Discover how to replicate Mikel Arteta’s revolutionary Arsenal tactics from the 22/23 season in Football Manager 2024.
Recreate Arsenal’s Stunning 22/23 Tactical Masterclass in Football Manager
2024
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At the start of 21/22, Mikel Arteta faced almost insurmountable pressure from Arsenal fans as his side lost all three of their first three Premier League games, scoring no goals and conceding a staggering 9 – 5 of which coming in a dreadful 5-0 defeat against Man City. Eventually, Mikel Arteta would overcome this pressure and steady the ship, despite his team’s 5th place finish in the Premier League that season being questioned. In the latter stages of 21/22, it became clear that Arsenal were building something special, especially given wins against Chelsea and Man Utd, and a strong showing in a controversial 1-2 defeat to eventual champions Man City. In the summer of 2022, this feeling was made stronger as Arsenal secured the signings of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City, and as promising centre-back William Saliba returned from a loan spell at Marseille. These additions, along with an already promising squad, culminated in a fantastic start to the 22/23 season, where Arsenal would accumulate 50 points in the first 19 games – a record this side could share with the famous ‘Invincibles’ team from 19 years before. This staggering form wouldn’t last, however, as multiple slip-ups late in the season eventually handed Man City the title. However, despite the disappointment, it was a feeling of excitement and optimism that Arsenal fans felt, as it was a season where their team showed they could properly mix it with the big guns. In this article, I’ll be going through my recreation of the tactics which achieved this in FM24, along with providing some brief analysis of the tactics under the spotlight. Firstly, let’s look at the core principles of this system.
3-2-5 / 2-3-5 Build-up Shape (White’s Role)
Mikel Arteta is usually regarded as a ‘Pep Student’, after his years working as the Spaniard’s assistant manager at Man City. This does seem to be the case when you look at Arsenal’s in-possession shape, where they would often look to build in a similar 2-3-5/3-2-5 as the Cityzens. However, Arteta’s build-up shape is/was a lot more fluid as seen by nominal right-back Ben White’s role in this set-up. Despite being tasked as the player to form the back-three in possession, you’d actually see Ben White moving forward and overlapping Bukayo Saka on the right side – a facet of his play you would rarely see from a Pep Guardiola ‘Inverted Full-Back’.
Mixing Direct Football with Possession
Another intriguing part of this system is the intentions behind the ball possession and ball progression, as Arteta managed to discover a thrilling blend of controlling possession football and dynamic and risky attacking football. You’d usually see Arsenal play out from the back and would look to control the game using possession. However, partially down to the energetic athletes in the squad, you’d also see Arsenal looking to hit teams with transitional moments being prioritised.
Big Signings Making a Difference
As aforementioned, Arsenal made the signings of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City in the summer of 2022, and they both were key parts of this system. In 21/22, Arsenal’s selection of left-backs were Kieran Tierney and Nuno Tavares – both of which are more traditional full-backs who’d prefer to stay out wide and weren’t all too comfortable on the ball. Therefore, to create the 3-2-5 in possession, both Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka had to move deeper. Mikel Arteta clearly didn’t like this and wanted to play Granit Xhaka higher up the pitch to aid attacks, however, he knew neither Tierney nor Tavares were comfortable enough in central areas. To combat this, he went to his former side and signed Oleksandr Zinchenko – a full-back who’s far more comfortable playing in the centre; This meant Granit Xhaka could move much higher to offer an attacking threat. The latter was signed for his technical ability, hold-up play and pressing ability, which was a large contributor to Arsenal going from the 13th most intense press in the league to becoming the league’s most intense press.
Let’s Break Down the Tactic
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- DISCLAIMER:
- There are three different versions of the tactic, all of which will be in the folder you’ll download from this article.
In Possession
As previously mentioned, Arsenal would look to dominate possession and would do this by using short passes. Arsenal would mainly look to build down the right-side of the pitch, where their more technical players (Saka and Ødegaard) were positioned. Arsenal would look for some extra nuance in their possession play and passes into space for attackers to chase were a major part of this, alongside players frequently roaming from their position.
In Transition
When Arsenal would lose the ball, they would immediately look to win it back by counter-pressing the opposition. If they won the ball back in these situations, they would immediately look to counter-attack the opponent. When Ramsdale had the ball from goal-kicks, he would look to play short passes into teammates in close proximity. However, if the centre-backs weren’t available, he could look to dink a ball into the full-backs or spray a pass into midfield.
Out of Possession
When Arsenal didn’t have the ball, they would look to press intensely to win it back and would rarely sit back in a mid-low block. To aid this high press, the defensive line would sit higher. However, if the press was broken, the Arsenal backline would prioritize discipline and would drop towards their own goal before picking and choosing when to engage on the opponent’s attacker.
Player Roles & Instructions
Sweeper Keeper – Attack
Aaron Ramsdale in this system could look to support build-up play, and this would often see him dribble with the ball, providing some heart-in-mouth action for the Arsenal fans. When Arsenal didn’t have the ball, he would hold a high position and would look to sweep any loose balls in-behind. Therefore, I felt this player role was perfect. No additional instructions.
Full-Back – Support
As previously mentioned, Ben White was mainly tasked with forming a back-three with the two centre-backs, however, he was also given licence to move forward and provide overlapping support to Saka on the right-side. When White had the ball to feet, you’d usually see him dribble with the ball and run wide with it. As soon as he’d run wide with the ball, Saka would begin moving inside. This saw a frequent automatism where Saka would receive the ball on the half-turn to escape challenges from his opposite number. Ben White could also make penetrative passes in-behind for Saka to chase. Finally, when facing an opponent 1v1, White would usually be a little too over-zealous to win back possession, and this could see him give away cheap fouls. Therefore, I felt this role with the following player instructions was best suit:
(DCR) Ball-Playing Defender – Defend
William Saliba and Gabriel formed an almost formidable partnership at the back in this season, and it’s because they both provided something different in the defence. The former would look to regularly dive into tackles in an attempt to win back possession. This would also see him pressure the opponent a bit more than Gabriel on the other side. Finally, when Arsenal were building up, he would move wider to create wide passing angles. From here, when he received the ball, he would look to break lines with his passing ability. Therefore, I felt this role with the following player instructions was best suit:
%20Ball-Playing%20Defender%20%E2%80%93%20Defend.webp "(DCR) Ball-Playing Defender – Defend")
(DCL) Ball-Playing Defender – Defend
The latter, on the other hand, was a bit more cautious in his endeavours to win back possession, and this would often see him ease of tackles and choose only the right time to engage in a tackle, usually opting to use his body to intimidate an opponent. Like Saliba, Gabriel would move wide in build-up to provide wide passing options, however, when he did receive the ball, Gabriel was slightly more adventurous with the ball, and would look to carry it into the opposition half. Therefore, I felt this role with the following player instructions was best suit:
%20Ball-Playing%20Defender%20%E2%80%93%20Defend.webp "(DCL) Ball-Playing Defender – Defend")
Inverted Wing-Back – Support
Zinchenko’s role in this system was simply nuanced – move into midfield in-possession and move into the backline out-of-possession. However, he was given licence to be more adventurous in-possession and could carry the ball forward at times and take risks with the ball. Therefore, I felt this role with the following player instructions was best suit:
Defensive Midfielder – Defend
Partey’s role in this system was just as simple, as he was tasked with holding his position and recycling possession – although he could be ambitious with the ball and switch the play at times. Therefore, I felt this role with the following player instruction was best suit:
Segundo Volante – Attack
Granit Xhaka’s role in this system was very different to his role the season prior, as aforementioned. When Arsenal built-up from the back, he would drop deep to support build-up play, however, as the move progressed, he would move very high into the left half-space. From here, he could make penetrative runs in-behind or attract the opposition right-back, giving Martinelli more room on the flank. When he had the ball to feet, Xhaka was allowed to use his elite passing ability and vision to thread through balls in-behind for an attacker to chase. Therefore, I felt this role with the following player instructions was best suit:
Advanced Playmaker – Support
Martin Ødegaard was, and still is, Arsenal’s prime creative threat and he was given full licence to roam wherever he pleased on the right-side. Often, you’d see him move wide to link up with Saka and White. From here, he could receive the ball in a crossing position, where he would look to find a player at the back post. Therefore, I felt this role with the following player instructions was best suit:
Inverted Winger – Support
In this system, Bukayo Saka was asked to hold the width before moving inside to receive the ball on the half-turn. This would see him roam at times on the right side. Finally, when he would receive the ball, at times he would choose to hold up the play and wait for an overlap from White. Therefore, I felt this role with the following player instructions was best suit:
Inside Forward – Attack
Unlike Saka, Martinelli was far more direct, especially with the ball as his feet. You would usually see him make runs in-behind, and this attacking responsibility saw the Brazilian score 15 Premier League goals in this season. Like Saka, Martinelli was tasked with holding the width, however, at times, he could roam and drift inside. Therefore, I felt this role with the following player instructions was best suit:
Pressing Forward – Attack
Gabriel Jesus in this system was tasked with dropping deeper to get the ball. When he received the ball, he could either hold-up play or take the ball on the half-turn and carry it forward, before looking to provide for a team-mate. In Nketiah’s case, he could also drop deep to receive the ball, however, he was more likely to make a run in-behind. In both cases, the striker was the team’s press-leader, and both would work incredibly hard to win the ball back. Therefore, I felt this role and the following instructions were a good mix of the two players’ roles in this system:
Opposition Instructions
Results
I’ll be posting individual match results, including a 4-0 win against Liverpool in testing, on my Twitter/X profile @AshtonGgmu.
However, let’s have a look at the results this tactic achieved in testing!
Premier League
In the Premier League, we ended up winning the competition with 88 points, after winning 27 of the 38 league games. We also scored 124 goals in the league, whilst only conceding 27, leaving us with an xG of +97!
Domestic Competitions
In the Carabao Cup, we ended up getting knocked out in the 4th Round, following a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest. The FA Cup, however, was much better as we ended up winning the competition, following a 2-6 win in the final against Premier League Runner-ups Newcastle United. On the way to Wembley, we beat Man City, West Ham, Brighton, Norwich and Crystal Palace.
UEFA Champions League
In the Champions League, we ended up securing a famous treble, as we beat Real Madrid on penalties in the final, following a dramatic 2-2 draw in normal time. On the way to the final, we beat Liverpool, Atalanta and RB Leipzig 1-5, 8-3 and 4-1 respectively after successfully navigating a group containing Atalanta (again!), Borussia Dortmund and Girona.
Conclusion
In 21/22, Arteta was surrounded by questions following 3 consecutive years of disappointment and had to find a solution to the poor form. After steadying the ship and finishing 5th in 21/22, him and Arsenal made ambitious moves in the transfer market and made a staggering rise up the Premier League table, as they challenged Man City for 37 gameweeks for the title. Had it not been for the slip-ups late in the season, Arsenal would’ve surely won their first Premier League title in 19 years. In this article, I have provided my brief analysis of the tactics Arteta used to go that close and used the analysis and my findings to recreate the tactics in Football Manager 2024 to even greater success! If you want a taste of this immense tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article and follow FM Blog and myself on our respective socials. I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I wish you much success with this tactic on your saves! Thanks for reading!
