Guides

Nearly all football managers rely on tools to help assist them during their career.  Some use cutting-edge technology to crunch data, while others make do with an old-fashioned pen and paper. However, every manager would give their best cup final suit for the power to change the footballing landscape like you can with Football Manager’s Editors. 

For Football Manager 2023 we’ve listened to calls from our community to increase the power available to you via our In-Game Editor (IGE), so let’s run through some of the new areas you can make serious changes to an existing save. 

Your FM22 managerial journey can be whatever you want it to be – and whether that means you take control of every little thing or just turn up for matchdays is entirely up to you.

Perhaps you’re not a fan of dealing with the media? Or maybe you prefer to be like a special Portuguese man who doesn’t get on too well with the media. Or do you prefer the warmth of your office to the more chilled environment of the training pitch?

Whatever type of manager you choose to be, we've put together a guide that explains how to delegate various aspects of your role to your very capable backroom team.

The 2. Bundesliga has been one of Europe’s most fascinating leagues this season, in no small part down to it containing several big teams with considerable pedigree – FC Schalke 04, Werder Bremen, Hamburg, Nürnberg and Fortuna Düsseldorf share 27 top-flight titles, large fanbases and multiple domestic and continental trophies between them.

We always love to see young players getting opportunities and for that reason all 18 2. Bundesliga clubs deserve credit for giving regular minutes to some of German football’s brighter young talents. With the campaign having drawn to a close, we’ve put together our XI of the league’s most impressive up-and-comers.

The Main Winter Update is usually a big moment in every year for Football Manager fans. It’s a time when January transfers are registered and the ratings of thousands of players across the world are adjusted based on their performances through the first half of the season. We’ve dug through our database to pick out 10 of the best players who got a Current Ability upgrade in the Main Winter Update.

You might have thought that this year’s January transfer window was pretty quiet, bar an interesting Transfer Deadline Day. There was, however, some really clever business done across the footballing world, including several moves that definitely warrant the FM seal of approval. We’ve put together a list of 10 of our favourite deals that you might have missed. You’ll be able to guide all of these players to the top with their new clubs in the FM22 Main Winter Update.

Versus Mode is back, giving FMFC members the opportunity to challenge each other for the ultimate online bragging rights after returning as part of the FM22 (PC/Mac) Main Winter Update. 

Every manager wants to have the best players at their disposal. However, it’s not always possible. Whether you’re taking charge of your local lower league side or managing in an exotic location where you are unable to draw in the world’s top talents, you’ll have to make the best of the players in your squad and the signings you can make. That’s not always an easy task; players in lower reputation leagues haven’t always got the most complete skillsets and require careful managing to succeed. Rock’s End FM outlines some simple strategies to maximise the ability of more limited players.

Whether you’ve taken charge of a side accustomed to success or rewritten the history books by guiding a lower-tier side through the divisions, conquering the footballing world is what every single player Football Manager career is all about.

No matter how many wonderkids you pick up or trophies you lift, nothing tastes sweeter than toppling your mates and earning the ultimate bragging rights in one of FM’s multiplayer game modes*.

These modes have risen to prominence in recent seasons and we’ve put together a guide on how to make the most of them in the months to come. 

Football formations are cyclical. When one system seems to be more effective than others it’s widely adopted, before another system comes in to take its place. Sooner or later the historical systems of old return to the surface again, albeit with some modern tweaks. 

Until recently, the back four was proving dominant but now it’s three-at-the-back systems (or back-five if you count the marauding wing-backs) that are becoming increasingly prevalent. It doesn’t take a brave Byline writer to predict that this trend will continue in Football Manager 2022. After all, the addition of the Wide Centre-Back role in FM22 makes a back-three system even more enticing and FM Grasshopper explains why that’s the case. 

As most footballers will attest, there's quite nothing like the joy of representing your nation; every sweat-drenched shirt and every tear shed (of happiness or hurt) in the name of your country means more. Rock’s End FM breaks down international management in FM21, allowing you to lead your nation to glory and a place in immortality.

The term ‘Gegenpress’ first entered the public consciousness after Borussia Dortmund burst back onto the European stage with successive Bundesliga titles and a continental cup final appearance. Their playing style was intense and entertaining, later defined as ‘heavy metal’ football. It captured the imagination of fans and pundits alike. It was an obvious candidate for inclusion when tactical presets were added as part of Football Manager 2019’s tactics overhaul. But what does ‘Gegenpress’ exactly mean, and how can we translate this into FM? Rock’s End FM provides a detailed guide.

For many years now, the ability to edit data in Football Manager has been a vital part of the FM experience. Whether you use the Pre-Game Editor (PGE) to update your favourite team with the latest transfer movements (so that you can start a season with your club’s latest signing already in the squad), create the European Super League you’ve always dreamt of, or save yourself the hassle of asking the board for a larger transfer budget (by simply increasing it yourself), the application allows to play the game your way. Here, Luke D’Alton offers some advice on how to get the most from the FM21 PGE.