Uncover the FM24 tactic that turns Arteta’s Arsenal into Premier League and Champions League winners.
Discover how Arteta’s revamped Arsenal tactic in FM24 can deliver Premier
League and Champions League glory.
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How Mikel Arteta Can Take Arsenal to the Summit of the Premier League | FM24 Tactical Concept
It would be fair to suggest that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal has made progress year on year since agonisingly missing out on the Premier League title in 2022/23, despite three consecutive 2nd place finishes – a UEFA Champions League Semi-Final in 2024/25 would certainly back that case. However, in 24/25, Arsenal’s on-pitch performances took a decline; Some fans suggesting it was due to an injury crisis, some suggesting it was rather down to a deterioration of the effectiveness of Arsenal’s tactics under Mikel Arteta.
I, for one, sided with the latter notion; As a result, I have taken it upon
myself to try and muster up a tactical concept for Arteta’s Arsenal, all based
around a few of the signings the Gunners have made in this Summer transfer
window, before creating a tactic on Football Manager that represents my
tactical idea.
Martin Zubimendi was a long-term target for Arsenal, and this summer, he finally made the move to the Gunners for a reported fee of £60m. Zubimendi is a quality ‘Deep-Lying Playmaker’, who loves to drop deeper to receive the ball, before dictating the tempo or fizzing a pass into an attacker between the lines. These traits, along with his impressive press-resistance, means Zubimendi fills a major, glaring hole in the Arsenal squad.
How Zubimendi can Maximise Ødegaard
Martin Zubimendi was a long-term target for Arsenal, and this summer, he finally made the move to the Gunners for a reported fee of £60m. Zubimendi is a quality ‘Deep-Lying Playmaker’, who loves to drop deeper to receive the ball, before dictating the tempo or fizzing a pass into an attacker between the lines. These traits, along with his impressive press-resistance, means Zubimendi fills a major, glaring hole in the Arsenal squad.
In 24/25, due to a lack of technical quality and progression in deeper areas,
Arsenal’s chief midfield creator Martin Ødegaard would usually drop deeper to
receive the ball and progress play himself; The issue this posed for Arsenal
was that it would often leave Bukayo Saka/the right-winger isolated on the
right-hand side with 2-3 players marking him out of the game. It also meant
Arsenal’s chief midfield creator was no longer in an optimal position to
consistently create for himself and the attackers ahead of him. An example of
these issues can be seen below:
Gyökeres the Dynamic Spark Arsenal Craved
Viktor Gyökeres has joined Arsenal from Sporting CP for a reported £63m, filling a gaping hole in attack that Arsenal have suffered from in recent years. Gyökeres is unlike other strikers Arsenal have signed in recent years, with the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz being more akin to a ‘Deep Lying Forward’ – Gyökeres, on the other hand, is a player that thrives on having space to run into, especially the left channel where his pace and power can be used to full effect. As a result, I feel Arteta is going to have to tweak a few parts of his system to platform a potentially lethal striker, who, himself, could bring Arsenal upwards of 25-30 goals a season.
In 24/25, Arsenal’s ‘depth’ in their system typically came from the wingers, who would hold very high and wide positions. In my concept, however, I want the wingers to be able to drop off the frontline more often, especially on the left side, to open the channels for Gyökeres to penetrate into. An additional way I want to platform Gyökeres is by creating more cut-back situations. At Sporting CP, Gyökeres dominated as he was allowed to lead the line and delegate link-up responsibility, meaning he could remain in the box, ready for tap-ins from cut-backs. To do this, I want Madueke to hold the width and reach the byline, before crossing low – additionally, the right-back (usually Timber) can overlap on the right and also provide low crosses.
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Recreation/Concept
When we have the ball, I want us to dominate possession in games, generating a high field tilt, demonstrating that we were completely in control of games. From our possession, I want us to prioritise using shorter passes, whilst primarily trying to penetrate through the centre, adding another layer of intention to our possession. Our possession begins from deep, as I ask our defence to build up from the back. Once we reach the final third, I want us to be patient in our attacking exploits, whilst prioritising cut-back creation.
When we lose the ball, I want us to immediately try and regain possession to allow us to retain control of the game. When we win back the ball, I want to give our players the freedom to decide whether to counter or not, based on the situation. Finally, from goal-kicks, I want Raya to distribute shorter, primarily to the centre-backs.
When we don’t have the ball, I want us to continue the excellent work Mikel Arteta has done to create one of the most solid defensive blocks in Europe. I want us to aggressively press high, being thoughtful in our pressing to pick and choose when to press, with our high press supplemented by our very high line. From here, I want us to force the opposition into wide areas to limit their central progression.
In this position, I want Raya to be very active in our build-up, moving higher to become the extra man to give us numerical superiority. When we don’t have the ball, I want Raya to be proactive and sweep loose balls in-behind and claim crosses into the penalty area. I felt this role was perfect. No additional instructions.
In this position, I want our right-back to be flexible in his movement in-possession, initially sitting narrower and deeper to form a back-three base, before progressing higher to support Saka and Ødegaard on the right-hand side – as such, I want him to be able to situationally go beyond the pair to reach the byline to supply cut-backs.
Let’s Break Down the Tactic
In Possession
When we have the ball, I want us to dominate possession in games, generating a high field tilt, demonstrating that we were completely in control of games. From our possession, I want us to prioritise using shorter passes, whilst primarily trying to penetrate through the centre, adding another layer of intention to our possession. Our possession begins from deep, as I ask our defence to build up from the back. Once we reach the final third, I want us to be patient in our attacking exploits, whilst prioritising cut-back creation.
In Transition
When we lose the ball, I want us to immediately try and regain possession to allow us to retain control of the game. When we win back the ball, I want to give our players the freedom to decide whether to counter or not, based on the situation. Finally, from goal-kicks, I want Raya to distribute shorter, primarily to the centre-backs.
Out of Possession
When we don’t have the ball, I want us to continue the excellent work Mikel Arteta has done to create one of the most solid defensive blocks in Europe. I want us to aggressively press high, being thoughtful in our pressing to pick and choose when to press, with our high press supplemented by our very high line. From here, I want us to force the opposition into wide areas to limit their central progression.
Opposition Instructions
Player Roles
Sweeper Keeper – Attack
In this position, I want Raya to be very active in our build-up, moving higher to become the extra man to give us numerical superiority. When we don’t have the ball, I want Raya to be proactive and sweep loose balls in-behind and claim crosses into the penalty area. I felt this role was perfect. No additional instructions.
Full-Back – Support
In this position, I want our right-back to be flexible in his movement in-possession, initially sitting narrower and deeper to form a back-three base, before progressing higher to support Saka and Ødegaard on the right-hand side – as such, I want him to be able to situationally go beyond the pair to reach the byline to supply cut-backs.
Finally, I wanted to recreate a small detail Arteta has coached into his
Arsenal side, especially on the right, where the full-back starts narrower,
before moving wide with the ball and passing the ball inside for the winger
ahead to run onto, moving inside. As a result, I felt this role was suitable,
with the added instructions:
Ball-Playing Defender – Cover
In this position, I want Saliba to aid deep progression, using line-breaking passes to penetrate the opposition and access the half-spaces. When we don’t have the ball, I want Saliba to compensate for Gabriel’s natural tenacity by dropping slightly deeper. As a result, I felt this role was perfect. No additional instructions.
Central Defender – Defend
In this position, I want Gabriel to be more conservative on the ball, simply passing the ball to the more progressive players around him. Additionally, I want him to move wider on the left-hand side to accommodate the left-back’s central exploits, whilst leaving a gap for Raya to situationally fill in build-up, creating a faux back-four. Therefore, I felt this role was ideal, with the added instruction:
Inverted Wing-Back – Support
In this position, I want the left-back (usually Lewis-Skelly) to invert into midfield to help create our box midfield and open the passing channel for the left centre-back to access the left-winger. This role encapsulates this idea. No additional instructions.
Deep Lying Playmaker – Support
In this position, I want Zubimendi to be our metronome in possession, dictating the tempo and progressing play from deep, allowing Ødegaard to remain higher. Additionally, I want Zubimendi to utilise his elegant carrying ability more often, as reflected in the player’s instructions:
Central Midfielder – Attack
In this position, I want Declan Rice to delegate responsibility of retaining possession in order to move higher into the left half-space, before crashing the box as a secondary crossing target. If he does receive the ball, I want Rice to show off his strong, marauding carrying ability to progress play. Additionally, I want Rice to shoot more often to get the most out of his excellent long-shooting ability. Finally, when we don’t have the ball, I want Rice to be aggressive in trying to win the ball, situationally steeping higher to form a faux 4-1-2-1-2 pressing shape. Therefore, I felt this role was most optimal, with the added instructions:
Attacking Midfielder – Support
In this position, I want Ødegaard to remain higher, dominating the right half-space, in an optimal position to link-up with Saka and, situationally, the right-back. From this higher position, Ødegaard will be in a better position to consistently create for the attackers ahead of him – he’s also given license to cross more often, aiming for Rice box-crashing at the back-post. Therefore, I felt this role was suitable, with the added instructions amplifying its success:
Inverted Winger – Support
In this position, I want Saka to have more freedom. Initially positioned wider, I want Saka to be our livewire in attack, able to drop off the frontline to receive and link or run in-behind. When he receives the ball, I want to use Saka’s stupendous technical quality and give him complete licence to make things happen, whether that’s through a shot, a cross, a carry or a show of creative excellence – the world is Saka’s oyster. Therefore, I felt this role was most accommodative, allowing for these additional instructions:
Winger – Support
In this position, I no longer want Madueke/the left-winger to hold a very high, aggressive wider position. Instead, I want him to be able to drop off the front-line, opening the left-channel for Gyökeres to penetrate into. When we get into the final third, I do want Madueke/the left-winger to get further forward, however, to provide an extra goalscoring threat. Furthermore, once he receives the ball, I want him to reach the byline and provide cut-backs for Gyökeres to tap-in. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:
Advanced Forward – Attack
In this position, Gyökeres’ role is pretty simple: Lead the line. Run the channels. Get in position. Score goals. This role, with the added instruction below, is the perfect concoction:
Results
Premier League
In the Premier League, we finally broke Arsenal’s title duck as we won the league with 95 points, 4 points clear of the previous champions, Liverpool. Of our 38 league games, we won 30 games, drew 5 games and lost just 3 games. We were also the top scorers, coming away with 89 league goals (2.3 goals per game), whilst conceding just 21 goals (0.55 goals per game).
Domestic Cups
In the Carabao Cup, we were unfortunately unable to win the competition, as we were knocked out in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Liverpool – a 2-3 home defeat ending our trophy hopes there. We would, however, avenge our Carabao Cup woes as we would go on to win the FA Cup, beating Southampton 3-1 in the final at Wembley. On our way to Wembley, we overcame the likes of Sunderland, Newcastle and local rivals Tottenham Hotspur. But could we make it a historic treble by winning Arsenal’s first ever major European trophy?
UEFA Champions League
YES! A 2-0 win over the famous kings of Europe, Real Madrid, would make Arsenal fans’ dreams come true! On our way to the final, we beat Barcelona (0-2 AGG), Liverpool (1-9… YES, NINE!) and PSG (3-2 AGG) after successfully navigating the ‘group of death’, containing Bayern Munich, Juventus and KF Apolonia.
Conclusion
Despite a very exciting run in the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal’s 24/25 campaign was a very underwhelming campaign for the club. Now, surely invigorated by the ambitious signings to address problem positions in the squad, the club could be on the verge of greatness in 25/26! If you want a taste of this brilliant tactic, make sure to download the tactics using the link attached to this article and follow FM Blog and myself (@AshtonGgmu) on our respective socials. I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I wish you much success with this tactic on your saves!
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