Football Manager 2022

Did I accidentally download last year's version of Football Manager? Ronaldo does play for the "Man UFC" (!), as the team is called in this game, and Messi is at PSG, but everything else seems to be exactly the same as last year? Was it only offered as an update this year? After ten hours, I'm still not sure what's really new about this game. That says a lot when I have to visit the game's official website to even find out what the big difference is from last year. So, what's new? Not much, it turns out. Not much at all.

They brag about a new animation engine during the matches for dribbling and player movements. It's not directly FIFA graphics though, so it's not a huge change. But it is of course good that they try to make the game engine as striking as possible and get rid of the laughable things that have happened earlier during the matches. Then there is a new data hub where you can get all kinds of statistics, from key points during previous matches to how your team performs in different parts compared to the rest of the series. Goals per match, passing frequency, tackles won. You can get a lot of information here. If you like digging into statistics, this can of course be interesting, but for most people it is probably something that will not be used very much.

The new thing that you will probably notice most are new staff meetings that you will have to attend at regular intervals. There are several things going on here, such as players to scout, new penalty shooters, training tips and more. Admittedly, you can turn this off completely, or get it once a week, every other week or otherwise. It may be a good tool to see what your club and your players need, but I found myself skipping this and only asking for summaries after a couple of times.

The last change that Sports Interactive flags in this edition is a new deadline day system with new scouting characteristics and changed player values during the last transfer day. Like the other things, it's a fun addition, but nothing that's a drastic change. Deadline day has also existed in previous games. Otherwise, this is exactly what we can expect from the series. It's Football Manager and the game is still what we've got over the last decade. That is, a real time-waster where "just one more match" will constantly happen and all of a sudden it is in the middle of the night. But why sleep when I can play another match? After all, it's a derby. Did I lose? Now I have to spend an hour on the transfer list to chase new players. There is an extreme depth in the game and you can click around in the menus for several hours without even clicking onto the next day.

Something the game has problems with is a very uneven quality of translation. There are lots of misspellings, untranslated words and such things. It is very disturbing in a game that is basically entirely text-based. Speaking of text, the press conferences are back, of course. Depending on your answers, it will give your players morale or give a better trust to the fans and the board. If you do not fit in, your answers may have the opposite effect. If you also succeed in becoming a real favourite with the press, the questions will be more pleasant. As with the staff meetings, I skipped them fairly quickly and left them to my assistant coach. I simply do not think they are particularly interesting or add enough to the game.

The big thing is of course instead about getting the right tactics and player line-up for the upcoming matches, which can be as difficult as it is frustrating. Why do my strikers not score? Do I have to play with two strikers? In my last six matches with Paris FC in the French second division, in an attempt to become Paris' new big club, we have only scored two goals. The defence is great with only five goals conceded and without even conceding two goals in the same match.

But why does my offence not work? These are the things that make this game so interesting. Trying to solve these issues. To make a small club a threat in the best leagues. Or to continue to dominate with a big club. The choice is yours. Football Manager 2022 certainly does not offer any major news. It has been polished a bit here and there, but nothing that you will notice as anything bigger. What we are instead offered is the same old material. And there is nothing wrong with that. The series is still what we have learned to like, but the question is whether it is time to release a new game every two years instead. Something tells me that will not be the case.