Hi Shearer86,
I will try to give you some advice regarding Arsenal.
Well, you play with a 4-2-3-1 system, that is at least correct.
But the fludity, mentality and instructions you use are exactly what Arsenal play - NOT!
Wenger plays with a high fluidity, so you should not play a rigid style as you dont want to look Arsenal play like Stoke ;-)
And Arsenal is a lot more patient nowadays and do nearly never play a run & gun-style... You can set the mentality thus to Control.
To summarize:
Fluid
Control
To the instructions:
Arsene Wenger uses a short passing system with a lot of possession and the players being patient to get their chances.
So first of all you should change your instructions to:
Shorter Passing &
Retain Possession
Secondly, Arsenal nearly never ever shoot from way outside the box. The best instruction to reflect this in FM is to set the instruction to:
Work Ball into Box
Arsenal player interchange positions nearly constantly so I set the next instruction to:
Roam from Positions
Usually Arsenal switch to attack after regaining the ball very quickly so you set the possession game to Play Out of Defence too.
Last but not least you can keep one last instructions as Arsenal use a pressing game:
Hassle opponents.
To summarize:
Work Ball Into Box
Shorter Passing
Retain Possession
Roam From Position
Hassle Opponents
Play Out of Defence
Let's take a look at the Player instructions:
The GKs are very easy:
Just set "Any player in this position" to Goalkeeper/Defend
Instructions should be: Take Quick Throws
CB (R) is usually set by Mertesacker. His duty is to stop opponents attack, so he is predominantly a limited defender/defend.
So is Kos when playing on the right side as the backup for Merte. Sagna should be set to central defender while Jenkinson is a limited defender too.
I dont give the CB (R) an instruction
CB (L) is usually set by Koscielny. I play him as a central defender/defend.
Instrucitons should be "Close Down More" and "Tackle Harder".
His backup is Vermaelen who is a Ball Playing Defender/Defend with the same Instructions.
DR is of course Sagna.
He is a very offensive player so I set him to "Complete Wing Back" that means his Duty is Attack.
His instructions are Stay Wider and Run Wide With Ball.
His backup Jenkinson. He's not as offensive as Sagna, so I set him to Wing Back/Automatic.
His instructions are Stay Wider and Run Wide with Ball plus Cross More Often as his crossing is excellent in the game.
DL is (usually) Gibbs IRL, in the game Monreal is still better.
Both are way more defensively than e.g. Sagna. In both cases I set the Role to Limited Full Back/Defend and the instructions also to: Stay Wider and Run Wide With Ball.
Central Midfield
The MC (R) is usually reserved for the more defensively orientated player in red and white.
Arteta is first choice. But as he is not the through and through Ball Winner, so I set him to Deep Lying Playmaker/Support.
Instructions:
Dribble Less/Pass It Shorter/Close Down More/Fewer Risky Passes
His backups:
Flamini -> BWM/Defend (Pass It Shorter/Mark Tighter/Shoot Less Often)
Aaron Ramsey -> DLP/Support (Fewer Risky Passes/Close Down More/Pass It Shorter/Dribble Less)
Jack Wilshere -> DLP/Support (Close Down More/Pass It Shorter/Fewer Risky Passes)
Frimponged -> BWM/Defend (Mark Tighter/Pass It Shorter/Shoot Less Often)
The MC (L) is a more offensive MC:
Both Jack and Aaron are very good here:
Jack Wilshere -> AP/Attack (Pass It Shorter/Roam From Position/close down more)
Aaron Ramsey -> AP/Support (Roam From Position/close down more/Pass It Shorter)
Tomas Rosicky -> AP/Support (Pass It Shorter/Close Down More/Roam From Position)
The AMR is Walcott area. He plays very much as a Forward Right IRL, so these are my settings:
Theo Walcott -> Winger/Attack (Get Further Forward/Roam From Position)
The backups AOC/Gnabry and Miyaichi are set just the same
AML is more complicated. With Cazorla playing this position he usually drift pretty much into the AMC position.
Cazorla -> AP/Attack (Sit Narrower/Roam From Position)
Rosicky -> just the same
First Backup Lukas Podolski plays as a left footed striker the same role as Walcott does on the right hand side, so I set him to:
Podolski -> Winger/Attack (Get Further Forward/Roam From Position)
Ryo is set to -> Inside Forward (Right footed) with also Get Further Forward and Roam
Gibbo can be set there as well, playing as a Defensive Winger/Support (Run Wide/Close Down Less/Stay Wider/Pass It Shorter/Fewer Risky Passes
Maybe the most difficult position is the AMC. Ozil's homeland...
But as many set him to a False 10 (Shadow Striker) or Trequartista, IRL he's at his best when he can get the ball from deep and push forward with loads of roaming without the ball. So I decided to give him also the AP/Attack Role:
Ozil -> AP/Attack (Move Into Channels/Roam from Position)
Backup Cazorla just the same
Further Backups Wilshere and Rosicky can Close Down better than the first two players so I set them to:
Wilshere/Rosicky -> AP/Attack (Move Into Channels/Roam from Position/Close Down More)
The lone strike is Giroud with the backups TGSTEL (Bendtner), Podolski and Sanogo.
As Giroud is not only the first man on the attacking line (thus AF) but also a TM (Heading!) and assist giver IRL I decided to set him to:
Giroud -> CF/Attack (Move Into Channels)
His backups all the same...
Well that's it basically for a start... ;-)
I think of finetuning some positions as I might change the role of the MC (L) and/or give Podolski in the SC position a poacher role... But at the moment the team does fine as I set it... Let's see how the first League results come out
Cheers
