4-2-3-1 The Real Arsenal

[DNV]

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Introduction
New year and new season – it’s time to once again try and analyse the real Arsenal tactic, and figure out how to implement it into Football Manager so it:

1. Looks like the real deal in the 3D match engine
2. Gives us similar match stats in comparison to real statistics
3. Provides us with results and individual performances that match reality

This is done by comparing real life match analysis with the in game match analysis tool, tweaking every position until they correspond to each other. When they match, we start comparing the 3D match engine with real life videos of games played, to see if it looks convincing. Lastly, we play longer saves to see how players performances and ratings stack up. If they perform too different to reality, we either alter their positions/individual instructions slightly, or we alter them in the database.

The goal is to create the most realistic Arsenal experience in Football Manager 2011 possible, and this article is the first in a series of Arsenal-centric puzzle pieces that will eventually form the massive Arsenal Simulation Compendium – the most in-depth simulation guide for playing a realistic Arsenal save in Football Manager.

Differences From Last Year’s 4-3-3

At the beginning of last season, Arsene Wenger moved away from his trusted 4-4-2 he’d been using and tweaking since the late 90′s. This was a tactic that had won him two doubles, and had allowed his team to go unbeaten for 49 domestic games and coming within 20 minutes of winning the club’s first ever Champions League trophy. The most important key to the success of Wenger’s 4-4-2 was the wide forward positions that allowed wingers to cut inside and play as high (or, at times, higher) up the pitch than the two central forwards. Players like Overmars, Ljungberg and Pires thrived in these positions.

After the 2008/2009 season, Wenger decided to try something new. One reason was to finally conquer Europe, where Wenger tried a more exotic 4-5-1 to adapt more to continental tactics. Another reason was to create more freedom for Cesc Fabregas, letting him roam more without compromising on the numbers in midfield.

He took the best elements from the trusted 4-4-2 -> positional fluidity, inside cutting wide forwards, highly attacking full backs and a clever possession-based short passing approach, and created a 4-3-3 that worked quite well at first. The players definitely enjoyed it more, as it allowed them greater creative freedom and more passing options.

This first version of the 4-3-3 had a fairly flat midfield, with Song as the only defensive-minded midfielder in the middle, while Cesc and Diaby where attacking midfielders. Cesc started out in the right MC slot and was the most attack-minded. Diaby started out in the left MC slot and was the link between Song and Cesc – creating a skewed midfield.

This tactic had a couple of problems, especially defensive ones. The defensive line pushed very high up, due to the full backs replacing wingers on the flanks when they cut inside, and also due to our defenders not being physically blessed enough to fully control opposition players further down the pitch. Instead, they tried pressing high to reduce any threats early on.

You can view the analysis of last years 4-3-3 here

This year, Wenger has tweaked his 4-3-3 into a 4-2-3-1, and it now features a couple of key differences to the previous tactic:

1. The midfield is now a 2-1 instead of a 1-2. Instead of having Song centrally as the only holding midfielder, Wenger has essentially skewed the midfield even more, finally turning Cesc into a proper AMC
2. Defensive line has been pushed down, as Arsenal now have defenders better equipped to battle in the air closer to goal.

These changes (and some good signings for once) makes this years Arsenal formation a little bit more rigid, and as a result; better defensively.

Match Analysis Comparisons

So here is the first step; making sure the players move and behave like in reality, and the best way to do this is by comparing real match analytics with the in-game ones.

New for this season is that instead of showing you three example games for each player, I’ve combined the first ten Premier League games of the season and superimposed each and every position so you have a good overview of how they move over a prolonged period. I’ve also included both passing arrows and heatmaps that shows activity percentage.

Gael Clichy & Bacary Sagna (WBL & WBR)

True wing backs, covering the whole span of the flanks. Defending, attacking, assisting, crossing…the wing backs have a key role in the Arsenal 4-2-3-1.


Key Facts:
• Clichy spends 49.9% passing in the opponents half, Sagna 55.6%.
• Sagna passes (crosses) almost twice as much in the top zone than Clichy.
• Sagna covers the whole length of the pitch, Clichy plays wider.

Passing Stats:
• Clichy – 58.2 average passes per game, 87% completion rate.
• Sagna – 58.3 average passes per game, 85% completion rate.

The biggest difference between the two is that Sagna gets further up the field. Walcott covers a lot of area on the entire right flank (see below), and also moves into central positions, so the reason for Sagna being further up the field is because he’s replacing and overlapping Walcott throughout the game. On the left, Arshavin is more of a classic AML/AMLC, so the left flank is slightly more cautious.

Substitutes: Kieran Gibbs is pushing Clichy for a first team place, and is the definite option if Clichy is out. If Sagna is unavailable, Eboué usually plays here, as there aren’t any other natural replacements for the DR slot. Havard Nordtveit has been playing the DR slot in the U18 team, so in the worst injury crisis he could be used there.

Thomas Vermaelen & Laurent Koscielny (DLC & DRC)

No matter who is playing in central defence, there is a difference between the DLC and the DRC positions. The DLC position is the more advanced one, pushing forward and trying to press higher up, while the DRC position is covering behind him. Normally this behaviour would be controlled by the type of player in the position, but as evidenced by the chalkboards (they take both Vermaelen and Koscielny into account for the DLC slot), it’s purely position based.




Key Facts:
• Almost 1/10 of all passes from the central defenders are made in the opponent’s half.
• DRC spends about double the amount of time in the wing back slot than the DLC.
• DLC covers a wider area (laterally), while DRC sits slightly deeper.

Passing Stats:
• Vermaelen – 28.3 average passes per game, 99% completion rate.
• Squillaci – 33.7 average passes per game, 95% completion rate.
• Koscielny (DLC) – 25.0 average passes per game, 92% completion rate.
• Koscielny (DRC) – 30.0 average passes per game, 95% completion rate.
• Djorou – 33.0 average passes per game, 97% completion rate.

When the wing backs push up, the central defenders stretch wide to cover both the DC and DL/R positions. Koscielny (DRC) is spending almost 20% in Sagna’s defensive space (DR/WBR), and Vermaelen (DLC) is spending around 10% in Clichy’s defensive space (DL/WBL).

The DRC position is better suited for slower and taller players (Koscielny, Squillaci), while the DLC position is better for short, quick and more creative players (Vermaelen being the only one in the squad fitting this description at the moment).

I also have to mention the Djorou-Squillaci partnership – to be honest I think this duo provides more stability than the Vermaelen-Koscielny partnership. Squillaci is a traditional no-nonsense defender, and Djorou has the physical traits of a bull. Sure he’s not the quickest defender, but this partnership has led to less confusion in the backline.

Substitutes: If Vermaelen is unavailable, Koscielny takes his place, and Squillaci takes the DRC position. So far, Squillaci has always played in the DRC position. Mobile and creative defenders go in the DLC slot, while solid defenders go in the DRC slot. Players are preferred in the following order: Vermaelen, Koscielny, Squillaci, Djorou and lastly Song if there are no other alternatives available.

Jack Wilshere & Alex Song (MLC & MRC)

It’s still unclear whether or not Jack Wilshere is regarded as a first team regular. Diaby is still highly regarded by Wenger, and Denilson has been getting some action lately…but apart from Wilshere, Denilson and Diaby, there aren’t many players able to convincingly play in that MLC position.




Key Facts:
• More than 1/4 of Wilshere’s passes come from the AMC line.
• Half of both Song’s and Wilshere’s total passes come from an MC position.
• Song and Wilshere have very similar distribution overall, but Wilshere plays wider, and higher up.
• Wilshere has almost double the amount of passes in the AMC line than Song.

Passing Stats:
• Song – 59.1 average passes per game, 92% completion rate.
• Wilshere – 39.5 average passes per game, 91% completion rate.
• Denilson – 67.0 average passes per game, 94% completion rate.
• Diaby (MRC) – 51.5 average passes per game, 93% completion rate.

Song is still more of a classic defensive midfielder, even though he constantly travels up the field.

Song touches the ball more than Wilshere (Wilshere only does 2/3 of the average amount of passes as Song), and is more compact in the middle. These two positions do swap around a lot with each other, filling in when needed. More about this in the ‘Connections to Total Football’ section below.

Substitutes: There are three players currently competing for the MLC slot – Wilshere, Diaby and Denilson – and they seem to be preferred in that order at the moment. In the MRC slot, the only “natural” replacement for Song is Denilson, but he’s not a defensive midfielder. In pre-season, Emmanuel Frimpong really showed some class, and was regarded as the backup for Song before he tore his cruciate ligaments in mid-August.

Andrey Arshavin & Theo Walcott (AML & AMR)

As previously mentioned, Walcott covers more ground, due to his tenacious nature. In these chalkboards you can clearly see how the wide forward positions work – the wide forwards start from an AML/R position, but moves up and cut inside to become central forwards. This behaviour is also tactically encouraged by having a “false 9″ – a central striker that drops down to a FC position to draw central defenders from their positions.




Key Facts:
• As corners are counted as passes, Arshavin’s stats in the top left zone are misleading.
• 1/3 of Arshavin’s passes come from an AML/AMLC position.
• Overall, both flanks have very similar distribution, Walcott cutting inside slightly more.

Passing Stats:
• Arshavin – 30.6 average passes per game, 71% completion rate.
• Nasri (AMR) – 61.0 average passes per game, 79% completion rate.
• Walcott – 16.7 average passes per game, 74% completion rate.
• Rosicky (AMR) – 37.0 average passes per game, 87% completion rate.

In FM terms, the players usually operate somewhere between the AML/R and AMLC/RC positions, but push forward and generally play as high (or higher) up as the FC.

Walcott, or the AMR slot, is more of a traditional forward. This is true even if Nasri is playing in this position. Arshavin, or the AML slot, is not as high up the pitch.

Also worth noting is that Walcott is seeking a more central position this year. He’s moving into channels and often end up in a FC position, forcing the actual FC to replace Walcott on the right flank. We could mimic this behaviour through the swap instruction. Once again there is more info about this in the ‘Connections to Total Football’ section below.

Substitutes: Nasri and Eboué frequently replaces Walcott on the right flank, while Rosicky seems to be the first choice to replace Arshavin this year. However, when both Van Persie and Chamakh are fit, one of them might be placed on one of the flanks. Vela has also been used to replace Arshavin towards the 80 minute mark.

Cesc Fabregas & Robin Van Persie / Marouane Chamakh (AMC & FC)

This year, Cesc has been moved from a MRC position to an AMC position, probably because he had such an impact at the end of last season when he started playing in a more advanced role. The AMC position enables him to roam around, and as you can see in the chalkboard, he is the player with the widest cover of the field, playing everywhere from DMC to AMR to AML to AMC.




Key Facts:
• Fabregas covers the whole width of the pitch, in both the AMC and MC line.
• Both Fabregas and the FC have very similar distribution patterns in the AMC line.
• The FC distributes most of his passes from an AML position.

Passing Stats:
• Cesc – 62.5 average passes per game, 83% completion rate.
• Chamakh – 21.7 average passes per game, 85% completion rate.
• Nasri (AMC) – 56.3 average passes per game, 83% completion rate.
• Diaby (AMC) – 44.5 average passes per game, 95% completion rate.

Cesc just has a 100% free role, and the key to making this work is that other players in the team replace his position if he moves into theirs. That’s why Song and Wilshere often end up close to goal – it’s usually because Cesc has come deep to get the ball, so either Song or Wilshere has replaced Cesc in the AMC slot to keep the structure of the formation intact. Once again an attribute of total football.

Robin Van Persie and Marouane Chamakh are very similar in their movements, and the latter has definitely been brought in to provide a mirror replacement for the former. Van Persie and the FC position is so important for Wenger’s tactic to work, as the false 9 role is designed to allow for the wide forwards to push up and offer attacking options at the same level as the FC.

In essence, the AMC and FC play fairly level in terms of position on the pitch, forming what could be perceived as an attacking bank of four in a 4-2-4.

Another interesting thing to note is how the FC position follows the same pattern as the wide forwards – on the left side the position is more withdrawn and on the right side it’s more advanced. A clear indication that the FC covers for the AML/R positions when they cut inside.

Substitutes: Preferred substitute for Cesc is Diaby, Nasri or Aaron Ramsey. In the FC slot, Chamakh replaces Van Persie, but if both of them are out, the best bet to fill this slot would be Bendtner.

Formation

Now that we have all the individual positions analysed, the Arsenal tactic can be described as many things. It can easily be a 4-5-1, 4-2-4, 4-2-3-1, 4-2-1-3, or even some more exotic shapes like 2-4-1-3 or 3-3-1-3. But if we just take the raw data and position the players in their average positions, the formation looks like this:



It’s a tie between a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-2-1-3, but for simplicity’s sake we’ll just call it a 4-2-3-1.

Some interesting things to note: all the sideways motion of the central players (MC’s and FC) should be familiar for anyone who has watched Arsenal the last 10 years or so – those movements are causing the “pass the ball into goal” effect so often displayed on bad days.


Core Of The Formation

When trying to emulate a real life tactic, I usually try to figure out the core of a formation to better understand it. The “core” are the players who makes the most passes in the game. Most football teams today are broadly divided into two groups – the distributors and the receivers – and it’s usually balanced evenly (5-5).

To figure out the core, we take a look at where the most frequent passes are made, and from which positions. This is important for two reasons, and by figuring out where most of the passes come from, we can:

1. Draw conclusions on what player instructions and preferred moves we need to apply.
2. Better understand how the tactic works. Example: if most passes come from the wide forwards, we know that in FM terms, we need to set the passing instruction to “Down Both Flanks” in order to have the wingers more active.

In the Arsenal 4-2-3-1, most passes come from Clichy, Sagna, Song, Wilshere and Cesc, and if we take a look at it like this…



…we see that at the core, Arsenal are distributing passes from a fairly flat midfield five, sacrificing some defensive stability by pushing the full backs up to form a 2-4-1-3 at times. The reasoning behind it is to have the benefits of a 5-man midfield – being able to outnumber the opposition in midfield increases your possession…but also have the benefits of a 3-man forward line – creating triangles and balancing the numbers in attack vs defence.

The way it works is that by distributing passes from a width of a 5-man midfield, Arsenal are able to bring versatility to their passing. The full backs offer more direct passing and one-two’s on the flanks, and the midfield can switch play from flank to flank and serve through balls for the front three.

For comparison purposes, we can take a look what the core of Manchester City looks like:



A completely different approach. Arsenal are trying to distribute the bulk of their passes through width, while Man City are trying to distribute their passes from a defensive center. More about the Man City tactic in another article, coming soon.


Possession Much?

Another thing we have to do in order to re-create Arsenal’s style of play in FM is to figure out how and why Arsenal have so much ball possession. There are a couple of reasons:

Another thing we have to do in order to re-create Arsenal’s style of play in FM is to figure out how and why Arsenal have so much ball possession. There are a couple of reasons:

1. Positional awareness – making yourself available for a pass. According to Wenger himself, a player should always have at least three clear passing options, at all times. The result is that Arsenal can keep possession for a long time (on a good day), since there is always an option to pass. Keyword being triangles.
2. Probing play – patience is key. Contrary to popular belief, Arsenal plays a short passing game, with some players allowed to be more direct if they think it’s necessary. They’d rather keep possession than take a gamble.

The first point is very interesting to analyse. If we draw lines between every players short pass options, we get a whole lot of triangles:



By creating lines like this, we can see why the core have the most passes: they have the most options available, both to receive and distribute. The midfield trio all have at least 6 short passing options at any given time, and that makes it easier for them to distribute passes. It also allows them to move more freely, since even if one midfielder is out of position, the other midfielders have at least 5 clear options.

Now the most important thing to note here is that the default 11.1 database will NOT get you realistic possession and pass completion results. The reason is that pass completion and possession are mainly controlled by two attributes: passing and decision. Both of them have to be pretty high to get the 60/40 possession and 85% completion rate results we need to make it realistic. So if you want realistic results; apply the DS2 database, which is a custom Arsenal database. More details here.

To make this work in FM, we need to make sure the players in the database have good enough Off The Ball, Passing, Anticipation, Decision and Position attributes, and we also need to set the passing to short across the board.

Real life passing stats:
• Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal = 511 passes in total, 88% pass completion, 64% possession
• Arsenal 6-0 Blackpool = 554 passes in total, 89% pass completion, 54% possession
• Blackburn 1-2 Arsenal = 458 passes in total, 84% pass completion, 64% possession
• Arsenal 4-1 Bolton = 523 passes in total, 89% pass completion, 66% possession
• Sunderland 1-1 Arsenal = 305 passes in total, 84% pass completion, 46% possession
• Arsenal 2-3 West Bromwich Albion = 545 passes in total, 83% pass completion, 65% possession
• Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal = 398 passes in total, 86% pass completion, 52% possession
• Arsenal 2-1 Birmingham = 534 passes in total, 88% pass completion, 58% possession
• Man City 0-3 Arsenal = 612 passes in total, 90% pass completion, 65% possession
• Arsenal 1-0 West Ham = 501 passes in total, 87% pass completion, 66% possession

So on average, Arsenal has 60% possession, 86.8% pass completion rate and 494 passes per game. We won’t get that amount of passes per game in FM2011, due to it counting passes slightly different than the Guardian Chalkboards, but with the custom DS2 database you should definitely come close to the 60/40 possession and 86% pass completion rate.

Chủ đề tương tự:

• [R1/8 CL] MU 1-2 Real: chiếc thẻ đỏ giúp Real nằm quyền kiểm soát
• [Copa Del Rey] Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid: Real phòng thủ thoải mái và phản công dồn dập.
• [4-2-4] Arsenal - Triết lý của Wenger - Phong cách của Arsenal
• The real arsenal 4-2-3-1 . Tactic giống như thực tế.
• Football Manager 2010 : Arsenal Edition A3391, dành cho Fan Arsenal.

[DNV]

Passing The Ball Into The Net

If we analyze how and when Arsenal tends to shoot, we see that few long shots are attempted. Usually a team would have at least a 50/50 distribution between shots from outside and inside the box.



In Arsenal’s case it’s a 62.5% distribution in favour of shots made from inside the box. Last year this distribution was close to 70/30, so apparently the team has tried bringing some versatility to the shooting department in the 2010/2011 season. They still prefer to shoot closer to goal though.

Learning from these shooting statistics, it’s clear that Arsenal are lacking an option in midfield that can take some shots at goal if it’s too crowded in the box. Someone like Essien/Lampard/Gerrard that will add one more dimension to the attacking play. Other than that it’s all a matter of making it count when you do have a shot at goal, something Arsenal seem to lack a little at the moment.

Connections to Total Football

The philosophy behind total football is to have a 100% fluid team. That’s the simple explanation. The more detailed explanation is that in total football, every player is expected to make positional decisions on his own, roaming into attacking or defensive positions as he wish.

However, in total football it’s extremely important to keep the structure of the formation intact as well. So whenever a player decides to roam, another player has to fill that position to keep the structure intact. Otherwise there would just be 10 forwards on the pitch, and this actually happened at times with the 1974 Holland team (there are videos on Youtube showing the team starting attacks with 8 players lunging forward).

Wenger has always been interested in total football, and has been using parts of the philosophy in all his tactics – most notably in the wide forward positions. Last year he experimented with a ‘floating core’, where almost half the team had license to roam, and the other half rigid.

This year he has abandoned the floating/solid core idea and gone for another approach that is more vague. Fabregas is the most obvious example of a player with full roaming instructions. He comes deep to get balls, he goes wide, he often ends up in FC positions, etc. The connection to total football here is that Wilshere and Song both covers for Fabregas to keep the formation intact, so when Cesc comes deep to get the ball, one of the midfielders will push up to the AMC slot.

This makes the midfield trio very fluid, and as evidenced by the season so far, both Song and Wilshere are frequently ending up in advanced positions. And when they do, you’ll often find Cesc outside the penalty area, arriving from a deeper position.

The midfield trio aren’t the only players exercising this behaviour though. Theo Walcott has always said he regards himself as a striker, and this year Wenger has allowed him freedom to seek a central position throughout games. And to keep the structure intact, the FC (either Van Persie or Chamakh) fills that position.

Those two examples happen lots of times, but the whole team are instructed to fill position and keep the structure if someone ventures forward. The latest example is when Clichy lunged forward in the Man City game – Arshavin immediately fell back to the DL slot.

In FM we’ll have to emulate this behaviour by swapping instructions. The new match engine actually is more intelligent – players WILL replace each other in extreme situations, but not as much as in reality of course.

Using in FM: Formation

Finally it’s time to fire up the game and start transferring what we learned from all those statistics and notes. The formation is pretty straightforward:



Wing backs are pushed up a notch to emulate their real life behaviour of being very attacking. As previously mentioned, they are slightly different, but not enough to push Clichy back to a more traditional DL position.

Central defenders are in traditional positions.

The holding midfielders are also in traditional 4-2-3-1 positions, and one might argue that Song should be placed in the absolute MC slot, as he does play very central…but placing him there created some negative behaviours in the match engine, so he’s stuck in the MRC slot.

Wide forwards start out from wide positions, but cut inside and usually occupy the AML/RC slots. I had some issues with getting the AMR slot to behave as intended for a while, and I even tried putting him in the AMRC slot instead…but I finally got him right, and the AMR slot is the correct one.

It is essentially just a classic 4-2-3-1 in FM terms, with full backs pushed up to wing backs, and AML/R’s instead of AML/RC’s. I don’t really know why a standard 4-2-3-1 in FM has AML/RC’s instead of AML/R’s, usually when teams play a 4-2-3-1 they use wide forwards/wingers.


Using in FM: Team Instructions

Here’s just an explanation of the general team instructions. For individual instructions questions, check the tactic in-game and post a question in the commentary section at the bottom of this page.



Starting from the top: very fluid philosophy, as all players are expected to perform both attacking and defensive duties. Control as a starting strategy, as that’s what possession football is all about: control.

Passing is shorter, as Arsenal play a short passing game. Creative freedom had to be pulled down to default, as the higher setting just made all players ignore much of the tactical instructions. Arsenal plays a pretty good pressing game this year, so closing down is set to ‘press more’.

Tackling is just default, or ‘normal’. Marking is always zonal, Wenger has always said that he don’t believe in man marking anyone, even though Song clearly did man mark Messi at The Emirates.

Crossing is set to drill, mostly because the floating ones are too floating. It didn’t look realistic. Roaming is set to more – the whole team roams around constantly throughout matches.

Defensive line was higher last year, but fairly normal now. The introduction of more ‘traditional’ centre backs like Koscielny and Squillaci has naturally pulled down the defensive line slightly, and gives it more stability.

Even though Arsenal play pretty wide at times, I struggled with getting a realistic experience in the 3D match engine with a wide instruction….so I narrowed it down and now it looks much better.

Some might argue that since Arsenal are playing a probing passing game, they should be set to a pretty slow passing tempo, but they do in fact pass the ball around quickly. Watching Arsenal games shows you that they rarely dwell on the ball, but rather try to move it around the team swiftly and probingly at the same time.

Focus passing was set to through the middle in the first versions of the tactic, but the ball possession percentage took a big hit, so it’s now mixed.

No counter attack and no offside trap. The team do counter attack many times in real life, but counter attack in FM terms means lots of long balls to lone strikers, which isn’t really Arsenal.


Final Result: How close did we get?
As with every tactic in the world, there are positives and negatives, and I’m fairly sure I’ve captured the most important traits of both:

• The possession is there – the team passes the ball around quickly but probingly, and it looks convincing in the match engine, at least as far as the match engine allows.
• All the set pieces are constructed exactly as in real life, so it’s the correct players in the correct positions.
• The formation is fluid and switches between 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 and 4-2-4, just like the real tactic.
• The defence struggles for the same reason as real life – central defenders get caught out of position when trying to close down the opposition too high up the pitch, and there is lots of space for the opposition on the flanks, due to the attacking nature of Arsenal’s wing backs.
• The attack also struggles for the same real life reasons – the team only tries for goal if they are close enough, and the probing passing play often translates into the final third of the pitch, creating that ‘pass into goal’ behaviour.

Some things were impossible to do, like the width of the central defenders (they play very wide when Arsenal is in possession), the interaction between Song and the defensive line, etc…but overall I must say that this tactic will get you as close as possible to the real Arsenal 4-2-3-1.

Limitations Of The Game

Obviously there are limitations in trying to emulate reality through a game. Some behaviours just won’t be possible to reproduce, due to database, match engine or just game functionality limitations.

In FM2010 there was an issue with letting central defenders burst forward, as Arsenal’s defenders did during last season. Luckily for us, they don’t do this anymore, at least not as frequent as before, so this won’t be a major issue.

There are also some limitations when it comes to positioning – I’d like to place some players in between the pre-determined positions, and at times FM can feel restricted in this area. I’d like for Song to drop down to a third central defender when Vermaelen or Koscielny are out wide covering for the full backs, but so far I haven’t been able to create this behaviour.

But the biggest limitation is the one dealing with positional fluidity. The current match engine can’t cope well with fully free roles, which is a key feature of the real 4-2-3-1.

Final Result: Player Stats Comparisons

Finally, the best evidence of the tactic emulating real life behaviour is to compare match stats side by side. Keep in mind that the real chalkboards draw a dot to the receiver as well as the distributor, so some of the real chalkboards will seem ‘wider’ than the in-game ones.






















The most obvious problems are getting the midfield trio to play as wide as they do in real life, and to get the FC to occupy the flanks as frequently as he should, but it’s as close as it’s going to get.

Final Words


I just have to mention a couple of things. Last tactic I made received an awesome response from the FM community, and I’m very thankful for all the positive comments I’ve received. This time I’ve tried to put in ten times the effort, and I hope it shows. Personally, I think this article is light years above the old one, and I’m very happy with the result.

Also, I’d like to thank Joss, who helped me out more than he thinks. It was completely priceless having someone to look through the work, test the tactic and receive feedback from. And having such a person to bounce ideas with made me work harder as well. We’ve had plenty of discussions on Twitter during the last month, so thanks Joss for all your input!

[DNV]

Bonus:
Screenshot Examples
Example A: Base formation, a 4-2-3-1 with the two midfielders dropping down to DM’s even though their starting positions are MC’s.

Example B: Both MC’s are dropping very low and become DM’s, all while the attack line are shaping themselves into a 4-2-1-3, running into positions from a long pass forward.

Example C: Shows the midfield pivot, having moved from a 2-1 to almost a 1-2 with Song coming deep to collect a pass. In this case Fabregas has dropped down, and Wilshere has filled his position, keeping the structure of the formation intact.

Example D: Once again showing the defensive nature of Song, as he comes very deep in comparison to the rest of the midfield. In this screenshot the midfield pivot has fully transformed into a 1-2.

Example E: In this example, the formation has fluidly become a 4-1-2-3 in an attacking move.

Example F: Chamakh is not in view, but he has replaced Walcott on the right as Walcott has ventured into a central position, just as in real life. Here the formation has become a 4-2-1-3, with Fabregas coming deep to dictate play, while Wilshere has filled his position to keep the structure intact.

Frequently Asked Questions
• I can’t score, what am I doing wrong?
You have to give the team some time to become fluid with the formation, and if you’re struggling for goals I would suggest playing the FC and AMR/L’s that are in the best form and have the best morale. When the team have momentum you can go back to the normal first choice players.

• I’m conceding lots of goals, what am I doing wrong?
Unfortunately this is true in reality as well. Arsenal have had instability at the back since the iron curtain of Seaman-Winterburn-Keown-Adams-Dixon was dissolved. And just as in reality you will concede goals, especially since the goalkeepers at the club just aren’t good enough for top flight football at the moment. However, the current backline will become very good, so buying a good goalkeeper in the January transfer window could help you concede less.

• I’m losing/can’t keep possession/let in late goals, what’s wrong?
There are a couple of tricks I do frequently to alter a match without messing with the core tactic. First one is pulling the wing backs down to full back positions, without altering anything else. This makes the tactic slightly more stable, and is a good trick if you want to protect a lead. Another trick is to raise tackling to hard – a good approach in hard away games.

And the final one, my favourite: lower ALL players’ creative freedom to zero. This will make them stick more to the gameplan, which can be absolutely vital in some games. I usually do this if I notice that our pass completion is bad (below 77-78%), or if it’s just not “working” on the pitch.

• I don’t know what kind of players I should sign?
In the upcoming Arsenal Simulation Compendium Deux, there will be a whole section dedicated to transfer suggestions, with realism scores and so on. But in the meantime, here are a couple of somewhat realistic suggestions;

Rene Adler (GK), Mark Schwarzer (GK), Debuchy (DR), Van Der Wiel (DR), Etienne Capoue (DM), Moussa Sissoko (DM), N’Zonzi (DM), Eden Hazard (AM), etc…

• Do I need the database/what is it for?
You don’t need the database, but without it you won’t get realistic results when it comes to possession and pass completion. The database also has changing home/away/third kits every year, altered attributes, improved player looks, correct competition names, etc.

• Why is AMR set to swap with the FC?
Both Theo and Nasri does this in real life when playing in that AMR position, especially Theo. Many times during games he drifts in towards the FC position, and the FC comes out to cover and keep the structure intact. Read more about the philosophy behind the swap instructions in the ‘Connections to Total Football’ section in the article above.


Downloads
Arsenal 4-2-3-1 | v1.02 (direct link)
Arsenal 4-2-3-1 | v1.02 (azsharing link)
DS2 Database | v1.00

Nguồn: http://www.sortitoutsi.net & http://www.mantralux.com

[kunguyenqt]

cái này hồi thấy rồi , hình như hồi đó tìm tac FM11 tìm ra mấy cái này

[DNV]

lúc đầu mò vào, xem SS xong tí bật ngửa :daudau:

[gbriel]

ảo kinh dị
tac này như đá bóng ma ấy

[shusike]

để từ từ nghiên cứu koi sao ! thấy bật ghê quá ! chắc đá quyến rủ lắm nhỷ !

[nguyenthekhoa]

Đọc đã lâu rồi, cũng thích lắm, nhưng không down đc vì file ở Filefront

Thanks nhóc

[DNV]

đâu, đâu phải link filefront đâu azsharing & 1 link direct mà nhỉ

[askusa]

Xài thử vài trận, chiếm ưu thế về kiểm soát bóng. làm chủ thế trận, tuy nhiên sô lượng cơ hội ăn bàn thực sự thì rất ít và bàn thắng cũng ít. Áp dụng cho Real