7 mistakes you’re (probably) making in Football Manager 

Whether you’re firing up Football Manager for the first time or carry the tender scars of a seasoned player, you’re undoubtedly making a few mistakes in the game. It’s easy to do, especially when results start going the wrong way or an extended losing streak rears its head. We’ve all been there, losing five games on the spin before throwing away a 3-0 lead in Europe to a team you’re expected to beat. It’s a challenging position and can easily rattle the most dedicated manager.

We’ll highlight some of the most prominent mistakes players make. These may not guarantee wins like a broken corner tactic or signing the best free transfers, but they will undoubtedly go a long way to ironing out some problems and improving you as a player long-term. Many of these come from personal experience after spending too much time in FM, trying to achieve greatness and, on many occasions, falling short. It’s always important to remember what FM is and that it can turn on you instantly.

Tinkering with tactics too often

We’ve all been there. Can’t find a win anywhere. Nothing is working. So the most obvious thing to do is tinker with tactics to try and fix your bad run of form. Minor changes are okay, but if that familiarity bar in the top right starts getting too low, you’ll have no hope, and before you know it, you’re tactic will be unrecognisable. Players will grow increasingly inconsistent.

Try to commit to the same tactic primarily if it has worked, rotating some personnel instead of switching to a five at the back for the first time, hoping it’ll turn things around. It’s also worth having a second tactic set up so that players already use it in training and better understand alternative ways of playing.

Being too afraid to change tactics

Conversely, you can’t be too scared to switch things up tactically, which can be just as damaging to your season. Certain opposition will require a different approach to get the better of them, so slight tweaks are needed throughout the season to achieve success. It’s about striking a balance, and solid recruitment will help here so you have different players for different problems. This is when having a second tactic already set up for different scenarios can pay dividends.

Not using the right tactics for your players

You might already have a tactic in mind when starting a save, but you need the right players to make it work. Sometimes, you need to build up to the high-pressing style you’ve dreamed because you don’t have the personnel required right away. If you want to play with more intensity and pressure, you’ll need to make sure your players have the physical attributes and aggression required. Otherwise, it will never work, regardless of how much you keep trying.

Writing off players who are over 30

A player is starting to get closer to 30, and you’re thinking about moving to a younger model, but in FM, players can play incredibly effective deep into their 30s. A few years ago, I was at Inter Milan and signed a 30-year-old James Ward-Prowse for depth. By the end of the season, he was easily one of my best players. He continued to perform deep into his 30s and quickly became one of the best players in the world.

Youngsters are great in the game, but there’s much to be said about experience and how crucial it can be during high-pressure matches. Often, there’s more left in the tank than you might think with some older players. As long as they’re still performing, they continue to improve as they age because every player’s peak comes at a different time.

Making promises you can’t keep

This one catches out so many players. If you break too many promises, you’ll lose the dressing room in no time. When signing new players and during contract negotiations, they will often slip in small promises or guarantees that you can’t commit to. Before you know it, the season has ended, you’ve not won a domestic trophy, and they’ve decided they want to leave because you can’t be trusted, likely having to sell them at a loss to help squad harmony. It’s a slippery slope that will also impact your long-term success and what other clubs may think of you when going for new jobs.

Letting contracts run down

Occasionally, players will refuse to sign a new contract because they want to move on or because of broken promises. It seems like a good idea to try and run the contract down in the hope of changing their mind, but this often leads to losing the player for free and missing out on some much-needed cash. Offering players new deals can also improve morale in the squad, even bettering or helping maintain form. It’s a good idea to provide players with new deals when they have more than two years left so you have a better idea of where you stand with them going forward.

Dropping deep after scoring

Maybe the most common mistake new players make when playing Football Manager is dropping deep after scoring against tough opposition. It’s a natural thing to do. After all, it’s important to keep an advantage. However, moving your whole team deeper gives your opposition space, relieving any pressure you might have had and all but asking the opponent to score.

A healthy alternative is trying to press more from the front, or even adding an extra defender but maintaining a similar shape in the attacking third, continuing to press, and defending from the front. Players with high aggression off the bench will also help sustain any lead you’ve gained and can focus their full attention on trying to get a second goal.

About the Author

Morgan Truder

Morgan has a wealth of experience when it comes to gaming, having previously edited Realsport, a website dedicated to sports games. At VG, Morgan focuses on Football Manager news and features.

Football Manager 2024

• Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series X
• Genre(s): Management, Soccer, Sports

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