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Geek Review: Football Manager 2022

Geek Review: Football Manager 2022

There are certainly many who enjoy a season of fantasy football or two, and while you can certainly let your fingers do the talking on games such as FIFA 22, those who prefer data-munching, studying the game, and figuring out solutions that matter will gravitate towards Sports Interactive and its long-running management simulation series, Football Manager 2022, which allows every fan to be their own armchair manager and football tactician.

Let the tactics do the talking in Football Manager 2022.

But before you get to the kick-off, know that this game and the entire series are not casual affairs. If you are not keen on learning the ins and outs of modern management, or studying data like your life depended on it, Football Manager 2022 is not your cup of tea. 

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This new entry has built on the foundations of the past, presenting a truly magnificent lens into how football clubs are run from the top to the bottom, and tasking you with the mission to capture glory, survive the battle at the bottom, or enjoy that mid-table mediocrity.

The fundamentals remain as strong as ever, complemented by a few new additions that elevate Football Manager 2022 in some areas while still being dogged by some familiar problems overall. 

A big overhaul that can impact managers’ thinking and how things actually play out on the pitch is the improved match engine. Rather than have animations tied to the classic disc-like shapes that move erratically in a 2D plane on a 3D pitch, new animations are giving players in the game more freedom.

New animations make for a new engine in Football Manager 2022.

You might start noticing proper runs that make sense, curving to avoid the offside trap, or the more skilful players pulling off agile moves and getting more space for themselves. It definitely ups the visual aspects of things, but this change also has a profound impact on what is going on under the hood.

The way you set up your team matters more than ever, just like in real life. Tactics can offer both benefits and concessions, and it is up to the aspiring manager in you to decide what are the tradeoffs you are willing to live with. With the new animations in place, players are going to witness more noticeable differences and impact of your tactical nous. 

The passage of play and the general flow has also improved, and it is most evident in the revamped pressing system implemented by Sports Interactive for Football Manager 2022. For those who love getting into the nitty-gritty of systems and tactics, then this is your time to shine.

Where you want your players to engage the opposition, how high and wide your defensive line has to be, and what triggers the press are all factors to take into serious consideration. There are real-life examples of what haphazard pressing can lead to, and detailed managers will be able to take advantage of their team’s strength and reduce the danger of creative players or wingers accordingly. 

Then again, even with the best tactical setups, you are going to need the right players to pull it off. It makes no sense to build attacks from the back if you do not possess ball playing goalkeepers and defenders, and in the same vein, going for a concentrated press straight from the off is going to leave players knackered from the chasing. 

All about the stats in Football Manager 2022.

Players are definitely more susceptible to fatigue in Football Manager 2022, as they should be, since even professionals need a break or two just like in real life. This means players will not be pressing when they are exhausted, and can throw a real monkey wrench into your well-laid plans.

As such, your entire season will become a juggling act of trying to win, keep players fresh, and figuring out how to best tackle the next fixture on the horizon, which is exactly how it should be if you are trying to simulate the real issues facing a manager in the game.

Thankfully, players are going to get some help with the robust data analysis available in Football Manager 2022, now enhanced with the addition of the new and excellent Data Hub. How you think you can play and how your team is actually performing becomes distilled into countless tables of stats and diagrams showing you exactly what you need to know, that is, if you can find them.

It is clear that having knowledge of how all of these things work in tandem is going to be really helpful, and every single tweak in a system can create a knock-on effect that might not be apparent at the start. A football team is not built in a day, and players are going to live that reality over the course of their careers in Football Manager 2022.

Does this obsession over data gatekeep casual players from dabbling in the art of simulated football management? Yes and no, as players who invest the time and effort to learn about all the intricacies will benefit tenfold, while those less inclined to lose their lives can still get by on the basic functions of the game, but they will have to be contented with milling around with confusion.

On the transfers front, Sports Interactive has also made some interesting changes to how things work, especially on Deadline Day. Perhaps mirroring its real-life counterpart a little too much, you are going to get all the drama and the stress of trying to get deals across the line as the day counts down. 

If you are not a fan of the massive amounts of money being splashed out and seemingly glorified in the chase for sporting glory, then this particular feature is not going to impress. However, there is still some fun in the transfer circus for the rest of you.

Agents have also taken a more prominent role in Football Manager 2022, with agent conversations returning with an impactful change. No longer are you getting important information like valuations and player interest without any consequences. 

Should you decide to ring up an agent, you best be ready to fork out the cash for a transfer, or risk worsening the relationship you have with them. There is just no running away from their shadowy grasps if you want the best footballers, and the game is no different.

If you rather not depend on these individuals, then your scouting better be on point. This is where Football Manager 2022 stumbles a little bit as well, with analyst reports not entirely being informative and helpful. Although it is helpful to know just how a certain player stands in comparison to his peers, it would be nice to know who are the better options out there, just like how a real scouting network would operate. Finding the next wunderkind was never going to be easy, but this is just making things obtuse for little reason.

For an annual franchise, Sports Interactive has truly produced something significant with Football Manager 2022, adding even more attractive elements to a game that already demands a level of obsession, unlike many others. 

Rather than a short hit of satisfaction and excitement, this is a prolonged journey through the highs and lows of top-level football management, backed by some seriously insane amount of data that can be harnessed to players’ benefit and detriment. Instead of sitting back and just running your mouth, Football Manager 2022 represents the perfect opportunity to put your money where your mouth is, and that is a joy you cannot find anywhere else as a football fan.

Football Manager 2022 is available on Steam for $59.00.

GEEK REVIEW SCORE

Summary

With some truly remarkable additions and a few missteps along the way, Football Manager 2022 continues the series’ fine form for yet another year.

Overall
8.8/10
8.8/10
  • Gameplay - 8.5/10
    8.5/10
  • Performance - 9/10
    9/10
  • Presentation - 8.5/10
    8.5/10
  • Value - 9/10
    9/10