While Football Manager has for many years focused on accessibility to allow all players to have the best possible experience, it is always good to remember that playing a game of FM comes down to a multiplication of data on rather dark tables (or not, depending on the skin you have chosen for your game). We are actors, of course, but not in the manner of a FIFA. No, there, the credo is to send messages, instructions, to draw up a tactical plan to highlight your foals and make them shine in the best possible way. What a real coaching job.
SHE’S HERE, THE CUT WITH BIG EARS GUYS
Always in tune with what the world of football can offer in terms of changes, Sports Interactive has, for this season, above all caught up and filled a void for its biggest fans: having the official license for the UEFA European Cups . The Champions League, the Europa League and its little sister, the Europa League Conference are therefore coming into the game. It’s not just a gadget addition to amuse the gallery, since the experience is pushed in the following way: ordinary without heat, the draws for the group stages of each competition benefit from a particular dressing and their official anthems. We are not going to lie to each other: hearing the music of the Champions League, with a draw almost similar to that seen on TV (respect for hats and teams that cannot be in the same group), it has its effect.
The rendering of matches has also improved in quality. Still based on a dated 3D engine – but then really dated, a voluntary choice on the part of the Sports Interactive teams – the latter benefit from significant visual additions, such as new animations for pre-matches, for goal celebrations, but above all, with regard to the behavior of the players on a field. The style of calls and races of a Kylian Mbappé are very close to reality (yes, yes even with images that still sting the eyes in 2022 but we get used to it), the goalkeepers have gained in realism, the midfielders behave better and distill balls… which look like good stock building balls. In short, we were quite amazed because we saw during the five hours of test session that we had to get a first idea of the title.
THE SUPPORTERS ARE ALWAYS RIGHT
A first idea that does not include the other changes promised for this edition. Five hours is only an appetizer in an FM season, especially when you take the time not to delegate anything to your staff and you want to savor the experience, game by game. At this stage, it is difficult to discuss in detail the support of the supporters, who now benefit from a real weight, just as important as the confidence of your leaders, which fluctuates depending on whether or not you have achieved the objectives requested. or respected the club’s policy in terms of transfers, for example, or youth in the workforce. The developers on site assured us that this public trust would indeed have an impact: that of putting pressure on you other than your board, since the latter, even if still satisfied with your services or confident about you, could very well get out if the fans come to take a dislike to you and growl too loudly after bad results. Needless to say, the Sports Interactive teams didn’t have to look far for inspiration for this feature. Admittedly, the supporters already expressed themselves in the past in the game, in particular concerning certain transfers of players (the darlings who leave, the enemies who arrive) but without this threatening your position as coach. There, things will change.
HARDER MATCHES TO MANAGE?
Ditto for the overall adversity of the game. If the AI can sometimes complicate our task, SI wanted to emphasize even more the importance of the stakes in the ranking (maintenance, race for Europe), in the way with which the opposing teams will prepare against you and try things during the match. The example of an ultra-defensive and aggressive scheme in the manner of Atlético Madrid was cited to us, a mentality which could very well suit a team really concerned with saving itself at the end of the season, for example. Here again, only several full seasons will make it possible to judge the balance of this work of the developers, just like the relevance of the proximity now, of the players’ agents with your club. The latter will be able to contact you directly and even intervene to save a badly started negotiation, with the aim of satisfying their client. Similarly, you can also plan the outlines of your team over a period of three years in advance via a new tool, the Squad Planner, which can allow you to anticipate shortcomings or future shortcomings in your crew. For the rest, it does not move: Football Manager 2023 is like the others before it and is as pleasant to take in hand as it is pleasant to play. All that remains is to finish the action correctly on November 8th.