Football Manager 2022

The latest entry in the long-running series about managing your own soccer dream team is here. Football Manager 2022 takes the formula that players know and love and revamps it, providing the game with some quality-of-life improvements and visual upgrades that will sweeten the deal for returning users.

Even though the improvements to the game’s core formula are indeed appreciated, there’s a certain feeling of deja vu that permeates the whole experience. This is a tough sell for long-time fans of the series, and it might actually be better aimed at new players that love soccer games.

Numbers and Data

Sure, picking a team and leading it to victory in FIFA 22 can be a blast, but there’s a certain lack of depth to the whole process. If numbers are more your thing, Football Manager 2022 has got you covered.

New to this version of the game is the Data Hub, where you can check stats and in-depth data about your team’s performance. This knowledge can mean the difference between losing the season and winning it all. Every bit of information is presented in a clear and concise manner: just what you need to understand exactly how your team’s doing.

Some elements of the day-to-day simulation have also been revamped, including new events during player transfers. Now, players can feel every tense decision and its repercussions on your team’s morale, making the game feel much more interactive than Football Manager 2021.

Staff meetings are also a new component of the managerial simulation. These reunions can help boost the team’s reputation and morale before a big game. Together with the well-known weekly coaching reports, now you’ll know exactly how your players are doing, letting you decide if you need to change any team member more easily.

A Better Simulation

One area where the Football Manager series has always lagged behind its competition is the visual department. Thankfully, that’s an issue that’s mostly been solved by Football Manager 2022 and its revamped visuals and animations.

Now, matches look and feel better than ever: dribbles look more realistic than before, and looking at your players’ 3D models isn’t such the eyesore that it used to be in previous entries.

That said, the option to completely skip 3D matches is still available for those players who only care about the managerial side of the game. Frankly, skipping minor matches seems like the way to go, as simulating them usually takes way more time than it’s worth. It’s better to leave the animated matches exclusively for finals or other important games.

To summarize, Football Manager 2022 is a great addition to a very niche series. While some of the improvements might look a bit superfluous, they’re sure to be welcomed by new players who are looking for an easy-to-understand game about managing soccer teams.

Returning players, however, might find that the game lacks a bit in innovation. If you played any of the previous entries, particularly Football Manager 2021, there’s little reason for you to get this one other than for the occasional roster update.

Pros

• Improved visuals and animations
• Gameplay data is presented in a very clear way
• Updated roster

Cons

• Not much has changed since previous entries
• 3D matches can be a bit too slow