CallumHowey
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Callum's Guide To: Arsenal FC!
Note: This is my first guide for any club. Another note I can guarantee it will not be as good as Chris' Newcastle Guide or a lot of other you will have seen scattered around FM-Base and the internet. This guide is done for the 11.2 patch and I hope to tell you what I would do with Arsenal. The countries that should be loaded in the database are: England, South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Spain, Italy and France.
Now to the guide.
View attachment 133856
Arsenal FC
Known As: The Gunners
Chairman: Peter Hill-Wood
Assistant Manager: Pat Rice
Last Season: 3rd (EPL)
Media Prediction: 4th
Rivals: Tottenham Hotspur; Man Utd; Chelsea
Other Rivals: Liverpool; West Ham
Derby: North-London Derby (vs Tottenham)
At The Start of the Season
Continental Qualification through league finish: £15M/1.2M P/W
Title Challenge: 17.5M/1.3M P/W
Title Winner: 19M/1.4M P/W
I would recommend going for the Continental Qualification through league finish as there isn't as much pressure on you if you go through a bad period.
Arsenal FC
Known As: The Gunners
Chairman: Peter Hill-Wood
Assistant Manager: Pat Rice
Last Season: 3rd (EPL)
Media Prediction: 4th
Rivals: Tottenham Hotspur; Man Utd; Chelsea
Other Rivals: Liverpool; West Ham
Derby: North-London Derby (vs Tottenham)
At The Start of the Season
Expectations
At the start of the Premier League season Arsenal is expected to qualify for the Champions League by coming 4th or higher in the Premier League. The budget you will get for each expectation is:
Continental Qualification through league finish: £15M/1.2M P/W
Title Challenge: 17.5M/1.3M P/W
Title Winner: 19M/1.4M P/W
I would recommend going for the Continental Qualification through league finish as there isn't as much pressure on you if you go through a bad period.
The Team
Goalkeeper
Manuel Almunia: Despite being a keeper who will perform amazing on somedays then abysmal on other days. Almunia is definitely the first choice keeper for Arsenal
Lukasz Fabianski: Fabianski is te obvious second choice keeper, and whenever Almunia is injured/unfit, he'll perform.
Wojciech Szczesny: He's so under rated on the game however if Almunia and Fabianski are injured he'll be a good third keeper. (You will need to promote him from the reserves)
Overall this area is pretty strong however there is room for improvement and a recommended transfer will be available later on in the guide.
Defenders
Bacary Sagna: Is one of the best and most consistent right backs on the game. I highly recommend keeping him as he is a key player in Arsenal's back line.
Thomas Vermaelan: A very important defender for Arsenal. As you can see without the command that he offers at the back Arsenal have struggled this season. He's a birlliant headerer of the ball, and if the tactics you're using use the corner glitch you can guarantee on him scoring 10-15 goals a season.
Laurent Koscielny: A good first team choice, yet there are still a lot better central defenders on the game. He's a very good back-up if you manage to buy another central defender.
Sebastien Squillaci: I feel Squillaci is completely useless in reality and in the game. Therefore I recommend trying to loan him out to get his wages off the wage bill.
Gael Clichy: Gael Clichy is a fantastic left back and is definitely a key player amongst Arsenal's back line.
Emmanuel Eboue: A great cover for Sagna if he gets injured. Not much to him really.
Kieran Gibbs: A very promising, young, ENGLISH Left back. He should be used in cup games and when Clichy is injured.
Johan Djourou: Is a decent cover for vermaelan and Koscielny and will do the job when called upon.
Once again a really strong area (it's a shame we can't say this in real life) however there is room for improvement. I would recommend putting Squillaci on the loan list as he won't be able to get transferred since he only just signed for Arsenal. A replacement for Squillaci will be explained in the transfer section further on in the guide.
Midfielders
Denilson: I would personally say Denilson is a very good player to be a back-up or on a rotation. I don't believe he should be playing every week, however I recommend holding onto him as he is a very good back-up.
Cesc Fabregas: Arsenal's star man and captain. He leads with example and is obviously a Key Player for the Arsenal. Should be employed as a playmaker or a central attacking midfielder.
Alex Song: A fantastic ball winner. A player who isn't scared to get stuck into a challenge. He's quite pivotal to the way Arsenal play in real life and he should definitely be in your starting line up in the game.
Tomas Rosicky: He's a great player who could also be used on the wings. I don't believe he's good enough to get into the first team week in and week out however he is a great back0-up for when a player gets injured.
Abou Diaby: Once again another fantastic back-up player, I would usually use him to replace Alex Song as he is more physical than Denilson and would be better at Alex Song's role.
Aaron Ramsey: Despite being injured at the beginning of the game until about November/December/January he is the only -10 player on the game and becomes world class in 4 or 5 years time. However at the beginning of the game he starts on the reserves therefore he should be promoted to the first team and made available for the reserves until match fit.
This is probably Arsenal's strongest area and it really doesn't need strengthening at all.
Wingers
Samir Nasri: What can I say, he has been world-class for Arsenal this season and deserves a place in the starting line-up. He should be employed on the left/right wing or in the central attacking midfielder role.
Andrey Arsharvin: Another fantastic player he could be put on rotate with Nasri however I prefer playing Nasri than Arsharvin, but it's up to you on who you want to play.
Theo Walcott: Theo Walcott has been fantastic for Arsenal this season. He can play on the right side of midfield or up front as a poacher. He's still young as well so he still has time to develop into an even better player than he already is.
Jack Wilshere: Jack Wilshere has been fantastic for Arsenal this season and should be using in the first team on the right wing or in a central midfielder role. If used on the right wing make sure he is used as an inside forward support. Despite not being amazing on the game he deserves game time and he also turns out to be brilliant as he gets older. If needed Jack Wilshere could be used in the central midfield area as a box-to-box midfielder.
Another really strong area for Arsenal with really good youngsters that can play when you start the game.
Strikers
Robin Van Persie: A prolific goal scorer for Arsenal and definitely needs to be upfront. It's a shame Arsenal don't have many other World Class forwards like Van Persie. He is a first team regular and needs to be played.
Marouane Chamakh: I personally think the game has made Chamakh far too good. I don't know why but I dislike him. However he can still be played alongside Van Persie and if you can't get a replacement striker for him, then he should be in your first team.
Nicolas Bendtner: Bendtner is like an impact sub, if brought on at the right time he can really make a difference, however if you want you can sell him for extra cash.
Carlos Vela: Finally Arsenal's mexican stirker Vela. I really like Vela and with the right training he could be trained into a good forward. However if you don't thinnk that he's good enough for Arsenal then get rid of him.
Despite it being a strong area it's still area which could be improved and recommended transfers will be explained later on.
Transfers
Goalkeeper
Rene Adler: He's a world class goal keeper and if you decide to sell Almunia then he is definately a really good replacement. The only downside is that he costs £17.5M, therefore I recommend paying £7.5M upfront and the other £10M over 48 months (4 years). I have heard that if you declare interest in Adler at the start of the season and subscribe to him, he will get offered to you for £7.5M instead of his £17.5M release clause.
Guillermo Ochoa: If Adler is too much for your liking then you should try Mexican keeper Guillermo Ochoa, he's fantastic and becomes a really good goalkeeper when he hits his full potential. He has a £7.25M release clause and I'd recommend paying £2M upfront with £5.25M to be paid over 48 months (4 years)
Defenders
Adil Rami: The most reliable defender in the game in my opinion I definitely recommend signing him and he will be Squillaci's replacement. He can come straight into the first team and make an immediate impact. His price varies from £5M to £6M I recommend paying this transfer in full without any add ons.
Sime Vrsalijko: A really good prospect. If he's trained right you can more than likely get him to be a first team player in about 5 years. He's quite cheap at the beginning of the game, costing around £2.5M. I would recommend paying all of it over 48 months (4 years).
Strikers
Vaclav Kadlec: A really good young poacher. He can be bought from around £1.4M to £2M at the beginning of the game. If he's trained correctly he could become one of the best strikers in the world.
Yaya Sanogo: If you do not want a poacher. You could buy Yaya Sanogo, and he works as a target man attack/support. Another way in which he could be used is by setting him to a deeplying forward support.
Edin Dzeko: A fantastic target man, but he does come with a price and a rather hefty wage bill. If you're desperate for a world class striker then I recommend Dzeko. You can probably get him for around £22.5M at the beginning of the game but he will more than likely demand wages of £125,000.
Backroom Staff
Arsenal have a fantastic setup that doesn't really need to be tampered with. However I recommend trying to keep Pat Rice at all costs as he's on of the best Assistmant Managers on the game. If you don't wish to make any changes to your backroom staff this is how good your training will be.
View attachment 133857
The staff that I consider to be dead wood are:
Mart Poom (Goalkeeping Coach)
Tony Roberts (Goalkeeping Coach)
Jon Cooke (Physio)
Simon Harland (Physio)
Staff that I recommend are:
Ebbe Sand
Robert Prosinecki
Andy Renshaw
Paul Winsper
Tosh Farrell
Robert Prosinecki
Harald Schumacher
If you sign these members of staff, go into the training section and automatically assign your coaches. If done correctly it will look really similar to this.
View attachment 133858
As you can see there is a significant difference.
If you want to find more coaches I recommend going to THIS thread and checking some of the listed ones out.
Tactics
There are loads of tactics that would fit the arsenal team. However the tactics I recommend would be:
Mr. Hough's FM11.2 unbeaten winger tactic (4-2-2-2)
Satorox's Il Devastato Tactic (4-2-2-2)
Ananasfan's midfield domination tactic (4-3-1-2)
If you don't like using downloaded tactics then you can make your own one accordingly.
Training
There are many different Training Schedules out there, however the ones I recommended are:
Dunc's Training Medium Workload V1.2
Dunc's youth training schedules V1.3
If you don't look these training schedules then just look around and find the one that suits you.
Special Thanks To
Dunc: For the fantastic training schedules
Satorox: For his amazing 4-2-2-2 Il Devastato tactic
Mr. Hough: For his fantastic 4-2-2-2 tactic
Ananasfan: For his magnificent 4-3-1-2 Midfield Domination tactic
Hellroker: For a fantastic list of coaches
Joss: For the constructive criticism in which I have used to make the guide better
If you have any advice I will take it into consideration along with constructive criticism. Remember this is my first guide to a club and it took me over 2 and a half hours to write up.
Thank you for taking your time to reading my Guide to Arsenal FC
Goalkeeper
Manuel Almunia: Despite being a keeper who will perform amazing on somedays then abysmal on other days. Almunia is definitely the first choice keeper for Arsenal
Lukasz Fabianski: Fabianski is te obvious second choice keeper, and whenever Almunia is injured/unfit, he'll perform.
Wojciech Szczesny: He's so under rated on the game however if Almunia and Fabianski are injured he'll be a good third keeper. (You will need to promote him from the reserves)
Overall this area is pretty strong however there is room for improvement and a recommended transfer will be available later on in the guide.
Defenders
Bacary Sagna: Is one of the best and most consistent right backs on the game. I highly recommend keeping him as he is a key player in Arsenal's back line.
Thomas Vermaelan: A very important defender for Arsenal. As you can see without the command that he offers at the back Arsenal have struggled this season. He's a birlliant headerer of the ball, and if the tactics you're using use the corner glitch you can guarantee on him scoring 10-15 goals a season.
Laurent Koscielny: A good first team choice, yet there are still a lot better central defenders on the game. He's a very good back-up if you manage to buy another central defender.
Sebastien Squillaci: I feel Squillaci is completely useless in reality and in the game. Therefore I recommend trying to loan him out to get his wages off the wage bill.
Gael Clichy: Gael Clichy is a fantastic left back and is definitely a key player amongst Arsenal's back line.
Emmanuel Eboue: A great cover for Sagna if he gets injured. Not much to him really.
Kieran Gibbs: A very promising, young, ENGLISH Left back. He should be used in cup games and when Clichy is injured.
Johan Djourou: Is a decent cover for vermaelan and Koscielny and will do the job when called upon.
Once again a really strong area (it's a shame we can't say this in real life) however there is room for improvement. I would recommend putting Squillaci on the loan list as he won't be able to get transferred since he only just signed for Arsenal. A replacement for Squillaci will be explained in the transfer section further on in the guide.
Midfielders
Denilson: I would personally say Denilson is a very good player to be a back-up or on a rotation. I don't believe he should be playing every week, however I recommend holding onto him as he is a very good back-up.
Cesc Fabregas: Arsenal's star man and captain. He leads with example and is obviously a Key Player for the Arsenal. Should be employed as a playmaker or a central attacking midfielder.
Alex Song: A fantastic ball winner. A player who isn't scared to get stuck into a challenge. He's quite pivotal to the way Arsenal play in real life and he should definitely be in your starting line up in the game.
Tomas Rosicky: He's a great player who could also be used on the wings. I don't believe he's good enough to get into the first team week in and week out however he is a great back0-up for when a player gets injured.
Abou Diaby: Once again another fantastic back-up player, I would usually use him to replace Alex Song as he is more physical than Denilson and would be better at Alex Song's role.
Aaron Ramsey: Despite being injured at the beginning of the game until about November/December/January he is the only -10 player on the game and becomes world class in 4 or 5 years time. However at the beginning of the game he starts on the reserves therefore he should be promoted to the first team and made available for the reserves until match fit.
This is probably Arsenal's strongest area and it really doesn't need strengthening at all.
Wingers
Samir Nasri: What can I say, he has been world-class for Arsenal this season and deserves a place in the starting line-up. He should be employed on the left/right wing or in the central attacking midfielder role.
Andrey Arsharvin: Another fantastic player he could be put on rotate with Nasri however I prefer playing Nasri than Arsharvin, but it's up to you on who you want to play.
Theo Walcott: Theo Walcott has been fantastic for Arsenal this season. He can play on the right side of midfield or up front as a poacher. He's still young as well so he still has time to develop into an even better player than he already is.
Jack Wilshere: Jack Wilshere has been fantastic for Arsenal this season and should be using in the first team on the right wing or in a central midfielder role. If used on the right wing make sure he is used as an inside forward support. Despite not being amazing on the game he deserves game time and he also turns out to be brilliant as he gets older. If needed Jack Wilshere could be used in the central midfield area as a box-to-box midfielder.
Another really strong area for Arsenal with really good youngsters that can play when you start the game.
Strikers
Robin Van Persie: A prolific goal scorer for Arsenal and definitely needs to be upfront. It's a shame Arsenal don't have many other World Class forwards like Van Persie. He is a first team regular and needs to be played.
Marouane Chamakh: I personally think the game has made Chamakh far too good. I don't know why but I dislike him. However he can still be played alongside Van Persie and if you can't get a replacement striker for him, then he should be in your first team.
Nicolas Bendtner: Bendtner is like an impact sub, if brought on at the right time he can really make a difference, however if you want you can sell him for extra cash.
Carlos Vela: Finally Arsenal's mexican stirker Vela. I really like Vela and with the right training he could be trained into a good forward. However if you don't thinnk that he's good enough for Arsenal then get rid of him.
Despite it being a strong area it's still area which could be improved and recommended transfers will be explained later on.
Transfers
Goalkeeper
Rene Adler: He's a world class goal keeper and if you decide to sell Almunia then he is definately a really good replacement. The only downside is that he costs £17.5M, therefore I recommend paying £7.5M upfront and the other £10M over 48 months (4 years). I have heard that if you declare interest in Adler at the start of the season and subscribe to him, he will get offered to you for £7.5M instead of his £17.5M release clause.
Guillermo Ochoa: If Adler is too much for your liking then you should try Mexican keeper Guillermo Ochoa, he's fantastic and becomes a really good goalkeeper when he hits his full potential. He has a £7.25M release clause and I'd recommend paying £2M upfront with £5.25M to be paid over 48 months (4 years)
Defenders
Adil Rami: The most reliable defender in the game in my opinion I definitely recommend signing him and he will be Squillaci's replacement. He can come straight into the first team and make an immediate impact. His price varies from £5M to £6M I recommend paying this transfer in full without any add ons.
Sime Vrsalijko: A really good prospect. If he's trained right you can more than likely get him to be a first team player in about 5 years. He's quite cheap at the beginning of the game, costing around £2.5M. I would recommend paying all of it over 48 months (4 years).
Strikers
Vaclav Kadlec: A really good young poacher. He can be bought from around £1.4M to £2M at the beginning of the game. If he's trained correctly he could become one of the best strikers in the world.
Yaya Sanogo: If you do not want a poacher. You could buy Yaya Sanogo, and he works as a target man attack/support. Another way in which he could be used is by setting him to a deeplying forward support.
Edin Dzeko: A fantastic target man, but he does come with a price and a rather hefty wage bill. If you're desperate for a world class striker then I recommend Dzeko. You can probably get him for around £22.5M at the beginning of the game but he will more than likely demand wages of £125,000.
Backroom Staff
Arsenal have a fantastic setup that doesn't really need to be tampered with. However I recommend trying to keep Pat Rice at all costs as he's on of the best Assistmant Managers on the game. If you don't wish to make any changes to your backroom staff this is how good your training will be.
View attachment 133857
The staff that I consider to be dead wood are:
Mart Poom (Goalkeeping Coach)
Tony Roberts (Goalkeeping Coach)
Jon Cooke (Physio)
Simon Harland (Physio)
Staff that I recommend are:
Ebbe Sand
Robert Prosinecki
Andy Renshaw
Paul Winsper
Tosh Farrell
Robert Prosinecki
Harald Schumacher
If you sign these members of staff, go into the training section and automatically assign your coaches. If done correctly it will look really similar to this.
View attachment 133858
As you can see there is a significant difference.
If you want to find more coaches I recommend going to THIS thread and checking some of the listed ones out.
Tactics
There are loads of tactics that would fit the arsenal team. However the tactics I recommend would be:
Mr. Hough's FM11.2 unbeaten winger tactic (4-2-2-2)
Satorox's Il Devastato Tactic (4-2-2-2)
Ananasfan's midfield domination tactic (4-3-1-2)
If you don't like using downloaded tactics then you can make your own one accordingly.
Training
There are many different Training Schedules out there, however the ones I recommended are:
Dunc's Training Medium Workload V1.2
Dunc's youth training schedules V1.3
If you don't look these training schedules then just look around and find the one that suits you.
Special Thanks To
Dunc: For the fantastic training schedules
Satorox: For his amazing 4-2-2-2 Il Devastato tactic
Mr. Hough: For his fantastic 4-2-2-2 tactic
Ananasfan: For his magnificent 4-3-1-2 Midfield Domination tactic
Hellroker: For a fantastic list of coaches
Joss: For the constructive criticism in which I have used to make the guide better
If you have any advice I will take it into consideration along with constructive criticism. Remember this is my first guide to a club and it took me over 2 and a half hours to write up.
Thank you for taking your time to reading my Guide to Arsenal FC
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