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Struggling to create a successful possession-based tactic with Arsenal


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Problems

I am playing as Arsenal and attempting to employ a 4-2-3-1 formation which features high pressing and patient, possession-based build-up when I have the ball. I am struggling to create chances in attack, which I would like to do primarily through the middle, and in defence I am weak and concede every game through leaving a man unmarked in the penalty area, usually from a cross or through ball between my centre-backs.

Shape/formation

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I am using a balanced fluidity and control philosophy. As well as this, I have set my left winger individual instructions to play narrower to try and create room for my left-back to expose and for my LW to create something in the middle.

Team and Level

Arsenal – Premier League and Champions League.

Expectations

I am expected to qualify for the Champions League and, after four PL games, I am yet to win and have drawn 3-3 with both Hull and Crystal Palace at home, along with losses away from home to Everton and Cardiff.

Details

I want Ozil to be the focal point for my attacks but when he gets the ball he appears to be too deep and rarely puts the ball through for Vela or my other striker to run on to. The only threat I seem to have is when my RW runs down the flank, making me one dimensional – surely, with such creative players in my team, I shouldn't be struggling to generate chances in this way?

Also, I have at times struggled to dominate possession like I want to – however, this may be because I am playing away from home?

When I concede at home, it is mainly on the break, although away from home the opposition get the better of possession and as such have more chances – it's as simple as that. Can you help?

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Have you taken a look at the pairs/combinations guide stickied to the top of the forum? llama3 walks us through his tactic creation with Arsenal and that might be a huge help for you here.

If you want Ozil to be the focal point you have to consider whether or not he is in the right spot to get the ball from his teammates, and also, are his teammates doing the right things to get him the ball?

If you're not winning possession it's either: not winning the ball, or not passing it well. You need to determine which of those is the cause, and then make the proper adjustments.

If you're being hit on the break, understand that the formation you're using is quite prone to that. But you can take some steps to alleviate that. Faster CD's, drop the D-Line, less closing down, etc. Or you could focus more on winning the ball back so that teams dont have the chance to counter into the space you leave behind.

I think the issue in your tactic is a combination of things.. too many instructions, and the relationship between Ozil and your striker. The wide men look good, and the 2 CM's are okay. The BWM-D isn't a great choice though. CM-D will give you better stability in midfield. That's up to you though, and how you see things developing on the pitch.

Hope this helps.

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Have you taken a look at the pairs/combinations guide stickied to the top of the forum? llama3 walks us through his tactic creation with Arsenal and that might be a huge help for you here.

If you want Ozil to be the focal point you have to consider whether or not he is in the right spot to get the ball from his teammates, and also, are his teammates doing the right things to get him the ball?

If you're not winning possession it's either: not winning the ball, or not passing it well. You need to determine which of those is the cause, and then make the proper adjustments.

If you're being hit on the break, understand that the formation you're using is quite prone to that. But you can take some steps to alleviate that. Faster CD's, drop the D-Line, less closing down, etc. Or you could focus more on winning the ball back so that teams dont have the chance to counter into the space you leave behind.

I think the issue in your tactic is a combination of things.. too many instructions, and the relationship between Ozil and your striker. The wide men look good, and the 2 CM's are okay. The BWM-D isn't a great choice though. CM-D will give you better stability in midfield. That's up to you though, and how you see things developing on the pitch.

Hope this helps.

Hey, thanks for the quick reply.

Yep, I've read that and, tbh, I haven't done anything too differently from what he does.

I think the issue is not passing the ball well - too many times it gets given away. How do I go about changing that, and, also, how do I focus on winning the ball back - high defensive line, hassle opponents?

I will try and make Ozil stay more central - do I need to limit his creative freedom and instruct him to play narrower because of this?

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Take a look at maybe removing 'Pass to Space' as well as 'Roam from Positions' from your shouts. Passing into space means that most of the time the balls will be played to channels rather than directly to where the player is standing/heading towards. This, paired with 'roam from position' means that your players get quickly caught out when a wayward ball played into space isn't capitalized due to a winger or a midfielder roaming away, leading to an opposing player snatching it from you and going for a quick break.

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Well if you want Ozil to be the focal point that limiting his creativity / movement is perhaps not the way to go. I meant that as long as he's in a decent spot, his teammates need to be able to get him the ball. That can be down to a whole bunch of things. I mean, let's just say you're facing a team with 2 DM's or 1 DM. Chances are Ozil will be marked out of the game, and you'll need to find a way to either get him into space, or utilize other options (down the flanks, for instance).

If you're giving the ball away then it could be down to: players making bad choices, players having too few choices, players not positioned right (check team instructions), or that the opposition is giving you so little time on the ball and forcing errors.

If the opposition is closing down quick you need to adjust accordingly. If they're not, and they're giving you more time, then your team needs to make better passes, and better choices. Passing short + run at defence is great for when they stand off a lot.

Winning the ball back is a matter of space, really. Are you closing down the ball? Are you blocking passing lanes? Are you tackling well enough? These are all questions you need to ask and answer, yourself.

As far as Ozil goes, if I were setting up Arsenal I'd play him as an AP-A, because I want him making runs. That is just my opinion though, and other might give him a supporting duty. The good news is that Ozil is a wonderful talent and can do basically whatever you ask, so it comes down to how you want to play him. If you want him staying "in the hole" and spraying passes then the AP-S is a fine choice.

I would focus your attention on the striker, and see what's going on with him. Also your team instructions. You've got a lot of layers on top of an already "controlling" mentality. For example, do you need to use retain possession or short passing? By using those, your team will slow the tempo a bit. That could lead to players closing you down more effectively, for example. Think in those terms (if I do X, how does it effect Y.)

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AP-S is the player that will play deepest of all choices in a central AM position.

If you are looking for him to operate a little higher , AP-A or T might be a better choice ( Although trequartista does not close down which does not help with winning back the ball)

Regarding winning the ball back, i'd suggest Hassle opponent although that might be a little too risky coupled with Control especially in away games.

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