfielder, with excellent technical ability and dribbling, with good pace and power. Can improve on his finishing and final ball, but already a talented player.*****

• 16 Aaron Ramsey: Welshman arrived from Cardiff in 2008, has improved significantly over the last 6 months, after suffering a horrific leg break in 2010 at Stoke. He is an excellent passer, with good work rate and mobility. His defensive abilities can be improved upon, as can his work in the final third, but is a well-balanced midfielder, confident with more offensive and defensive duties.*****

• 19 Santi Cazorla: Spanish playmaker was superb in his debut season for Arsenal after a £16m move from Malaga. Gifted with excellent creativity, movement and technical ability, he is can play all across the midfield. He possesses a great long-range shot too. Lacks strength needed for a deeper role. *****

• 20 Mathieu Flamini: Frenchman returning for a second spell at Arsenal since a Bosman move to Milan in 2008. Extremely hard working and combative midfielder. Not particularly creative, and has had major injury problems in last few seasons.*****

• 24 Abou Diaby: A signing from Auxerre in 2006 for £2m. A powerful midfielder, with great technical ability, but this has been overshadowed by a shocking injury record with a broken foot, as well as several groin, knee and ankle problems. Currently sidelined as a long term absentee with cruciate knee ligament problem, perhaps a new squad number may bring new luck?*****

Forwards:

• 9 Lukas Podolski: Experienced German Attacker with over 100 international appearances. The Polish-born attacker is the best natural goalscorer at the club, as well as being very quick and powerful, however is not especially creative which can expose him when playing wide.*****

• 12 Olivier Giroud: French forward looking to build on an encouraging first season at Arsenal where he netted 17 goals and 10 assists in all competitions. He is strong, good in the air, and has excellent movement. He is an excellent pivot up front to link with the attacking midfielders. However he can still improve technically, and does not have the pace to get in behind defences very often.*****

• 14 Theo Walcott: A signing from Southampton for £9m in 2006, finally signed a new contract in January after much speculation over his future. He was top scorer in all competitions last season, and netted crucial goals in the run-in against Manchester United & QPR. A very quick forward who has improved on his final ball and finishing in recent years. Overall technical ability and movement could still be improved upon though. *****

• 22 Yaya Sanogo: Bosman signing from Auxerre in the summer. Young prospect who has suffered from a horrific injury record and is still raw, although is a powerful player with great potential.*****

• 23 Nicklas Bendtner: Danish forward is surprisingly still at Arsenal after 3 summers trying to move. Has a year left on his current deal, and has returned to the fold to provide cover for Olivier Giroud. Still a technically good attacker with good movement, but needs to improve on his finishing still. Sporting a beard and ponytail that gives the impression he has been living in the wild for the summer…*****

On Loan:

• 20 Johan Djourou: Swiss centre-back who signed as a youngster from Etoile Carouge, on loan at Hamburg. Physically strong and fairly quick, but lacks intelligence and determination. Potentially useful squad player.

• Francis Coquelin: Young French midfielder on loan at Freiburg. Coquelin is mobile, intelligent and good in possession, but needs to improve his positioning and marking more.

• Joel Campbell: Costa Rican on loan at Olympiakos. Has not played for Arsenal since a move from Deportivo Saprissa in 2011. He is quick but needs to improve his finishing as well as simply his all-round game.

Reserve & Academy Squad Analysis

Goalkeepers:

• 46 Deyan Iliev: Macedonian stopper, highly rated prospect.

• 50 Damian Martinez: Argentine who needs game-time to improve, consider a loan spell. Also highly rated.

• Ryan Huddart: Young stopper, no future at the club.

Defenders:

• 40 Hector Bellerin: Spanish defender who likes getting forward, potential first team player in future.

• 41 Daniel Boateng: Aggressive young defender, but lacks potential to succeed at Arsenal.

• 43 Zac Fagan: Given another year contract after several other departures at academy level. Still much to learn.

• 45 Isaac Hayden: Assured and versatile youngster, could be useful if developed well.

• 54 Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill: Decent left back, but requires much development.

• 55 Leander Siemann: Young German defender, fairly intelligent, but disappointed in his first year at academy.

• 75 Tafari Moore: Fairly well-rounded young full back, has potential.

• 76 Stefan O'Connor: Young raw defender.

• 80 Elliot Wright: Another young defender, unlikely to make first team.

• Julio Pleguezuelo: Young Spanish defender, recently signed from Barcelona.

• Arinse Uade: No future at Arsenal.

• Tommy Dallison: Did not impress last season, no future at Arsenal.

Midfielders:

• 26 Emmanuel Frimpong: Enthusiastic midfielder who has played for first team. Aggressive and combative, but lacks discipline and positional awareness.

• 42 Thomas Eisfeld: German midfielder with a habit for scoring goals, but often lets games drift him by. Needs to improve soon.

• 47 Jack Jebb: Young English midfielder with potential to become a bright player.

• 48 Anthony Jeffrey: Tricky and pacy winger, but needs to develop his intelligence and all-round game.

• 53 Kristoffer Olsson: Talented Swedish playmaker, but has a lot of competition and needs to improve further to stand a chance of getting into the team.

• 56 Jon Toral: Highly rated on arrival, but development seems to have stalled. Good technically, but now needs to add to it.

• 57 Nico Yennaris: Has first team experience, but needs to improve on strength and technical ability. A possible prospect if developed well.

• 58 Gedion Zelalem: A very exciting player, already appears to have good creativity and a final ball. Worth keeping and developing, potentially class player.

• 79 Ainsley Maitland-Niles: Young wideman, unlikely to make any impact at Arsenal.

• 81 Dan Crowley: Highly rated young creative midfielder, signed from Aston Villa.

• Alfred Mugabo: No future at Arsenal.

• Glen Kamara: No future at Arsenal.

• Samuel Galindo: Bolivian playmaker returned from loan at Jorge Wilstermann, has made little impact since joining Arsenal, with a variety of loan spells. Has no work permit, an issue that needs resolving quickly.

• Renny Smith: Decent midfielder, talented young midfielder.

Forwards:

• 30 Chu-Young Park: No transfer materialised in summer for Arsenal’s forgotten man, and he has no future after a disappointing first season and subsequent season on loan at Celta Vigo.

• 31 Ryo Miyaichi: Tricky and mobile Winger, but needs to add end-product, which he has so far failed to do. Development of a potentially good player has stalled.

• 36 Benik Afobe: Another with stalled development. Physically impressive forward, lacks the mental attibutes to succeed currently.

• 37 Chuba Akpom: An exciting young player. Needs work, but could become an Arsenal forward for years to come if developed well.

• 38 Zak Ansah: Back from serious injury and needs to improve this season to stand a chance at a future at the club.

• 44 Serge Gnabry: Very talented young German midfielder. Already very mobile and tricky, he is technically good and needs to enhance this to become a first team regular. Keep a very close eye on this exciting player.

• 49 Austin Lipman: Decent forward, but has a lot of serious competition in his position.

• Alex Iwobi: Decent player, but not likely to make any impact at Arsenal.

• Tarum Dawkins: Not likely to make any impact at Arsenal.

• Jamaal Raage: Young Swede, unlikely to make any further impact at the Gunners.

On Loan:

• 38 Chuks Aneke: Powerful and technical midfielder, on loan at Crewe. Needs to have a good season to force into reckoning.

• Ignasi Miquel: Tall Spanish defender, seems to have regressed in development, and now in crucial loan spell at Leicester. Contract up at the end of the season. Needs to improve fast. If he does, a potentially useful defender.

• Wellington Silva: Brazilian forward, on loan at Real Murcia, needs to show improvement this season.

• Josh Vickers: Young stopper, unlikely to make any impact at Arsenal.

Tactical Analysis

Arsenal possess a lot of technically gifted players, suited creative, possession football. Arsenal also possess some very quick wide players and can play counter-attacking football well. Arsenal suit a 4-2-3-1 formation best as they have lots of good central midfielders, and their wide players don’t suit MR & ML positions. Furthermore, the side possesses few Defensive Midfielders, and Ozil the side's best AMC is not capable of playing a deeper midfield role. Giroud is good at holding the ball up and linking play. Arsenal’s full backs like to get forward and offer width too. Arsenal are capable of playing a pressing game, or sitting in a good shape. A few further points to consider:

Goalkeepers

Only Fabianski suits a Sweeper Keeper role, due to his distribution and speed, Szczesny and Viviano are more traditional goalkeepers.

Full Backs

Sagna & Jenkinson do not possess the creativity to justify Attack duties as well. Gibbs & Monreal are better offensively though.

Central Defence

Vermaelen is a good stopper/ball-playing defender, Koscielny is well balanced, Mertesacker is not aggressive enough and has a PPM to stay on feet, so is a bad choice as a stopper.

Central Midfield

Flamini is an aggressive ball-winner, Arteta is a more intelligent & possession based alternative. Wilshere, Ramsey & Diaby are better in support duties.

Attacking Midfield

Ozil is your best player, build your side around him. Rosicky has good energy and suits a pressing game too.

Wings

Right Wing is full of natural right footed players, so play high and wide. Left wing only has Podolski as a natural wide left player, the rest will tuck inside more.

Attack

Giroud's link play and movement are good, can play either duties. Bendtner & Sanogo too. Podolski & Walcott are more natural goalscorers.

Staff Analysis

The Arsenal coaching set up is decent, but could improve the fitness coaching at the club, as Marcus Svensson is not superb. Scouting is rather well-stocked with some excellent scouts, such as Steve Rowley, Francis Cagigao & Gilles Grimandi. Generally the back-room staff requires little improvement.

Final Word

Arsenal have finally had a summer of no departures to key players. Several fringe players have departed, such as; Vito Mannone, Denilson, Andre Santos, Gervinho, Sebastien Squillaci, Andrey Arshavin & Marouane Chamakh amongst others. Arsenal have acquired; young French forward Yaya Sanogo on a Bosman, Mathieu Flamini returning for a second spell at the club & headline signing Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for a club record £42.5m. Arsenal have improved sponsorship and commercial deals, greater finances, and a strong squad – a sound basis for your assault on the League & Champions League campaigns. Good luck.

[RossoneriGunner]

Well worth the wait llama an excellent introduction as usual. Well done

[yorkie87]

Vela worth a buy on this at the 3.5 mil release clause.

[Guest]

nice , doing a save now , there is a great thread on Arsenal in the tactic discussion by Noikeee

[RossoneriGunner]

nice , doing a save now , there is a great thread on Arsenal in the tactic discussion by Noikeee

Agree with GM, well worth a read.

[Carmi88]

beautiful

[NorthernGooner]

Just have to wait for the full release now. Don't want to play as them on the Beta!

[Freyyr]

Arsenal notes in FM14 are pretty bad. Jenkinson and Gibbs caracteristics are totaly unrealistic.

Howewer, Zelalem and Dan Crowley have a good potential.

[Carmi88]

just got dumped out of the first KO round of the champions league by Real Sociedad, that one hurt

[llama3]

Oh dear! Not good! Hope you all liked the thread title I went for in the end.

R.I.P. Rocky 7

[RossoneriGunner]

Did my usual preseason (Cleon style) and with FM13 I would be 'Fluid' in nearly everything by the end of preseason but, in FM14 I was only about 65% familiar with my tactic.

First game of the season was Norwich at the Emirates and we struggled to a last gasp 3-2 win, then won 2-0 away at Salzburg in the 1st leg of the ECL play offs.

At the moment I am looking at my tactic in more depth and there are a few settings that I will have to look into.

[RossoneriGunner]

At the moment I am setting up my FM13 tactic in FM14.

Team Instructions;

FM13

Passing = Shorter. FM14 = Shorter Passing.

Creative Freedom = More Expressive. FM14 = Be More Expressive.

Closing Down = Press More. FM14 = Use Tighter Marking OR Hassle Opponents ?

Tackling = Default. FM14 = How do you set Defaults ?

Marking = Zonal. FM14 = Zonal, which is default.

Crossing = Default. FM14 = If I don't choose any of the crossing settings does that mean it is set to 'Default'

Roaming = More Roaming. FM14 = Roam from position.

[Poddy]

How much money do arsenal have?

[RossoneriGunner]

How much money do arsenal have?

I take it you mean Transfer Budget, £30 million.

[RossoneriGunner]

Made a few adjustments and have just beaten WBA 2-0 away and Salzburg 8-0 at the Emirates and 10-0 on agg.

Still can't get the quick passing style yet but, it will come.

[NorthernGooner]

Made a few adjustments and have just beaten WBA 2-0 away and Salzburg 8-0 at the Emirates and 10-0 on agg.

Still can't get the quick passing style yet but, it will come.

Have you tried the 'Higher Tempo' or 'Much Higher Tempo' instructions?

[css_matt]

Not sure where Wilshere is going to fit into this team. With Ozil now the main man I dont know what to do with him. Quality player, surely to valuable an asset to be sitting on the bench. Would put him behind but doesnt offer anything defensively.

Worryingly just got completely outplayed by Cagliari in pre-season. Lost 8-2.

[NorthernGooner]

Not sure where Wilshere is going to fit into this team. With Ozil now the main man I dont know what to do with him. Quality player, surely to valuable an asset to be sitting on the bench. Would put him behind but doesnt offer anything defensively.

I had the same problem last year. Have you tried maybe 2 x AMC's and a AML/AMR? Could also have Flamini/Arteta and Wilshere/Ramsey. Both been given a rather big boost in stats.

[RossoneriGunner]

Have you tried the 'Higher Tempo' or 'Much Higher Tempo' instructions?

Yes I tried the 'Much Higher tempo' and that seemed to work but when I checked the tactics quite a few were Fluid but the tempo one was way down, so may have to wait and see.

Perseverance I think is called for.

[css_matt]

I had the same problem last year. Have you tried maybe 2 x AMC's and a AML/AMR? Could also have Flamini/Arteta and Wilshere/Ramsey. Both been given a rather big boost in stats.

Not gonna change the tactic to accommodate him, hes not the main man any more!

I will rotate and largely use him as backup for a while and see whats what come the end of the season.

[Truegunner]

Not sure where Wilshere is going to fit into this team. With Ozil now the main man I dont know what to do with him. Quality player, surely to valuable an asset to be sitting on the bench. Would put him behind but doesnt offer anything defensively.

Worryingly just got completely outplayed by Cagliari in pre-season. Lost 8-2.

I beg to differ work on his positioning and tackling and you have a good deep lying playmaker there.

[llama3]

Regard to remarks on Wilshere - his aggression suits him well as part of a defensive pair, furthermore, look at Arsenal's wide men - on the left flank you have only 1 clear, left footed winger - Podolski - almost all of your other options are going to come inside, so play cazorla or rosicky there, leaves you room to play wilshere in centre. Key is rotation, selecting the right player for right opponents.

e.g. - Flamini & Wilshere are better for heavy pressing due to stamina and aggression, Arteta & Ramsey much better at ball retention due to better technical and passing ability. Want to go direct on the left - Podolski, want creativity - Cazorla. On the right - want a goalscorer? Walcott, want creativity? Oxlade-Chamberlain is the man. Same in your defence - Monreal is defensively better, Gibbs is offensively better, Mertesacker is good in the air and intelligent, Koscielny is mobile and best tackler, Vermaelen is aggressive and better on the ball. Fabianski sweeps up better than Szczesny, but Szczesny is better in the air. Comparing your players and using the right player at the right time is going to make or break you on this game.

[css_matt]

Arsenal - 2013/2014 - July/August

PL & CL domination is the aim, attacking football is how I will go about it.

Transfers In

Zakaria Bakkali - 6M

Youri Tielemans - 1.6M

Fabio Contreau - 10M

Massimo Bruno - 3M

Adnan Januzaj - 17M

Carlos Vela - 3.4M

Transfers Out

Jenkinson, Monreal & Fabianski

Match Report

West Ham 0 - 2 Arsenal

29' Walcott

38' Flamini (Sent Off)

73' Koscielny

Comfortable win in our first game of the season. Even with Flamini lunging in recklessly we managed to see the game out fairly easily. West Ham did not produce anything. Concerned about the passing completion rate as it was in the 60's in this game. Ozil put in a MOM performance.

Arsenal 3 - 0 PAOK

24' Walcott

51' Koscielny

60' Ozil

Absolutely dominated this game, should have scored quite a few more if it wasnt for some horrid efforts at goal. Passing completion up to 85% and build ups looking very threatening which is good too see. Even better Ozil gets a goal on his home debut! Very happy with that! Walcott is having a great start to the season! Onto the group stages..

Arsenal 2 - 1 Swansea City

6' Vela

11' Vela

67' Britton

We come out all over them, should have been on 4 by 20 minutes. Swansea managed to get into the game after that and scored a fluke freekick. Easy enough win and managed to give some youngsters some game time too.

PAOK 1 - 2 Arsenal

20' Wilshere

32' Podolski

71' Athanasiadis

Another comfortable win. Changed the team around giving game time to youngsters. Still have to take more of our opportunities, good MOM performance by Januzaj playing in the Ozil role. Nice to see Wilshere take his chance well playing on the left in place of Cazorla.

Norwich 2 - 1 Arsenal

68' Cazorla

69' Elmander

79' Hoolahan

Embarrassing performance. Norwich completely outplayed us, 26 shots to our 4. Scored against the run of play and then just let them score straight from kick-off anyway. Cant really work out how that went so bad. Norwich were getting lots of bodies forward, tending to just piledrive everyone through the middle. Tried to counter and exploit the flanks but nothing worked. Disappointing end to the month. Secured the services of Behrami just before kick off.

Fairly tough group in the CL. Athletico Madrid, Bayern Leverkusen & Napoli.

[Carmi88]

6 games left to go in the season and i am 2 points clear of Man City, eliminated out of every cup. Capital one cup by Liverpool at Anfield fielding youngsters, and FA cup by Sunderland, also an away game. Eliminated from Champions League by Real Sociedad, losing 1-0 away then winning 3-2 at home, a Carlos Vela brace sinking my team on away goals :[

Transfers In:

Griezmann - 15 million

Antonia Di Natale - 1.2 million

Boyata - 300k

Micah Richards - 10 million

Bernardo Silva - free

Luke Giveren - free

Transfers out:

Bendtner - 2.9m

Frimpong - 2.5m

Fabianski - 2.1m

Sanogo - loan

Miyaichi - loan

Park - loan

Eisfeld - loan

Galindo - loan

Ottewill - loan

Boateng - loan

Olsson - loan

Bellerin - loan

Jeffrey - loan

Giverren - loan

[Carmi88]

and despite the shocking performances in the cups, i have been crowned league champions

[arsenalthebest]

really struggling to get into fm14 imo the complete removal of sliders is a big mistake

[arsenalthebest]

a Carlos Vela brace sinking my team

and 3.5m could of stopped that

[Carmi88]

and 3.5m could of stopped that

yep, i was pretty gutted

end of season, i'd list all the managerial changes but that would take too much time, i'll simply say that Granada won La Liga by one point, moyes got sacked despite finishing 4 points behind me in 2nd andBayern won another treble whilst also losing the CL final to Athletico madrid 3-0, crazy season!

And i got a message from the board saying all club debt is gone, and they gave me 103 million for spending next season

[arsenalthebest]

Pre Season & August Update

TRASNFERS IN: Eduardo 7.5m , Bender 5.5m OUT: Arteta 5m - R. Madrid , Frimpong 1.5m - Nottm Forrest

LOANS IN: Canvanda - Lazio 275k/month OUT: Gnabry - Walsall , Miyaichi - Inverness , Uade - Bishops Stortford , Park Chu-Young - Swansea 200k/month , Boateng - Plymoth , Ormonde-Ottewill - Aldershot

can't say how often or when I'll update , tbh I prefer my fm13 saves

[Llew_Arshavin23]

I think I'll hold off compiling some monthly updates until I get the full game, as I'll be making another, more pedantically detailed, Arsenal save then.

Regardless, my current save is going well. A good, physically demanding, pre-season proved important as I had to grind out a tough, yet sporadically exciting, opening day victory over Crystal Palace. 3-1 the final score, with Olivier Giroud, Mesut Özil and Tomáš Rosický scoring - the latter two goals in reply to Marouane Chamakh's annoyingly good effort. I was drawn against Paços de Ferreira in the UEFA Champions League qualification round. Of course, I disabled first transfer window budgets.

I'll be lurking on here. Enjoy your beta saves!

[chs.oscar]

What about Joel Campbell, he is also on loan.

Did he develop as expected?

[Maestroik]

Would have asked this in the Request Screenshot thread but thought would have a better response here.

Any kind soul willing to put up a ss of Gnabry and Zelalem?

[llama3]

really struggling to get into fm14 imo the complete removal of sliders is a big mistake

Just stop thinking in slider terms and actually watch the game - in my first friendly I won 2-1, with a late goal a direct result of the instructions and changes I made. Once you stop thinking about the instructions and roles "have such and such slider settings" it becomes a lot easier.

[RossoneriGunner]

Just stop thinking in slider terms.....

This reminds me of my mum who always converted the prices from the new decimal money to the old £ s d and got even more confused.

I think we have to forget FM13 and treat FM14 as a new game and since I have done this it has become easier to understand and my tactic is slowly coming together.

The only thing that I want to know is about "Defaults" are the tackling "Defaults" set to easy, what happens if you don't choose any of the 'Crossing' options does this mean that players will cross early, into the box, to the far post, etc?

[llama3]

Default crossing means players make own decision on where to aim.

Default tackling will be "normal" for most players, but probably "easy" for centre-backs which is normal. Centre-backs don't charge into tackles, they expose the team too much.

Oh and just dismantled Anderlecht 8-1 in my pre-season friendly. Hattricks for Giroud & Oxlade-Chamberlain, brace for Rosicky.

[Guest]

Guys with Arteta as my captain Im unsure who to have as vice captain?

Was thinking mertesacker?

Wilshere is a good choice but he will be in and out of the team while I have Arteta around.

[savagepenguin]

Removal of the sliders has actually taken a large degree of the annoying and tedious trial and error out of the game. We already had an effective UI with which to analyse the effects our tactical changes had on any given match, but it felt as if it was let down by an awkward, outdated and overly bloated slider system. At least now we don't have to cycle through a thousand variations of slide position (half of which made very little effective difference) in order to get players playing the way we want them to. Now it's a case of every tactical change I make to team or player instructions has a very apparent and measurable effect on the way a team/player plays...I'm pretty sure that can only be a good thing.

[llama3]

Guys with Arteta as my captain Im unsure who to have as vice captain?

Was thinking mertesacker?

Wilshere is a good choice but he will be in and out of the team while I have Arteta around.

Agree with your point savagepenguin. As for gunnermitch - Per Mertesacker is a good choice, professional & good under pressure - very useful for a captain.

[Guest]

thanks llama3 , mert it is.

Im loving the tactical side of fm14 , it just feels more realistic without sliders.

[Guest]

What you guys doing about striker backup?

Giroud is good but if he gets injured I have Podolski or Sanogo as backups which I dont think will cut it , I play a deep lying forward role and was looking at either Antonio de natale who is old but could provide cover?

or Carlos vela but I'm not sure he suits a deep lying forward role.

[pearcey_90]

Started a save with these till 1st patch comes out and I can start my journeyman save.

Signed Doria, Ginter, Coentrao, Koke and Vela. for combined £44.5m.

Sold Park, Monreal and Frimpong for £18.5m.

Playing a 3-2-2-2-1.

Won all 6 pre season games scoring 22 goals in process and have opened up season with 3-1 home win over Cardiff with an Ozil double, Park scored against me and a 3-0 away win against PAOK.

Hopefully can offload Bendtner by end of window.

[tomtuck01]

Arsenal notes in FM14 are pretty bad. Jenkinson and Gibbs caracteristics are totaly unrealistic.

How so? If you believe this to be the case, then you ought to take up in the Arsenal Data Issuses Thread.

[RvN#17]

Giroud is a beast, 10 goals in 6 games.

Bought Akinfeev, Tielemans, Musacchio, Balanta, Alaba, Subotic & Rochina for total of 76m. Sold Fabianski,Frimpong,Park,Mertesacker and Bendtner for 25m.

[RossoneriGunner]

Default crossing means players make own decision on where to aim.

Default tackling will be "normal" for most players, but probably "easy" for centre-backs which is normal. Centre-backs don't charge into tackles, they expose the team too much.

Oh and just dismantled Anderlecht 8-1 in my pre-season friendly. Hattricks for Giroud & Oxlade-Chamberlain, brace for Rosicky.

Thanks llama, much appreciated.

[arsenalthebest]

What you guys doing about striker backup?

Giroud is good but if he gets injured I have Podolski or Sanogo as backups which I dont think will cut it , I play a deep lying forward role and was looking at either Antonio de natale who is old but could provide cover?

or Carlos vela but I'm not sure he suits a deep lying forward role.

eduardo's good as a dlp 7.5m should be enough

[llama3]

What you guys doing about striker backup?

Giroud is good but if he gets injured I have Podolski or Sanogo as backups which I dont think will cut it , I play a deep lying forward role and was looking at either Antonio de natale who is old but could provide cover?

or Carlos vela but I'm not sure he suits a deep lying forward role.

Podolski is decent enough, does fine for me in that role, Sanogo looked decent for me in pre-season and has decent technique, and the right physicals for it, Bendtner also looks good for it. You've got a packet of options.

Started a save with these till 1st patch comes out and I can start my journeyman save.

Signed Doria, Ginter, Coentrao, Koke and Vela. for combined £44.5m.

Sold Park, Monreal and Frimpong for £18.5m.

Playing a 3-2-2-2-1.

Won all 6 pre season games scoring 22 goals in process and have opened up season with 3-1 home win over Cardiff with an Ozil double, Park scored against me and a 3-0 away win against PAOK.

Hopefully can offload Bendtner by end of window.

Watch out playing Mertesacker as a stopper - poor aggression and bravery, not quick at all & his PPM of not diving into tackles makes him probably the worst choice you could find for the duty. Vermaelen suits being a stopper most (but being left footed i see you wanting him on the left of your back 3), therefore Koscielny may be the better bet, more mobile than your other centre-backs, good aggression too.

[llama3]

Opening day result was rather outstanding:

Premier League

Arsenal 4 - Vidic og 9', Giroud 64' & 80', Walcott 82'

Manchester United 0

Man of the Match - Theo Walcott

PAOK Salonika is up next in the Champions League

[bigman]

can anyone tell me how good ramsey is? anything like he has been in rela life? is ozil a complete beast? how is gnarby rated? is giroud a quality striker now? is zelalem in the game?

[llama3]

ramsey is rated based on the end of last season, not the start of this - he is a good player, but not quite like real life. Ozil is awesome, like always. Gnabry looks decent, but needs work. Giroud has had mainly reductions and Zelalem is in the game.

[Arsenal71]

Nice intro ilamae, FS would have been proud, i know i am