The Paris-Berlin-Rome Triangle Football Manager Challenge. Paris, Berlin, Rome. Three of the biggest cities in Europe, all of them home to great cultural landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Brandenburg Gate and the Colosseum.
Paris, Berlin, Rome. Three of the biggest cities in Europe, all of them home to great cultural landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Brandenburg Gate and the Colosseum.
But what else do they have in common?
All three are capitals of great footballing nations, France, Germany and Italy have won together 10 World Cup and 6 European Championships, while clubs from these countries have conquered the UEFA Champions League on 20 occasions.
Still can’t figure out where I’m going with this?
Well, the 3 capital cities share the same infamous detail: no football club from Paris, Berlin or Rome has ever won the UEFA Champions League. While, London was also on this inglorious list until Chelsea saved the English capital’s honour in 2012, other less populous and less glamorous European capitals such as Madrid, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Bucharest or Belgrade have hosted clubs that became European Champions.
RELATED: List of Football Manager challenges to embark on in your next save
Ok, you might have guessed the challenge by now. You will have to win the UEFA Champions League with clubs from the 3 cities, all in one save.
Here are a few tips, or guidelines, whatever you want to call them because at the end of the day, it’s your game and if you chose to try out this challenge it’s entirely up to you how you go about it.
1. Make your manager Swiss. This nationality will make your manager fluent in German, Italian and French. Alternatively, use any nationality you like and chose a secondary nationality or other spoken languages.
2. Start with PSG. In my playthroughs, PSG always manages to win the Champions League within the first 5 seasons. If you start in Berlin or Rome, this might ruin the challenge because Paris will have won the Champions League before you get a chance to manage them.
3. If you’re feeling lucky and you think PSG won’t manage to win the UCL on its own, you could try starting out with the second club in the city, Paris FC, currently in Ligue 2. Or if you’re a real hardcore FMer, try getting Paris’ first Champions League trophy with its third team, Red Star, just relegated from Ligue 2 to the Championnat National (third league).
4. Starting with PSG, win the UCL as soon as possible, even in the first year. You have all the resources you need to do so, and this will clear your first objective and allow you to move on to the harder stages of this Football Manager challenge.
5. Hunt the AS Roma job. Compared to Lazio, Roma is in a much stronger position to challenge for the Champions League, but that also means it’s less likely for them to sack their current manager. If this is the case, don’t waste your time and take the Lazio job. Usually, they underperform, and their managers get the sack quite often.
6. You’ve done it! Some years ago you were drinking champagne from the Champions League trophy on the Champs-Élysées, and now you’re celebrated with a Roman triumph on the Capitoline Hill. You can retire in glory and live the rest of you days reminiscing about those days. Oh, wait… did someone say Berlin? The hardest part of this challenge is yet to come.
7. Yes, you’ve built yourself into quite a reputable manager, but Berlin is not exactly the best city to go to if you want an easy time winning your third Champions League. And by the time you get to this stage of the challenge, Hertha or Union might not even be rubbing their elbows with Bayern München or Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga anymore. But now, time is on your side. Stalk the job at the club which is better suited for you at this point. Take over and work your magic once more. Challenge Bayern and Dortmund for the top spots, get into the Champions League and win it. Easy, right? You can already see yourself at the end of a dramatic final, soaked in beer by your players on the field.
That’s it for this (sort of) football manager challenge. If you’re a patient and experienced Football Manager player, you should definitely try it out. I admit, there are many variables that could go wrong and ruin your save, like not getting the job at the required clubs on time, or even worse, one of them actually winning the UCL on their own (unlikely, if you start with PSG). But if you’re planning a long term save and you like having clear objectives for your career, this is a playthrough that will keep you hooked, just take your time and plan ahead your every move.
About Paris-Berlin-Rome Triangle Football Manager Challenge
Ok, you might have guessed the challenge by now. You will have to win the UEFA Champions League with clubs from the 3 cities, all in one save.
Here are a few tips, or guidelines, whatever you want to call them because at the end of the day, it’s your game and if you chose to try out this challenge it’s entirely up to you how you go about it.
1. Make your manager Swiss. This nationality will make your manager fluent in German, Italian and French. Alternatively, use any nationality you like and chose a secondary nationality or other spoken languages.
2. Start with PSG. In my playthroughs, PSG always manages to win the Champions League within the first 5 seasons. If you start in Berlin or Rome, this might ruin the challenge because Paris will have won the Champions League before you get a chance to manage them.
3. If you’re feeling lucky and you think PSG won’t manage to win the UCL on its own, you could try starting out with the second club in the city, Paris FC, currently in Ligue 2. Or if you’re a real hardcore FMer, try getting Paris’ first Champions League trophy with its third team, Red Star, just relegated from Ligue 2 to the Championnat National (third league).
4. Starting with PSG, win the UCL as soon as possible, even in the first year. You have all the resources you need to do so, and this will clear your first objective and allow you to move on to the harder stages of this Football Manager challenge.
5. Hunt the AS Roma job. Compared to Lazio, Roma is in a much stronger position to challenge for the Champions League, but that also means it’s less likely for them to sack their current manager. If this is the case, don’t waste your time and take the Lazio job. Usually, they underperform, and their managers get the sack quite often.
6. You’ve done it! Some years ago you were drinking champagne from the Champions League trophy on the Champs-Élysées, and now you’re celebrated with a Roman triumph on the Capitoline Hill. You can retire in glory and live the rest of you days reminiscing about those days. Oh, wait… did someone say Berlin? The hardest part of this challenge is yet to come.
7. Yes, you’ve built yourself into quite a reputable manager, but Berlin is not exactly the best city to go to if you want an easy time winning your third Champions League. And by the time you get to this stage of the challenge, Hertha or Union might not even be rubbing their elbows with Bayern München or Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga anymore. But now, time is on your side. Stalk the job at the club which is better suited for you at this point. Take over and work your magic once more. Challenge Bayern and Dortmund for the top spots, get into the Champions League and win it. Easy, right? You can already see yourself at the end of a dramatic final, soaked in beer by your players on the field.
Summary
That’s it for this (sort of) football manager challenge. If you’re a patient and experienced Football Manager player, you should definitely try it out. I admit, there are many variables that could go wrong and ruin your save, like not getting the job at the required clubs on time, or even worse, one of them actually winning the UCL on their own (unlikely, if you start with PSG). But if you’re planning a long term save and you like having clear objectives for your career, this is a playthrough that will keep you hooked, just take your time and plan ahead your every move.
