Football Manager 2009 Team Guides: Arsenal - The Gunners

Arsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London. They play in the Premier League and are one of the most successful clubs in English football, having won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups. Arsenal F.C. is renowned for their attacking and attractive game-play which has won them many admirers and accolades world-wide.

CREST

Arsenal’s first crest was unveiled in 1888 and featured 3 cannons pointing north-wards. After constant revisions over the years, in 2002 a new crest with a simplified style was introduced. There is a single cannon facing east and the club's name is written above it.

COLOURS

The traditional Arsenal colours have been red and white. However, the first kit of the Arsenal was a redcurrant shirt worn with white shorts and blue socks. It was in the 1930’s that Arsenal’s kit was changed to a brighter red with white sleeves. The team has the worn the combination ever since.

FANS

Arsenal fans often refer to themselves as "Gooners", the name being derived from the team's nickname, "The Gunners". Arsenal has a large and loyal fan base, with virtually all home matches selling out. A 2005 report estimated Arsenal's global fan base at 27 million, the third largest in the world.

CLUB INFORMATION
Full Name: Arsenal Football Club
Nickname: The Gunners
Founded: 1886 as Dial Square
Manager: Arsene Wenger
Major Rivals: Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, West Ham
Affiliates: BEC, Colrado, Gia Lai, Barnet, Salamanca, Boreham Wood
Club Legends: Arsene Wenger, Thierry Henry, Tony Adams, Herbert Chapman
Clubs Icons: Dennis Bergkamp, David Rocastle, Ian Wright, Jens Lehmann, David Dein
Favoured Personnel:Kolo Toure, Cesc Fabregas, Patrick Vieira, Paul Merson
Media Prediction: 3rd
Club Captain: William Gallas
Club Vice-Captain: Kolo Toure

CLUB FINANCES
Estimated Value: £377M (Loan Debt: £247M)
Balance: £99.4M
Transfer Budget: £38M
Wage Budget: £984K/week

STADIUM AND FACILITIES
Ground: Emirates Stadium
Capacity: 60,432
Training Ground: Under-Hill
Training Facilities: Top Training Facilities
Youth Facilities: Top Youth Facilities + Youth Academy

FIRST-TEAM SQUAD
GK: Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski
LB: Gael Clichy, Mikael Silvestre, Armand Traore [out on loan till 09]
RB: Bakary Sagna, Emmanuel Eboue
CB: Kolo Toure, Johan Djourou
CB: William Gallas, Alexandre Song, Mikael Silvestre, Philippe Senderos [out on loan till 09]
DM: Alexandre Song, Denilson, Johan Djourou
CM: Francesc Fabregas, Denilson, Abou Diaby
AML: Tomas Rosicky, Samir Nasri, Armand Traore, Carlos Vela
AMR: Theo Walcott, Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky
ST: Emmanuel Adebayor, Niklas Bendtner
ST: Robin Van Persie, Eduardo da Silva, Carlos Vela

SQUAD ANALYSIS

This will be done with no particular formation in mind. I’m going to cover all positions on the pitch and leave it to you to decide how you would like to play. However, I will suggest my best line-up and formation for Arsenal after the analysis.

Goalkeepers: As in 08, Almunia is solid without being world class. Age is not on Almunia’s side however so it might be a good idea to sell him and bring someone younger in. Its not imperative though. Fabianski doesnt look as good as last year and the assistant manager recommends getting rid of him. But I suggest waiting it out for a year to see how he goes. The youngsters at the club are all poor so you would do well to bring in a youngster with good potential.

Left Backs: Clichy has been improved and looks ever better as should be the case. He’s young as well so you wont have an immediate problem here. As backups, Silvestre and Gallas can both play here and are good. Song can be utilized here too if needed. You should be fine here to start with. Armand Traore doesn’t look that good defensively and doubt if he’ll reach a high standard as on 08. Should become a class winger though. Kieran Gibbs might be one to watch. Look for a young LB for the future anyway.

Right Backs: Sagna looks amazing too like on the last version. Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure both provide backup for this spot and are both good. You’re fine in this area too. Yet again, no real quality here in the youth ranks so might be a good idea to invest.

Centre Backs: Both Kolo Toure and William Gallas look amazing. Johan Djourou, Mikael Silvestre and Alex Song provide backup here. Djourou looks good yet again and should definitely be held on to. Silvestre looks decent enough as well but is getting on. Song might be worth holding on to as I think he could develop into a decent CB/DM. Senderos comes back from loan after a season (if Milan dont take the option of signing him). He actually looks terrific on this version. If you do get him back, I think you're well set for CB's because imo, he's good enough for Arsenal. But it is still worth investing in a younger CB considering Silvestre's and Gallas's age.

Defensive Midfielders: The position where every Arsenal fan in real life moans about. A position where we’re desperately short. However, in the game, the situation is not as bad. Song is pretty decent here. And I’m fairly certain Eboue could be retrained and will do a good job as well. Djourou is probably the best option if you want some defensive stability. Denilson could do a decent job but he’s been completely stripped of strength and will be easy to bully around. Finally, Diaby could be used here if needed although I wouldn’t trust him with his poor concentration. This is a spot where I would look to invest first for now and for the future.

Central & Attacking Midfielders: One of the strengths of the team. Fabregas is obviously one of the best around on the game. And he’s so young that you’re sorted for a good 10 years. With Denilson and Diaby around, you have 2 players capable of providing excellent cover. Nasri, Vela and Rosicky can play in the hole if for you if your tactic requires it. No need to invest in youth here as you have the likes of Wilshere, Lansbury, Ramsey, Merida coming through the ranks.

Wingers: To start with, Walcott and Nasri would suffice. Both look excellent and are very young. Rosicky will be back from injury soon and he maintains his FM08 standards. Van Persie, Vela, Eduardo and Eboue can all cover the wings as well. And you’ll have Traore back from loan next year who should become a monster on the left wing. It might be worth investing in a right winger though as there’s only Eboue to back up Walcott.

Strikers: Upfront is Arsenal’s main strength with a lot of quality options. Adebayor and Bendtner provide the aerial presence required even if both have been toned down. Adebayor has been brutalized unfortunately. Besides his physical stats, he looks distinctly average. How he performs will depend on the game engine I guess. Van Persie maintains the lofty standards of the last game and will probably be the main striker. Eduardo looks good as before although we’ll have to wait for the full version to really try him out. Walcott has been improved quite a bit and it might be worth playing him upfront to see how the game handles his pace. And then there’s the Mexican prodigy Carlos Vela who’s waiting for his chance as well. I'm sure he'll turn out class.

RECOMMENDED FORMATION & LINEUP

This is based on the original players that start at the club. That is, no additional signings have been taken into account.

Almunia
Sagna Toure Gallas Clichy
Walcott Fabregas Diaby Nasri
Van Persie Adebayor

I've always found this the best way to play with Arsenal although now with Walcott, a more direct approach might be well wroth considering. Especially in season 2 when Traore is back as well. But to start with, I'd stick to the above.

That’s it for now. I’ll put some recommended signings later once I’ve played the game a little. Might change a few things once I’ve got to play for a while as well. But hope this will kick-start the game for everyone.

Good luck guys, Discuss here about recommended player to buy ...:D

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