Since the introduction of Iconic Moments to PES 2020, the talks of players and their performances were non-stop. Players were excited and tried to pack them via a Special Agent, which did give them a slim chance for a player pull. While some of them have a great collection of Iconic Moment Legends, the rest of them have nothing special to show off, with a fewer count. Recently, some clubs got their Iconic Moments rerolled in the mobile version, so players are looking forward to getting some of these high rated players. To help you with it, we have been giving a detailed review of each one of them, where this article is about the Arsenal Iconic Moments.
There are six Arsenal Iconic Moments released currently, so the reviews will be on those six. Whenever any new Arsenal Iconic Moments are released, this review will be updated with the new set of players. If Iconic Moments released in PES 2021 are different compared to PES 2020, they will be reviewed in a different guide. We have previously reviewed the Iconic Moments players of the following clubs, so feel free to check these reviews out.
Arsenal Iconic Moments
We currently have Six Arsenal Iconic Moments available in the game:
- D. Bergkamp
- F. Ljungberg
- E. Petit
- P. Vieira
- T. Rosicky
- R. Pires
Dennis Bergkamp
Playing Style: Creative Playmaker
Looking back at that iconic moment match
Arsenal faced Newcastle on 2nd March 2002 in what seemed to be a tense encounter. The London club never looked like sacrificing their impressive unbeaten away record in the league after that as Newcastle battled in vain to shake their composure. Arsenal, however, gave a performance of all-round quality and resilience that sent their confidence levels surging for the season.
Robson’s side opened in predictably frenetic fashion urged on by the Toon Army – but it was Bergkamp who silenced St James’ Park with a moment of sublime brilliance after 11 minutes. That goal is still regarded as one of the best goals from Dennis’s boot in his illustrious career.
Patrick Viera won the ball to set up Pires, and Bergkamp provided the finish the approach play deserved by demonstrating a ballet dancer’s grace to pirouette past Nikos Dabizas before beating Shay Given. Newcastle’s attacking play was vibrant, but they lacked a cutting edge without Bellamy, and David Seaman was well protected. Arsenal, for all Newcastle’s possession, remained an ever-present attacking threat and it was no surprise when they doubled their advantage five minutes before the interval. Bergkamp turned creator with a dangerous free-kick which Campbell made his inside the penalty area to power a header past Given.
Arsenal was attacking with breathtaking pace and variety on the break and Lauren should have done better than fire wastefully into the side-netting after another brilliant Bergkamp creation. Newcastle talisman Alan Shearer had been kept at arm’s length, but he broke the shackles after 56 minutes, only to see his low header brilliantly saved by former England colleague Seaman. It was a rare moment of danger for Arsenal as they cruised confidently to victory.
Player Analysis
Dennis Bergkamp is undoubtedly one of the finest creators forwards to grace the game. Without a doubt, expectations of getting a solid forward before his release were high. In the game, his Arsenal Iconic Moments card works as a fantastic offensive outlet, who scores goals and also creates chances often.
A Creative Playmaker playstyle reflects his career, as he was popular for this genius vision too. Bergkamp’s Arsenal Iconic Moments card works well at any offensive position you throw him at. However, his positioning inside the penalty area is good when he does forward runs thanks to his 96 Offensive Awareness at the max level.
A standout attribute of Bergkamp is when he is on the ball. Without a doubt, he is one of the best dribblers you can find in the game. His 99 Ball Control, 99 Tight Possession, and 96 Dribbling stats are spot on and are displayed on the pitch. Skill-wise, the Dutch forward has his own flair with dribbling skills like Sombrero and Step on Skill control, which he was popular for.
Dennis can nail any ball into the net, makes him a lethal finisher, with 94 Finishing at max level. His first-time shots are excellent and very accurate. The skills like First Time Shot and Acrobatic Finishing adds a lot of precision inside the box. His Long-Range Shooting is one of the best in the game, his shots are pretty powerful and accurate when combined with 91 Kicking Power. Another tick in the box is his creativity. A classy distributor of the ball, his passing is top-notch and can feed balls to your forwards when playing in a central role, that too really accurate ones. One-Touch passing and Through Passing is really effective for quick passing. He can step up to take some fine set-pieces too.
Players do complain about pace, but honestly speaking Bergkamp adds a lot more than just pace to help your team out, so that shouldn’t be an issue here. Balance and Physical, both are good and lies on the positive side. The best plus of Bergkamp is that he has all-round stats, so all these stats combine to make him a complete player.Overall a ‘creative offensive machine’ would be apt title for him.
Formation discussion
Bergkamp works as a SS in two CF formations or a sole AMF. It is advised to use him in central positions. Formations like 4-3-1-2 (as a left SS or even sitting behind two strikers as an AMF) and 4-2-1-3 at AMF are some great fits. He thrives best under a counter-attacking manager with a Short-passing style and quick buildup of play. Formations like 3-4-1-2, 4-2-2-2 are also some good picks.
If you prefer a traditional 4-3-3 or any wide formation, use him as a left SS in the wing.
Frederik Ljungberg
Playing Style: Prolific Winger
Looking back at that iconic moment match
Arsenal faced Inter Milan at the San Siro in the away fixture of the biggest club competition in Europe. Previously, Arsenal opened their Champions League campaign with a 3–0 defeat against the same team. However, the results were different this time around. Arsenal humiliated Inter and scored four goals in the second half to win the 5–1. Wenger felt the result showed there was “a special mental strength in the team”. The loss however hit Inter Milan, and due to goal differences, they were knocked out from the competition.
With both sides missing key players through injury or suspension, the match understandably took a while to find its shape. Arsenal, with memories of the mauling they took at Inter’s hands in September, took ten minutes to find their feet. But when they did, it was Ray Parlour, standing in as captain in place of Patrick Vieira, who calmed their apparent nerves with a sure touch on the ball.
For Inter, Obafemi Martins showed the occasional glimpse of the pace that undid Arsenal at Highbury while Vieri flashed a header from an Andy van der Meyde cross just wide. But everything changed in the 25th minute. Thierry Henry picked up Ashley Cole’s pass on the edge of the Inter-area and drove the first time beyond Francesco Toldo into the bottom corner of the net. But Arsenal’s lead lasted just eight minutes, as Vieri equalized. Credit for the assist went to Cristiano Zanetti, who fed Vieri after Edu had lost possession.
In the second half, the game swung again, though, within three minutes of the restart as the visitors went in front. Once more Henry played a crucial role, skillfully beating Materazzi on the left edge of the Inter-area before sending over a low cross for Fredrik Ljungberg to tap easily past a helpless Toldo.
At the other end, Henry was far from finished, causing havoc on the Arsenal left as he beat Iván Cordoba for pace, but this time there was no Arsenal player to turn the ball home after another deadly low cross. And as if that was not enough, Henry scored his second. However, with five minutes of normal time remaining, the French striker broke away after an Inter attack and scored emphatically. Edu added what could prove a vital fourth goal just moments later. Pires then rubbed salt in Inter’s wounds, which by now were gaping, and Arsenal’s triumph was complete. One of those Arsenal Iconic Moments indeed.
Player Analysis
Freddie falls into the category of being under-appreciated, even with absolutely class stats in almost every offensive department. The Arsenal Iconic Moment card does have a Prolific Winger playstyle but has a Right Midfielder role that doesn’t activate his playstyle, but you can easily play the Swedish winder on the flanks.
Ljungberg stars off as a wonderful dribbler on the ball, the winger gets a 90+ Stat rating in every dribbling attribute in the game. Also, he is a skillful dribbler, with skills like Scissors Feint, Cut Behind, and Turn to name a few. He is very well balanced, offers a lot of widths, and does pull off excellent offensive runs forward with a 95 rating in the Offensive Awareness department.
A good passer of the ball too, with 90 Low and 85 Lofted passing stats at max level. Skills like One Touch Pass and Low Lofted Pass makes him do some quick passing to get your attacks flowing. Freddie is also another good finisher of the ball, with 91 Finishing at max level and First Time Shot, he does not miss out on chances. He can hit accurate shots with his left foot too, even with less usage but it is a small bonus.
With fine balance and 90+ Speed and Acceleration stats, he is quick on his feet, and movements with the ball are amazing. Another plus of this Swedish winger is that he is an engine, with 94 stamina that helps you press throughout the game. He Tracks Back to defend and does cover up space very quickly in a timely manner.
Formation discussion
Use Freddie as wide flank. Utilize pace in a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-2-2 formations, where he also can TrackBack for defensive cover. In some situations, he can work as an AMF as well, in formations where you have enough width.
Emmanuel Petit
Playing Style: The Destroyer
Looking back at that iconic moment match
Arsenal played Chelsea at Highbury, London on 8th February 1998 in a League game. It was important for Arsenal to win the game, as their inconsistent records from their previous games slowed down their title hopes. However, this game did turn out positive for them, as they won the game thanks to a Stephen Hughes double in the first half. However, the game was eventful as there were a lot of on the field actions and yellow cards to mention too.
Arsenal scored with the first significant attack of the game. Anelka was put clear on De Goey, but the keeper made a save on the 6-yard line. The ball cannoned up onto Anelka’s arm and fell forward with the keeper prone. By this time 2 defenders had made it back between ball and goal. One of them cleared as Anelka fought to get to it. Anelka was brought down in the process of trying to get there. He could easily have had a penalty awarded if Hughes hadn’t met the clearance on the edge of the box and scored with his first touch.
The second goal came towards the end of the half. Bergkamp delivered a corner from the right, which Adams met beyond the far post, near the goal-line, with a downward header that bounced up where Hughes headed it home from point-blank range. The most notable incident between the goals came when a Petit header back put Vialli clear and Steve Bould pulled him down from behind. It looked a clear case for a red card but Bould got away with a yellow. Chelsea had some spells of dominance in terms of possession but never looked much like breaking Arsenal defense down, whereas even in spells of Chelsea dominance, the Home side was powerful on the break.
Player Analysis
Another contender among the Destroyer DMFs is the Arsenal Iconic Moments version, Emmanuel Petit. Widely popular for scoring the third goal in France’s 3–0 victory in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final and was also a member of the French squad that won UEFA Euro 2000. Petit is a strong, left-footed player with a profile similar to Cambiasso.
Petit is a good midfielder with amazing defensive prowess. Even if he’s not having the offensive stats that would interest you, he can be a good defensive unit on the pitch. Often, he does forward runs in the central areas of the pitch and does offer a long-distance threat to the goal.
Petit is very good at controlling the ball with 88 Ball Control. He can easily bully an opponent with his 90+ Aggression and Physical Contact. A very good defender; his slide tackling is aggressive but really precise. He has also Man Marking Skill which is really helpful to avoid defensive errors. He is a master at intercepting passes, and leaves less space and covers it when you are caught on the counter. Good in the passing department with 92 Low and 86 Lofted passing stats at max level. Skills like One Touch Pass, Low Lofted Pass, and Weighted Pass makes him add some sweet weightage on passes and also do quick passing on his passes to get your attacking flowing.
The negatives are his heading, for his height his heading is decent and does not head the ball accurately. Also, Balance is a concern too as during player collisions he is slow to react from it and does take time to recover. But as a defensive point of view, he is a solid player to trust and does not disappoint.
Formation discussion
Petit fits perfectly in a flat 4-3-3, in simple 3 midfield formations. However, when working as a sole DMF, but with a Double Pivot, he is even more fantastic. Formations such as the 4-2-1-3, 3-2-4-1, 3-2-2-3, 4-2-2-2 are some amazing formations for a good fit.
Patrick Vieira
Playing Style: The Destroyer
Looking back at that iconic moment match
Arsenal played Tottenham Hotspur in a FA Cup Semi-Final fixture in Old Trafford spectated by 60 thousand plus fans watching them in anticipation of a cracker of a game. However, the game was a delight to watch, and saw Arsenal beating Spurs after a 1-0 trail to score two goals, one in each half to win the game. Arsene Wenger’s side was in a different class to their neighbors to make it a losing start for new Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle in a pulsating semi-final.
The narrow scoreline did no justice to the almost total domination Arsenal exerted over a Spurs side undermined by injuries to key duo Sol Campbell and Les Ferdinand at Old Trafford. Spurs took a shock lead through Gary Doherty early on. They stunned their arch-rivals by scoring with their first – indeed only – serious attack of the first half after 13 minutes. But after that, it was an unbroken tale of one-way traffic as Arsenal eventually wore Spurs down.
Arsenal swiftly regained their composure, and Robert Pires was guilty of a glaring miss after 22 minutes. The turning point of the first half came after 31 minutes when Campbell was deservedly booked by referee Graham Poll for a crude obstruction on Ray Parlour. It was another one of those moments from the French Midfielders Pires and Vieira that turned the game in the favor of Arsenal. Campbell’s absence from the penalty area was vital as Arsenal took the free-kick while the Spurs captain received touchline treatment.
Pires floated in an inviting cross and Vieira rose majestically to power a header past Sullivan. Patrick Vieira headed Arsenal level before half time and it did make an impact for the rest of the match The French midfield man finally found a way past Sullivan after 72 minutes, who displayed a brilliant Goalkeeping performance. Vieira released Wiltord on the right flank, and he produced the perfect cross to give Pires the simplest of finishes at the far post. It was Pires’ final contribution. He suffered a hamstring injury and came off as Wenger introduced Freddie Ljungberg.
But it was a job well done by Arsenal as Wenger’s side reached another FA Cup Final.
Player Analysis
There actually isn’t much of a description to mention for this man. The Captain who led the Invincible Arsenal side has made his top reputation in the game for being the best DMF in PES. Patrick Vieira has been one of the most sought players in the game, for more than two seasons now. The hype for his legend version was just cooling down until his Arsenal Iconic Moments version dropped out. Players were waiting for his reviews and now here it is.
You don’t mention any stats about this man. He is an absolute tank, who looks like he is born to destroy everything that comes on his way. Well, without a doubt, the Destroyer is an apt playstyle for him. This card has all the attributes you dream of a defensive midfielder.
Vieira is a very physical mid, who has his own category. He does involve in a lot of defensive duties, but what makes him special is his Offensive Contribution as well. On the defensive side of his game, he is a great bully, can toss players around. He has 90+ stats in every defensive attribute in the game and stats like Aggression, Physical Contact and Stamina reach a 99 under Club Boost. These are perfectly shown on the pitch when you see him play.
Even though he is a decent dribbler, he can hold the ball easily due to his physical attributes. His Speed is also excellent for a Defensive Midfielder. Speed + Physicality is often a deadly combination. Vieira is also known for his neat finishes from his Arsenal days, and he does it here too. His Long Shots are very powerful and do have good accuracy. The 8 Form stat ensures his conditioning in every match stays at a top-level and thus, more consistency.
Another Vieira quality that made him a fan favorite is his ability to join attacks and also to defend. In the Legend version, the Trackback skill makes him drop back while defending. Even if you can’t add it here, it is easily covered thanks to his amazing ground cover. The only inconsistency in his game comes from his passing. It is a strange feeling as even though his passing stats are pretty good, they are inaccurate at times. Else, there is nothing much to complain about this beast of a player.
Formation Discussion
Vieira can play in any formation. As a Destroyer, you might feel issues if he does leave out a lot of gaps in the midfield while you switch from attack to defense. For those, pair him up with an Anchorman/Orchestrator for sitting back, thus giving him a free role.
Tomas Rosicky
Playing Style: Classic No.10
Looking back at that iconic moment match
Once again, the famous Tottenham vs Arsenal match was the showdown in the Premier League fixture. The game did saw a winner in Arsenal, which was scored in the early minutes into the game, the rest of the game didn’t carry the tempo. Arsenal kept themselves in strong contention for the Premier League title as Tomas Rosicky’s early goal secured victory.
Rosicky rifled in a sublime angled drive just minutes into the game after leading a swift break for the visitors. In the 2nd minute of the game, The Gunners broke down the right, Rosicky found Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and, although the England international couldn’t control the ball just inside the area, it squirmed out to Rosicky, who sweetly struck his first-time effort which flew into the far corner.
A decent spell of Tottenham possession ensued, but their high defensive line left them exposed to Arsenal counter-attacks. Tottenham’s Emmanuel Adebayor flicked a shot just wide in the first half, and they dominated after the break. The former Gunner was largely isolated in the first half but his first sight of goal almost resulted in the equalizer when Andros Townsend and Kyle Naughton combined on the right and the latter crossed for the striker inside the area, but his first-time shot flew just wide of the far post.
The home side was presented a golden chance to equalize soon after the restart when Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny pawed at a cross, pushing it on to Chadli, who was unable to find a way past defender Laurent Koscielny, who had positioned himself on the line. Arsenal held on to the lead and won. Even with most of the possession, the shooting from Spurs was a horrific display as out of 17 shots attempted, only two were on target.
Player Analysis
One of the players who is being ignored for his playstyle, the Classic No.10. Rosicky is one of the finest offensive mids who has played for Arsenal, and even in PES his iconic moments’ card is no less than splendid. He produces sheer offensive quality to your side and is a perfect AMF to help you in creating a lot of chances.
Rosicky has a good Offensive Awareness, and his forward runs are good. He is one of those creative mids that can be successful when you play him as a forward too. Coming to his dribbling, he is silky smooth on the ball, he can hold on to the ball close to his feet and still maintains the perfect balance while he is dribbling. 97 Ball Control and 96 Tight Possession explains enough. Another great card for dribblers, with skills like Marseille Turn, Cut Behind & Turn works well to dribble past defenders and create space for a pass. Classic No.10 does not limit his prowess anywhere and it doesn’t stop him from involving in the attack often.
He is a decent finisher and has a good Long Shot attributes. The best of Rosicky comes with his passing, where he excels thanks to his 94 Low Pass and 89 Lofted Pass stats. He is really good when moving and distributing the ball forward. Without a doubt, with 89 Place Kicking and 90 Curl, you can take brilliant direct freekicks and set pieces.
Issues of having low Physicality doesn’t affect his game, just that he can be pushed off the ball easily but his balance makes up for it. Rosicky is the best sub option for reasons if you have a good starting XI stacked. It because of his ability and versatility to play in any offensive position, and this does give an advantage to you to have fresh legs on the pitch who is also a utility player. Another reason being his low stamina.
Formation Discussion
At AMF and SS, Rosicky works great. Use him in a central position to use his creative productivity to feed your forwards. Formations like 4-2-1-3, 4-3-1-2, 3-4-1-2 are excellent. As an SS, you can use him at a wider role in wide formations. A Possession manager is a good fit.
Robert Pires
Playing Style: Prolific Winger
Looking back at that iconic moment match
If you ask any die-hard Arsenal fan about the significance of 25th April, especially the year 2004, they will always have an answer. Yes, you are thinking the same thing. The Invincible title. On this day, Arsenal drew 2-2 with North London rivals Tottenham at White Hart Lane, clinching the sole point they needed to seal the Premier League crown, which went on to be one of the most historic events etched in recent memory. 20 days later, what we know is that Arsenal completed the season, Undefeated.
The Gunners had gone the entire season undefeated and entered the day with 81 points, nine clear of second-placed Chelsea and with a game in hand. Playing in front of a crowd of 36,097 at the home ground of their bitter derby rivals, the game saw a sweet result which was a celebration to all the fans of the club.
Three minutes into the game, Vieira puts Arsenal ahead thanks to a wonderful goal. The Arsenal Captain slid the ball home after a counter-attack involving Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. Another goal from Arsenal was in the same half, with Bergkamp being the creator again. His vision and weight of pass slicing opened the Spurs defense on the right as he fed Vieira. The French connection was on and Vieira turned the ball into the path of his compatriot Pires, who calmly clipped the ball past Kasey Keller. The celebration of Pires has been iconic and does see itself as one of those Arsenal Iconic Moments.
Tottenham replied in the second half by scoring twice. In the 62nd minute, Redknapp reduced the deficit. Brown and the substitute Defoe linked well to create an opening for Redknapp and his low shot arrowed past Lehmann. The equalizer came with a late penalty, but it did not stop the Arsenal players celebrating at the final whistle in front of their supporters at the White Hart Lane enclave. This marked the second time the club had been crowned league champions at their rivals’ ground: the first time had been in 1971. Wenger praised his team for their success, telling the BBC: “We’ve been remarkably consistent, haven’t lost a game and we have played stylish football. We have entertained people who just love football.”
Player Analysis
Another player who belongs to the Giggs and Freddie category where playing style does not activate in their natural positions. Pires is always one of those fine wingers in the game who is excellent in every department but is overshadowed by a lot of featured players, even if players have his card.
When you start his review, you begin with how good is he with his feet. Pires is an amazing left-wing option if you want every attribute in the offensive side covered. Starting with his runs, it is great as you can see his triggering runs under a quick passing routine. On the ball, he is amazing. A very good controller of the ball, he has good balance too and does have enough flair to pull off impressive skills like Double Touch and Heel Trick.
Finishing department, another tick. Not the best in the department, but way better than average, 89 at max level. He can apply a good amount of curl to get the distance and a neat finish necessary. In the pace department, another tick. 92 Speed and 91 Acceleration makes him a pacey flank option, who also carries all-round attributes. Has an adequate amount of Stamina too to run the full 90. A good crosser of the ball, as well as passing, is very disciplined. He in fact has four different passing skills which are even better when you use him as a creator forward.
Although there are no major negatives to talk about, his Physical Contact is less, where times he can be bullied by a defender. Else there aren’t many aspects that you can complain about this Arsenal Iconic Moments card.
Formation Discussion
Use him as a left flank in any formation that provides width. 4-3-3, 3-2-2-3, 4-2-2-2 are some best examples.
That’s all we have as of now for reviewing the Arsenal Iconic Moments players in PES. We are going to review more Iconic Moments players from other clubs too, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, if you want to read reviews of PES Legend players in PES 2020, we have them available:
Also, we recently reviewed all the newly added European National Legends too, feel free to check them out too!
Did you find our Arsenal Iconic Moments review helpful? What is your opinion on them? Do let us know in the comments!
For more Mobile Gaming news and updates, join our WhatsApp group, Telegram Group or Discord server. Also, follow us on Google News, Instagram and Twitter for quick updates.
