A complete recreation of Arsenal's 26/27 tactical concept, including the 4-2-4 build-up, defensive structure and player roles.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in 26/27 - FM26 Tactical Concept
Arsenal come into the 26/27 Premier League season as the Champions of the land, finally pipping their closest, domestic rivals, City, to the title in the face of adversity and scepticism.
With the UEFA Champions League continuing to elude the club, Arteta and his men will be dreaming of their night in paradise at the end of the season, whilst being very well-placed to retain the Premier League title.
The recruitment’s been solid, the signs in pre-season are promising - there's real reason for Gooners to believe the club can finally break their duck this season.
Arsenal’s Flexible Build-Up
A hallmark throughout the best years of Arteta’s reign thus far has been the side’s fantastic proficiency in the build-up phase, and, in 25/26, their methods in this phase of play were evolved to their greatest and most flexible version.
Initially, Arteta’s side would set up in a 4-2 base - however, this was a very fluid base thanks to a multitude of moving parts: Zubimendi could drop deep, between the centre-backs to facilitate play; Timber could temporarily step into midfield; Calafiori could move higher and rotate with a dropping player from the frontline.
The sheer number of solutions Arsenal had in the build-up phase were often too unpredictable for teams to handle.
To add to this, Arsenal’s squad themselves provided differing solutions: for example, should Gyökeres start up front, Arsenal could go more direct to bypass the press and attack the channels.
Alternatively, should Havertz start up front, Arsenal could continue to play through the press before finding the German with a pass to feet.
The Return of Arteta’s 4-2-4?
4th February, 2024: Arsenal defeat Liverpool 3-1 in a crucial fixture in the two clubs’ respective title challenges, but they did so in an uncharacteristically wild way!
In this game, a game fondly looked back on by Arsenal fans alike, Arteta adapted his ideas to completely dominate his opponents, and that culminated in a comfortable victory that probably warranted a greater scoreline.
The system used by Arteta and his team, in this game, consisted of a De Zerbi-esque 4-2-4/wide 4-2-2-2 formation in build-up.
Havertz and Ødegaard started as a ‘double-10’ pairing behind two high and wide wingers in Saka and Martinelli - the idea was based around patience in build-up, before eventually finding the ‘double-10s’ in the space between Liverpool’s defence and midfield, before ultimately feeding the high and wide wingers.
Both of Arsenal’s wingers, in this game, scored, whilst Trossard scored from off the bench.
A tactical masterclass by Mikel Arteta, and what may have been a season-defining three points in another life. An example of this approach can be seen in the photo below:
The image is a bit cramped, so let me explain: Arsenal are set up in a 4-2-4/wide 4-2-2-2 [black lines]. Havertz and Ødegaard [pink circles] are positioned between the lines and in the half-spaces, begging the question to Liverpool’s centre-backs: Do they jump to mark them and leave acres of space in-behind [red rectangle] for Arsenal’s high and wide wingers to exploit [blue lines]?
Or do they sit off, risking Arsenal being able to find the ‘double-10s’ with progressive, line-breaking passes [orange lines] from the centre-backs. Liverpool are damned either way.
Many Arsenal fans are wondering whether, perhaps, Arteta may revisit this approach this season.
Elite Defensive Strategy
To put it simply, Arsenal are the best team - without the ball - in the world.
They are flexible, progressive, and are willing to take risks... all whilst risking very little. Last season, at stages, it appeared as though the Gunners would break Chelsea’s defensive record of ‘05, but alas.
If you’d like to read more on how Arsenal are simply so solid defensively, make sure to read my analysis in my previous Arsenal tactical recreation here.
Let’s Break Down the Tactic
In Possession
From build-up, Arsenal initially look to bait the press before predominantly distributing short; from here, they will often look to bypass the press, either directly into the channels or into the space between the lines.
As Arsenal progress up the pitch, they focus almost entirely on forming meticulous passing moves, whilst often looking to facilitate Calafiori’s underlapping runs on the left side.
In the final third, Arsenal remain patient in their efforts to break down the opposition, working the ball into the box to try and muster up the highest-quality chances possible.
In general, Arsenal are very patient with the ball. Additionally, the players are given licence to roam from their positions in order to create situational overloads and rotations to allow them to progress play.
Furthermore, Arsenal do tend to play for set-pieces to play into the hands of one of their greatest strengths.
Finally, when they regain the ball, Arsenal will usually look to retain the ball to build up a new attack relatively risk-free.
Out of Possession
Without the ball, Arsenal look to pin teams into their own half, pressing high from a ‘high-block’ and holding a high line, which supplements the side’s high press.
From here, Arsenal try and force teams into wide areas by closing off all central passing avenues.
When the opposition are wide, Arsenal do everything to prevent crosses into the penalty area, with full-backs and/or wingers rushing to intercept any crossing attempts.
Finally, when Arsenal lose possession, they will intensely counter-press to try and regain possession immediately.
Opposition Instructions
Player Roles
Ball-Playing Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper
Raya is essential to this system, as his elite ball-playing capabilities can single-handedly carve through opposition sides - additionally, when he has the ball at his feet, he will often keep the ball at his feet for prolonged periods.
His alertness and speed allow him to be a proficient sweeper out of possession.
Inside Full-Back | Full-Back
Timber’s role in this system is very flexible, as he can situationally drop deeper to form a back-three with the two centre-backs, move higher and wider to overlap Saka, or even move higher and inverted to supplement the Arsenal midfield.
When Arsenal don’t have the ball, Timber marks his man very tightly.
For more on how these defensive roles differ in FM26, see our IWB vs PWB vs IFB role comparison.
Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Centre-Back
To encourage Saliba’s situational movements into the midfield, I added the ‘Dribble More’ instruction.
Centre-Back | Centre-Back
On the left side of defence, Gabriel will usually drift wider to create space for Raya to move into with the ball.
With the ball at his feet, Gabriel will more readily go long with riskier passes into the forward line.
Without the ball, Gabriel is particularly aggressive in marking the opposition’s closest forward.
Wing-Back | Full-Back
Calafiori’s role, much like Timber’s, is very flexible - however, in the Italian’s case, he gets much higher much more frequently, often in-line with the side’s left-winger.
When he’s not in this position, Calafiori can invert at times to supplement the midfield areas, or even move wider and hold the team’s width on the left side.
Finally, upon receiving the ball, Calafiori will tend to carry the ball forward with driving runs through the centre.
Deep Lying Playmaker | Central Midfielder
The right-sided, deeper midfielder, in this system, will generally tend to drop deep to receive the ball, often dropping between the centre-backs to receive the ball from the centre-backs to facilitate play.
Upon recycling the ball, this midfielder can, at times, move beyond.
Box-To-Box Playmaker | Pressing Central Midfielder
In this system, Rice is the epitome of the ‘Box-to-Box Playmaker’, as he’ll initially drop deep to aid the side’s build-up before readily surging forward to be on the end of back-stick crosses and latch onto loose balls inside the penalty area.
Additionally, he can take the ball from a deeper position and maraud past opponents with the ball at his feet as he loves carrying the ball forward as a means of progression.
When Arsenal don’t have the ball, Rice is positioned slightly higher than his Spanish counterpart, as he regularly engages in duels, tackles, and interceptions against the opposition’s deeper midfielder/s.
Advanced Playmaker | Tracking Centre Forward
The ‘10’, in this system, is given licence to roam wherever and whenever he pleases, as he can be spotted practically anywhere, although this is particularly on the right side.
When he receives the ball, he always wants to create chances and will dribble and take on opponents often, opening up new angles to potentially slide a penetrative pass in-behind for Gyökeres or Saka to chase.
I chose this role as I wanted the ‘10’ to frequently drop deep to receive the ball.
When Arsenal don’t have the ball, both ‘strikers’ in their 4-4-2 defensive shape will drop deeper as the team drops deeper to compact the space in midfield and, subsequently, force the play wide or back.
Wide Forward | Tracking Wide Midfielder
In this system, the right-winger will predominantly hold the width.
From this high and wide position, he will frequently make runs in-behind. With the ball at his feet, the winger will often tend to reach the byline for cut-backs and/or crosses into the box.
When Arsenal don’t have the ball, both wingers will drop deeper and support their full-backs against opposition wingers and prevent wide overloads.
Inside Forward | Tracking Wide Midfielder
The keen-eyed amongst the readers might have spotted Vinicius Jr. in the team’s starting eleven - I specially curated this role to accommodate for the brilliant Brazilian... of course, since creating and testing this tactic, he’s committed his future to Real Madrid, alas!
I wanted Vini Jr. to initially hold the width, before drifting inside at times in-line with his freedom to roam.
Deep-Lying Forward | Tracking Centre Forward
I chose this role to primarily accommodate for Havertz, along with the role being primed and perfect for the aforementioned 4-2-4/wide 4-2-2-2 system used vs Liverpool in 2024.
Like the ‘10’, I wanted to give Havertz licence to roam, especially to situationally rotate with the roaming Vini Jr.
I also added ‘Dribble Less’ to encourage Havertz to focus on linking play.
Results
Premier League
In testing on Football Manager 26, we managed to retain the Premier League title at a canter, winning the league with a record-breaking 101 points, with a 19-point gap between ourselves and 2nd-place.
Winning 32 of our 38 league games, and only losing one game across the league campaign, we scored a league-high 104 league goals across our 38 games, and conceded just 16 goals - one less than Chelsea’s record-breaking tally in 2004/05.
We also kept 24 clean sheets across the league campaign, also one less than Chelsea’s record-breaking tally under Mourinho.
Domestic Cups
We won our first piece of silverware for the campaign in the season’s curtain-raiser: the Community Shield.
A dominant 0-3 win over Man City at Wembley saw us win the first trophy of potentially many.
Unfortunately, we were unable to replicate such success in the Carabao Cup, being knocked out in the Quarter-Finals by Bournemouth after losing 1-2 at the Emirates.
Domestic cup success continued to elude us in the FA Cup, as Chelsea defied all the statistics out of their favour to somehow snatch a 0-1 win in the Final at Wembley.
UEFA Champions League
Any domestic success, or lack thereof, ultimately paled in comparison as we managed to secure the most illustrious trophy in club football, which has eluded Arsenal throughout the club’s history: the UEFA Champions League!
A 3-1 win over TSG Hoffenheim drew the curtains on a historic season in testing.
On our way to the Final, we overcame Liverpool (0-4 AGG), Lyon (1-3 AGG), and Real Madrid (2-4 AGG), after initially finishing 2nd in the League Phase.
Conclusion
Coming into the 26/27 season, there’s surely very little that could possibly eclipse the 25/26 season for Arsenal and its fanbase... but breaking their European duck would certainly constitute a greater success, as the club are growing desperate to finally break new ground after coming so close last season, in the UEFA Champions League Final, against PSG.
With their new arrivals, and the squad growing increasingly in experience and quality, there is no reason why they can’t have their night in paradise over the coming twelve months.
If you want a taste of this beautiful tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article and make sure to follow FM Blog (@fmbIog) 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! Thanks for reading!
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