Football Manager 2021 is a very long-term focused game. You can dive into the FM world and start building your squad for the future. Being a manager of a football club, You’ll be able to handle everything from the tactics of football matches to schedule training. However, as a new player, You will surely feel, at least a little overwhelmed by everything the game puts in front of you, We have all been there! In this Football Manager 2021 Beginners Guide, we have picked a collection of tips and tricks should help kick-start your game and give you a little knowledge on how to effectively start your managerial career.
Note: The tips mentioned in our Football Manager 2021 Beginners Guide are specifically catered to newer players who are waiting to start their journey into their favorite manager’s shoes. They may not be applicable to more experienced returning players.
Football Manager 2021 Beginners Guide
1. Work alongside the Inbox
The inbox is the main center of all communication. Here, You will find everything you need to handle all in one place, which is perfect. It is recommended that you work with the inbox as your progress through the save option. The list of emails you receive will inform you of all the situations you need to handle. This really helps since there is a lot of stuff you need to care of. Starting at the inbox after every simulation is very useful.
2. Delegate most of your tasks in Football Manager 21
Staff plays a huge role in Football Manager 21, a lot of the tasks you would normally do can be delegated for them to do instead. This means that they will be able to make more informed decisions than you, especially if you have no clue what to do. The tasks you can delegate range from contract negotiations to financial management. If you can get someone else to do the job, let them do it first. With time, You’ll slowly start to realize what each decision means and you’ll soon be able to make them yourself.
3. Use basic tactics initially
Tactics have to be modified carefully, you don’t get perfect tactics just from one setting, it must be spread out over multiple matches so that you can tailor them to your needs. Your manager will give you initial recommendations and so it is best to work with that first. Over time, you will see potential changes whilst you are in matches and you can use these observations to alter your tactics yourself.
4. Go through the scouting list every so often
Your scouts automatically bring forward players that you might be interested in. The system itself is quite easy to handle. The players are presented in card format and you can read about each player as well as what the scout thinks of them. Then, the row of buttons underneath is pretty self-explanatory in terms of what they do. Every once in a while, just go through them. You might end up finding a hidden gem or someone that could be really useful to your team.
5. Take advantage of the free agents
Free agents are what it says they are. Players that are available completely free of charge. There is virtually no reason why you should hesitate when buying them, apart from if you need them or not. Just go through the list every few weeks to see what new players have arrived. Anyone, you like the look of, start negotiating a contract with them! The players you can find are generally quite old but you can still find some great wonder-kids there as well. So keep a lookout!
6. Keep in close interaction with your squad
As the manager of your team, you will also have the responsibility of managing the welfare of your players. Make sure to keep in contact with them and keep their morale up. You can do this by just organizing a quick meeting, sending praise to some players, encouraging others, etc. Just always keep in touch with all your players. It has a serious effect on their match performance, it may not seem like it, but it does.
7. Don’t worry about training just yet
Managing training is one of the more confusing sections, especially if you are a beginner player. It is best to avoid it completely at first. It happens automatically, but you can delegate the management task to your staff team to do. They will send consistent reports about player development and you can use the report to see what your team needs to work on. You can also use match performances to identify weaknesses in players. Then, you can go to the training section and then tailor the training drills to your needs. This is a very good way of learning how the section works.
8. Keep the staff reports coming in regularly
There is an option in Football Manager 21 to get your staff members to send you reports containing useful prompts for your team. The content ranges from staff recommendations to tactical advice to team advice. You can then take this information and use it as help to manage your team. These decisions are all generated and so they can be very good pieces of advice. Make sure to always go through the report at least once a week if you are new to the game.
9. Take as many inductions as possible
Inductions are essentially tutorials which you can go through to learn all the basics of each section. It is a very good idea to run through as many of these as possible just to see what you can do in the game. There are a lot of customizable options and these inductions will go through almost all of them. They take a few minutes to go through but they are incredibly useful. You should aim to take all of them for the best starting experience.
10. Read the squad report before signing players
The squad report is very detailed, it contains information of all types, from squad depth analysis to age analysis. Just read through everything before a transfer window, so that you know what kinds of players you will be looking for. The reports even inform you of all the excess negatives, such as the excessive number of players in a formation. This can be a useful guideline showing which kinds of players you might need to move on from your team.
That’s all for today in our Football Manager 2021 Beginners Guide. What are the strategies you looking into in your first manager mode sim? Let us know in the comment section below.
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