3 Things Every Football Manager Player Should Know

Here are a few things we think you need to know to manage your club more effectively in Football Manager 2021. Tips for becoming better at FM21.

Here are a few things you need to know to manage your club more effectively in FM.

With Football Manager you’re the closest it gets to managing a real club… without a coaching badge. But there’s more to it than that! Once you get into being a club manager, you need to go above and beyond to accomplish the best results. So, let’s get you started on being a high-ranking manager. 

1. Signing the Right Players

The most important part of being a manager is putting together a strong team. To do that, you need to know which players to sign and which players not to sign. A couple of tips to up your team-making game are as follows.

Consider the relevance

A player’s attributes might look all shiny at first glance, but it is important to consider the role and position you intend for the player to play. 

Always highlight the attributes for the role you expect the player to play in your team.

Instead of going for a young player with good potential, click on the position and then select the role on a player’s profile to see the attributes that are actually important and relevant, and decide whether or not to sign the player based on those.

The cost-benefit aspect 

If you click on Finances, you’ll see your transfer budget and payroll standing. This makes it important to consider how many players you can have for how much and their payroll, especially if you’re a smaller club with a cap on your expenditure. 

RELATED: Tips on how to make money in Football Manager

Look at the scout report

Always look out for players who fear big matches in their scouting reports, and avoid signing them. It would be best if you aimed for players with better consistency. Last but not least is the player adaptability. Sign players with better adaptability. You don’t want to wait a year or more for a player to finally get comfortable playing in the team.

2. Hidden Features

Analyst Report

Right beside the Overview tab in Team Report is the Analyst Report section. With FM, it’s more visually enhanced than ever. 

It offers a detailed graph highlighting your ability and performance as compared to the league average. You can use it to see your strengths and weaknesses.

Technical Director

The transfer-acquisition process can sometimes be taxing (not to mention complicated). You can delegate the responsibility to your Technical Director by going to the Staff menu and clicking on the Responsibilities tab. Although they’re rare in the game, Technical Directors are very accurate and can hire the best staff for you. You can also ask your Technical Director for suggestions, which can be very helpful for you.

RELATED: Here's why you should hire Technical Director in Football Manager

Additional Statistics

If you go to Competitions and select your main league, you’ll find the Player Detailed option in the Stats drop-down. 

These stats are fairly difficult to find, and they aren’t even available on individual player screens. They can help you tailor your tactics to be the most effective and increase your chances of winning.

Reminders

I know we hate to be reminded of everything all the time, but this feature isn’t half as annoying as you would think. Suppose you were attempting to sign a player but couldn’t do so. So many things happen in Football Manager that in a month from then, the circumstances will have changed. Precisely at that time, a reminder that you set a month earlier will come in handy, and you might sign that player this time.

3. Common Tactic Mistakes

Disregarding Player Suitability

Most often than not, you end up using your players in the wrong positions. Placing a striker anywhere else will make the player ineffective regardless of the attributes. This can significantly undermine the overall performance of your team.

Skipping Match Preparation

Your assistant managers don’t schedule match preparation, do not leave it to them. It not only improves the team’s cohesion but also improves the individual roles of players. If you set up a player to train for a role, he is going to be training focused on exactly what you want him to do.

Poor Morale

When a team isn’t happy, they don’t perform well. It’s that simple! Use both criticism and praise based on the player’s performance. Constant dialogue with your players all the time is key to good morale.

Summary

That’s everything for the three things you should know as a football manager. Implementing these will take your game to the next level, so be sure to use as much you can. See you guys next time.