Emulate Arsenal Season 03/04 (The Invincibles)
Finally, after working hard to collect the articles & watching sum DVDs. Now the tactic ready to be released.
INTRODUCTION
Arsenal’s incredible unbeaten 2003/04 season. Arsenal Played 49, Won 36, Drawn 13, Lost None. The Arsenal squad which set a new unbeaten league record between May 2003 and October 2004 will live long in the memory and forever in the history books.
Arsène Wenger had built a team to compare with any side in Europe. With Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure at the back, Patrick Vieira and Pires in midfield and Henry partnering Dennis Bergkamp up front, Arsenal had too much steel and too much style for their Premiership rivals.
Arsenal 03/04 play in different style with the present.
They play with high pressing defensive line, not holding ball too much, more direct pass and 'shoot on sight' rather than 'work ball into box'. More than that, of course the squad 03/04 is the important part of the success.
I try to emulating Arsenal 03/04 play with the squad based on FM 11.3. Its really hard, not just emulate the team play, but also to compare players in 03/04 with the present per position.
PHILOSOPHY
Arsenal 03/04 play more direct but sometimes they still have a possession. In mentality, Arsenal 03/04 play very attacking football. Sometimes they show couple counter attack display. But in FM when you tick the counter attack instructions, your team looks like more waiting to be attacked than to attack first.
FORMATION
Hey Arsenal 03/04 formation is 4-4-2 ? No, they should play like 4-4-1-1. But, I think Pires and Ljungberg always get forward scoring a lot. So I push they both more, Pires as Adv. Playmaker (Arshavin) and Ljungberg as Inside Forward (Nasri) when Dennis Bergkamp (RVP) dropped into space.
Arsenal’s defensive work started from the front. Henry prevented the right-back advancing and always pressed high up the pitch, Bergkamp dropped into a space so deep it took one central midfielder out of the equation going forward, and both Pires and Ljungberg were genuinely excellent at covering their full-back.
PLAYERS ROLE
GK. Sweeper Goalkeeper
Fabianski (Lehmann)
WBL/WBR
Clichy (A. Cole)/Sagna (Lauren)
In 03/04, A. Cole play as the best left back. His mobility always going forward join attack, less crossing but had a superb dribbling. That's a hard act to follow by Clichy, but they both have sum similiar physical attribute.
Lauren keep the back balance and distribute sum great crossing more often.
DC (Central Defender/Ball Playing Defender)
Koscielny (Toure)/
Vermaeleen (Campbell)
The defensive line is very high in 03/04. They seems act like defensive midfielder than centre back.
Adv. Playmaker/Ball Winning Mid
Fabregas (Vieira)/
A. Song (Gilberto)
Patrick Vieira was a more dynamic player and Fabregas is the good choice to take Vieira role.
The defensive partner in Gilberto, he often looked to join the front players and possessed too many offensive qualities to be regarded as a purely defensive midfielder. Song have the quality for this.
Inside Forward/Adv. Playmaker
Nasri (Ljungberg)/Arshavin (Pires)
The wingers made outside-to-inside runs, with Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg almost reinventing the wide midfield role with their incredible goalscoring records.
Pires showing playmaker typical then Ljungberg with pure inside forward type. Nasri and Arshavin looks similiar.
Trequartista/'Henry Role'
RVP (Bergkamp)/Walcott (Henry)
The most important role of this tactic.
Full review, read :
Henry Role: is it possible for now ?
STATISTICS*
CONCLUSION*
*half season.
We've got 1st in EPL, and undefeated in all competitions until half season.
What make this tactic perfect for me, is Henry role working superb with Walcott on that position.
Screenshot will be updated as the season has been completed.
Download The Invincibles Tactic.
View attachment 195444
Happy gaming and post your result.
Cheers.