Mikel Arteta may have claimed an FA Cup in his first season at Arsenal, but there is plenty of work still to be done.
Table of Contents
With FIFA 21 just a few weeks away, Arsenal will be one of the best "rebuilding project" teams to pick in Career Mode.
Squad
Arsenal haven't been particularly active in the transfer market, but they do have a few new faces to bed into the team.
Starting XI
Trying to replicate Mikel Arteta's tactics in FIFA 21 will be nearly impossible. Is it a 5-2-3? But sometimes it morphs into a 4-2-3-1...
We've got with a 5-2-2-1, which gives you the three centre backs and the front three of Arsenal.
New signings Gabriel and Willian can fit into this system well, but it also gives you the flexibility to play Kieran Tierney as a LCB and drop Ainsley Maitland-Niles or Bukayo Saka into the LWB spot.
Bench
As it stands, your bench is limited in options. It should contain Nicolas Pepe(OVR 82) and Mesut Ozil (OVR 82), along with Shkodran Mustafi (OVR 78), Sead Kolasinac (OVR 78).
Emiliano Martinez (OVR 78) is currently listed as an Arsenal goalie but he will soon be patched over to Aston Villa. Beyond that the ratings are not available. But the likes of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Matteo Guendouzi, and Bukayo Saka are likely to be your best bets.
Reserves
Arsenal have plenty of young talent in the pipeline waiting for a chance.
Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, and William Saliba are likely to have the highest potential that you can grow into first-team stars.
Tactics
Under Arteta, Arsenal have been ultra-fluid in their positioning and calm in possession. They have also adjusted to opponents regularly.
That makes it very tricky to replicate their play-style with one catch-all FIFA 21 tactic.
One thing you will want to do is encourage your wide attacking players to "free roam". This will cause some chaos for opponents and keep Alexandre Lacazette well supported.
You will also want to encourage your wing backs to get forward on overlaps so that you still have good width in attack.
With that added, ensuring your centre midfielders don't get too advanced will also be key.
When it comes to late-game subs, using Nicolas Pepe will be vital thanks to his pace and dribbling. Arsenal don't have many options to change style, but fresh legs can unlock things.
Be sure to get Matteo Guendouzi on too if you need more hard tackling in the midfield.
Transfers
There is plenty of business Arsenal need to do, both making signings and selling off pieces.
Out
If you are truly looking to replicate Arteta then selling off Mesut Ozil will be the first place to start.
That should clear a good chunk of money off your wage bill and even boost your transfer funds.
Sending some young players like Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock out on loan is useful, but if you are set on making some good signings they can also just be sold.
Moving on from one of Sokratis or Shkodran Mustafi is also a good idea.
In
There are plenty of directions to go here.
A strong presence in central midfield would be terrific. Rennes' Eduardo Camavinga is one for the future, while OL's Houssem Aouar could slot in and be a more forward-thinking player to rotate in.
READ MORE: FIFA 21 - Ones To Watch
If you aren't keen on developing Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka then another forward/wide player will be important to grab. Gabriel Jesus or Ousmane Dembele would be excellent signings.
Another centre back wouldn't go amiss either. Presnel Kimpembe, Daniele Rugani, and Caglar Soyuncu would all be nice fits.
Training
Arsenal's squad is littered with potential stars though, and with FIFA 21's new growth system you can mould them as you wish.
Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, and William Saliba are all players that will benefit from sustained focus on the training ground.
Thanks to the new ability of transitioning players from one position to another you can craft a forward line of Nelson, Nketiah, and Saka in any combination you'd like.
Confirmed Ratings
FIFA 21 has revealed the top 1000 players in the game, these are the Arsenal ratings that we know so far:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 87 OVR
- Bernd Leno - 85 OVR
- Alexandre Lacazette - 83 OVR
- Mesut Ozil - 82 OVR
- Willian - 82 OVR
- Nicolas Pepe - 82 OVR
- Lucas Torreira - 81 OVR
- David Luiz - 80 OVR
- Granit Xhaka - 80 OVR
- Hector Bellerin - 80 OVR
- Sokratis - 79 OVR
- Shkodran Mustafi - 78 OVR
- Emiliano Martinez - 78 OVR (Moved to Aston Villa)
- Sead Kolasinac - 78 OVR
- Kieran Tierney - 78 OVR
READ MORE: FIFA 21 Early Access & EA Play
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