Role Models - Using Specialist Roles in FM22 (Part II)

 
 

#WeGoAgain.

In Part 1 we brought you 5 specialist roles in Football Manager 2022 (Libero, Carrilero, Raumdeuter, Trequartista, and Wide Centre Back), advising on how best to deploy each role, the key attributes / traits needed to successfully use each one and finally some examples / recommendations of players whom are the perfect fit for these roles based on the fact that they are relatively natural in these positions and possess some or all of the key attributes and playing style to fulfil each of these specialised roles.

Of course we aren’t done. There are 44 individual player roles in Football Manager 2022, and today we bring you 5 more specialist individual player roles to further guide and assist you when making key decisions as you tailor and tweak your First XI to execute the perfect formation and tactic in FM22.

1. Sweeper Keeper

🗣️ “The Sweeper Keeper aims to perform two roles, those of the standard Goalkeeper and the outfield Sweeper. Alongside standard goalkeeping duties, he will sweep up balls in front of and wide of the penalty area and initiative counter-attacking moves with direct through balls to breaking players”.

Imagine it. An extra-man. In your First XI. For free. Traditional goalkeepers have always been, well, traditional - a man between the sticks, there to stop shots and command the area when it comes to crosses and set-pieces however the evolution of football in recent years has meant the demand for far more intelligence, technique and overall footballing ability from goalkeepers has dramatically increased with the likes of Ederson, Manuel Neuer and most recently Islan Meslier all standing out and raising the bar in terms of how goalkeepers can contribute more towards outfield and attacking play in addition to defensive contribution and goal-prevention. In FM terms - the introduction of the Sweeper Keeper a few versions back and it’s subsequent evolution means that if you find the right player to successfully operate in this role, you are basically adding an additional outfield / attacking element when in possession - more aggressively advancing from the goal-line and sweeping up loose balls as well as getting more involved in initiating counter-attacks and distributing long or through balls to players further up the field.

Key Attributes: Command of Area, Kicking, One On Ones, Reflexes, Passing, Rushing Out, Throwing, Anticipation, Composure, Concentration, Positioning, Agility.

Player Traits: Uses Long Throw to Start Counter Attacks, Tries to Play Way Out of Trouble. 

Elite Tier: Ederson (Man City) £196m-£216m

More Affordable: André Onana (Ajax) £17m -£26m

Cut Price Alternative: Kiko Casilla (Leeds) £850k-£1.9m

 
 

2. Inverted Wing-Back

🗣️ “The Inverted Wing-Back will function defensively much like a standard Full-back or Wing-Back. However, while a normal Wing-Back will offer width to an attack, the Inverted Wing-Back (when he has a player ahead of him and where there are fewer than two defensive midfielders) will attempt to drift inside and create space for players around him. If there is no team-mate ahead of him on his side of the pitch then the Inverted Wing-Back will look to support attacks in a more traditional manner; when there is, he will look at affect play in the middle of the pitch as much as possible.”

Trent-Alexander Arnold. Reece James. Joao Cancelo. Prime examples of players who arguably are too talented to operate in a traditional full-back or wing-back role and as such make for the ideal Inverted Wing-Back - a player that offers defensive and attacking width and energy who is equally adept at cutting inside, offering an additional man in midfield on the ball as well as helping to overload central areas on the attack, even providing a goal threat as we have frequently seen lately which was perfectly represented by Reece James’ double for Chelsea in the weekend just gone. Joshua Kimmich was so effective in this role they even made him a midfielder. In FM terms - you will need a talented, intelligent, hard-working and technical player to deploy this role successfully but if you find the right click in terms of attributes and positional play, again you will see increased success when it comes to dominating possession and aggressively attacking midfield areas by overloading the opposition in terms of space, passing options and creativity moving forward through the middle.

Key Attributes: Dribbling, Marking, Passing, Tackling, Technique, Decision, Off the Ball, Teamwork, Work Rate, Acceleration, Stamina.

Player Traits: Wants Ball to Feet More Often, Gets Forward Whenever Possible, Cuts Inside from Wings.

Elite Tier: Joao Cancelo (Man City) £68m-£86m

More Affordable: Benjamin Henrichs (Dortmund) £16.5m-£25m

Cut Price Alternative: Matteo De Sciglio (Juventus) £4m-£6.2m

 
 

3. Mezzala

🗣️ “A central player that likes to drift wide and operate in the half-spaces. The Mezzala is essentially a central/half-winger, who likes to do his defending slightly further up the field, although he does generally have less defensive responsibility. With an Attack duty, the Mezzala will often leave his midfield responsibilities to his team-mates whilst mainly looking to make attacking contributions in the final third.”

Attacking. Contributions. In FM this means clear-cut chances, shots on goal, creating assists and of course, goals. None have epitomised this role better than Kevin De Bruyne, although it’s fair to say he has evolved it into his own “Free 8” role such is the uniqueness of his positional awareness and style of play in the Man City midfield. In Football Manager, it’s all about space - a player with outstanding vision and movement in addition to being technically skilled and gifted on the ball. Usually deployed as part of a 3 man midfield, if you find the right player and the right balance (remember the Mezzala does very little defending or hard graft centrally) then you have a powerful creative weapon around which Strikers and Inside Forwards usually thrive.

Key Attributes: Dribbling, Passing, Technique, Decisions, Off the Ball, Vision, Work Rate, Acceleration.

Player Traits: Runs with Ball Through Centre, Tries Killer Balls Often, Arrives Late in Opponent’s Area, Moves Into Channels.

Elite Tier: Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) £215m-£234m

More Affordable: Gaetano Castrovilli (Fiorentina) £8.4m-£13m

Cut Price Alternative: Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid) £6.4m

 
 

4. Enganche

🗣️ “The side’s prime creator, a hook that joins midfield and attack and operates behind the strikers and is a playmaker who sticks to his position and becomes a pivot to his team as they move around him. Unlike the Trequartista, it is a more stationary role as the Enganche acts as the focal point instead of moving around into larger areas of space.”

While the aforementioned Carrilero, Trequartista and Mezzala roles are all about movement and energy, the Enganche is somewhat at the opposite spectrum in terms of liveliness and vibrancy but can be equally impactful in terms of their influence on a game and their creative output as the focal point through which most of a their team’s attacking play pivots. The Enganche role was best illustrated through the likes of Argentinians Juan Roman Riquelme, Ariel Ortega and Pablo Aimar however more recently the role was very much that of an in-form Mezut Ozil who was never the most mobile or energetic but had the ability to completely dictate the tempo and creative output of Real Madrid and Arsenal in his peak. In FM it is arguably one of the more difficult roles to deploy in a match-engine that often favours speed and off-the-ball movement, however if you are lacking creativity in midfield but have bundles of energy and stamina in other positions to support it (think Carrileros or Box-to-Box midfielders) - an Enganche can be a highly effective focal point on which to base your attacking and creative play. Who needs physicals right?

Key Attributes: First Touch, Passing, Technique, Composure, Decisions, Vision.

Player Traits: Likes Ball Played Into Feet, Tries Killer Balls Often, Dictates Tempo, Plays One-Twos.

Elite Tier: Riqui Puig (Barcelona) £16.5m-£21m

More Affordable: Isco (Real Madrid) £10m

Cut Price Option: James Rodriguez (Al-Rayyan) £6m-£8.8m

 
 

5. False Nine

🗣️ “The False Nine, in some ways, similar to a more advanced attacking midfielder/playmaker role, is an unconventional lone striker or centre-forward who drops deep into midfield. The purpose of this is that it creates a problem for opposing central defenders who can either follow him - leaving space behind them for onrushing midfielders, forwards or wingers to exploit - or leave him to have time and space to dribble or pick out a pass.

Bit of a gamble, right? Get it right and of course, you have a player and role that will cause absolute havoc for any defence due to their movement and intentional deviation from the standard striker role. However get it wrong (as this writer often has) and you risk making the role and the player null and void whereby they can become a ghost and have little or no impact on the game. While it’s essential to have the right player in the role who is technical, athletic, relentless and equally unselfish at times (we are talking the likes of Leo Messi, Roberto Firmino and more recently Harry Kane as his role evolves for Tottenham and England) - it is equally essential that you have the quality to make up for what a False Nine sacrifices in terms of being a goal threat or presence in the final third. Prime Messi had the likes of Ronaldinho, David Villa, Samuel Eto’o and Luis Suarez to thrive on his role as the ever-moving False Nine for Barcelona; Firmino’s selfless sacrifices in front of goal have paved the way for Salah and Mané to become Liverpool’s main goal-scoring threats over the past few season, while Harry Kane’s tendency to drop deeper into midfield to either get on the ball or draw out defenders has clearly (though not yet consistently) allowed the likes of Son Heung-Min and Raheem Sterling take advantage of the space created by Kane’s movement for both club and country. Can this be replicated in FM? Again, it’s risky when most of us are used to playing with out-and-out strikers or advanced forwards however as is the case with all of these specialist positions - fortune favours the bold.

Key Attributes: Dribbling, First Touch, Passing, Technique, Composure, Decisions, Off the Ball, Vision, Acceleration, Agility.

Player Traits: Comes Deep to Get Ball, Looks for Pass Rather Than Attempting to Score, Likes Ball to Feet.

Elite Tier: Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) £93m-£110m

More Affordable: Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco) £45m-£56m

Cut Price Alternative: Gabriel Barbosa £9m-£13m

 
 

There you go - five more specialist roles that can be highly effective when deployed correctly in Football Manager, but equally require detailed knowledge and research rather than simply throwing any player into the role randomly without considering the tactical implications and pros/cons etc. Hopefully you are finding this somewhat useful as we gear up for the full version of FM22 to be released - as the game evolves, so too must we as Managers..right?

Best of luck - be sure to let us know how you get on either on Twitter or in the comments below as well as any other player roles you might like covered in future here on 5 Star Potential.

MaddFM.

Role Models - Using Specialist Roles in FM22 (Part I)

 
 

Defenders. Midfielders. Forwards. Simpler times eh? These days it’s not simply enough to master a position on the field and gone are the days when a player can simply be referred to as a bog-standard Centre-Half or Centre-Midfielder. The modern game has evolved so much in recent times that it has become commonplace, nay, essential for clubs to recruit and retain players who not only can play a specific position on the pitch but also bring a certain uniqueness to said position by creating or fulfilling a specific role in that area, and nowadays we associate players with specialised tactical roles as part of their game rather than just simply labelling them a defender, midfielder or attacker for their side. Heck, Goalkeepers aren’t even just shot stoppers any more and are now expected to be equally adept in terms of getting more involved in possession play and ball distribution, as well as acting as a Sweeper Keeper when needed.

Full-Backs have become wing-backs that tend to either overlap wide on the flanks or operate in an inverted role adding an extra man in midfield when on the attack. Centre-Backs have evolved from standard hard-men or aerial dominators to Ball-Playing Defenders or Attacking Wide Centre-Halves allowing wing backs to push on even further when on the front foot. Centre-Midfielders are no longer just that - what used to be defensive and attacking midfielders (akin to Keane and Scholes in the glory days) are now Defensive Playmakers, Mezzalas, Carrileros and Free 8’s while wingers are becoming a thing of the past in favour of Inside or Wide Forwards offering far more of a goal threat rather than just acting as providers for more advanced forwards. Even the Striker role has changed where we have observed the likes of Thierry Henry and Harry Kane drifting way out of position to have more of an influence on the game, or the likes of Roberto Firmino epitomising the False 9 role which allows the aforementioned Inside Forward role to thrive through the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané.

Football Manager has advanced further than ever in this regard, adding more and more layers of realism and complexity when assigning individual positions and roles in your team. In FM22 there are now 44 individual player roles to choose from across all areas of the pitch ranging from Sweeper Keeper all the way up to Target Man, and as such it is imperative that you garner a thorough understanding of each role to ensure that (a) it fits your system and (b) you recruit and deploy the right players accordingly. Today we will look at 5 specialist roles in Football Manager 2022 which are slightly out of the box in terms of their requirements and functionality - analysing how the role operates, when best to deploy it, the key attributes needed and subsequently some real-life recommendations of elite-tier and more affordable player options who are natural or partially natural in these roles and serve as an ideal benchmark or guideline against which you can deploy and utilise players in these roles to far greater effect.

 
 

1. Libero

🗣️ Drops behind the defensive line, aiming to sweep up through balls, pick up extra attackers and make goal saving tackles, blocks and interceptions. On Support they will step into the midfield when possession is secured and look to paly balls through to attacking teammates. On Attack they venture much higher up the pitch to provide a goal scoring threat from distance alongside looking to play in teammates.

We like a Libero around here. Usually planted deeper in the middle of a back three, the Libero is the closest thing to what was known as a Sweeper back in the early days, however brings an additional attacking element to their team through their ability to initiate attacks, play long cross-field balls and push forward to get goalscoring chances whenever the opportunity permits itself. The key thing about a Libero is finding the right player to play in the position as not just any centre-half can slot in and fulfil the role by default - it’s essential that whomever you train or select to play this role has all the attributes and traits needed for it’s effective deployment. Square pegs in round holes and all that.

Key Attributes: First Touch, Marking, Passing, Tackling, Anticipation, Composure, Concentration, Decisions, Positioning, Teamwork, Vision, Pace.

Player Traits: Gets Forward Whenever Possible, Attempts Long Range Passes, Tries to Switch Possession to Other Side of the Pitch.

Elite Tier: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) £116m-£140m

More Affordable: Marcos Senesi (Feyenoord) £10m-£12.5m

Cut Price Alternative: Connor Goldson (Rangers) £5.8m -£7m

 
 

2. Carrilero

🗣️ The “shuttler” - a supporting role more often than not utilised as part of a midfield three, or as two central midfielders in a diamond midfield. It is the job of these shuttlers to cover lateral areas of the pitch and link the defensive midfield area with the attacking midfield area.

Carry by name, carry by nature. The Carrilero is everywhere, hence the reliance on Stamina and Positioning. In possession they help advance play and convert defence into attack, while out of possession they are expected to close down space and act as a blocker in key areas particularly when the opposition is on the counter and/or other players such as wing-backs or advanced midfielders are caught out of position and require instant cover. While the Carrilero is unlikely to feature in the goal contributions charts, they can be a highly effective in bridging the gap between your back line and final third as well as making up vital ground either with or without the ball when needed.

Key Attributes: First Touch, Passing, Tackling, Decisions, Positioning, Teamwork, Stamina.

Player Traits: Runs with Ball Through Centre, Dictates Tempo, Comes Deep to get the Ball.

Elite Tier: Rodri (Man City) £59m -£80m

More Affordable: Remo Freuler (Atalanta) £12.5m -£18.5m

Cut Price Alternative: Giulio Maggiore (Spezia) £700k -£8.4m

 
 

3. Raumdeuter

🗣️ Literally translated from German means “space investigator”. His main role is to find pockets of space in which to operate. Essentially a wide poacher, the Raumdeuter takes up seemingly harmless positions out wide, waiting for the opportune moment to burst through the defensive line for that telling shot or cross.

At this stage we all know the same truth. If you want to know what a Raumdeuter is, simply look at the career of Thomas Muller over the past 10-12 years. Unorthodox, unstructured, sometimes undefined or unclear - this is exactly what a player like Muller wants you to think, while the complete opposite is true. The Raumdeuter requires and is built on intelligence, awareness, coy and - a player that fashions chances from seemingly nowhere, capitalises on gaps and space left by defenders and always seems to be in the right place at the right time to punish imperfections in the opposition back line or defensive third. Muller has epitomised this role for Bayern and Germany consistently for over a decade, so much so that a Google search for the word itself will literally bring his name up with multiple results and detailed breakdowns of his positional play. Get this right in Football Manager and you have a weapon in your arsenal like no other - what you may sacrifice in speed and mobility you will more than make up for in goal contributions and clear-cut chances.

Key Attributes: Finishing, Anticipation, Composure, Concentration, Decisions, Off the Ball, Balance.

Player Traits: Cuts Inside from Both Wings, Moves Into Channels, Gets Into Opposition Area Whenever Possible, Arrives Late in Box.

Elite Tier: Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) £51m -£64m

More Affordable: Jonathan Bamba (Lille) £17m -£20m

Cut Price Alternative: Mohamed Bayo (Clermont Foot) £180k-£1.8m

 
 

4. Trequartista

🗣️ Can operate in the attacking midfield or centre forward positions. While similar to the Advanced Playmaker in that he aims to drop into the holes between the opposition’s midfield and defence, the Trequartista does far less defensively and simply drifts around looking for space when the team is not in possession.

@FMTreq likes this. Trequartistas are difficult to mark, impossible to predict and a pain in the a*se to defend against with Centre Halves and Defensive Midfielders frequently faced with the decision of who is responsible for marking or closing them down and therefore often caught out either double marking or neglecting to pick them up at all amongst the confusion and vivid movement of the role. Trequartistas take players out of the game while also providing a highly creative outlet on the ball - however choosing the right player is again essential for this role to capitalise on it’s assets, clearly relying on high vision, flair and off the ball skills to implement it successfully.

Key Attributes: Dribbling, First Touch, Passing, Technique, Composure, Decisions, Flair, Off the Ball, Vision, Acceleration.

Player Traits: Cuts in from Both Channels, Wants Ball to Feet More Often, Plays One-Twos, Tries Tricks.

Elite Tier: Neymar £169m -£203m

More Affordable: Jonas Wind (FC Kobenhavn) £9.8m-£12m

Cut Price Alternative: Hatem Ben Arfa (Free Agent)

 
 

5. Wide Centre Back

🗣️ Main job is to stop the opposing attackers from playing and to clear the ball from danger when required. However, unlike standard central defenders, the Wide Centre-Back is encouraged to stay wide in possession and support the midfield more like a fullback.

This is the big one for FM22. A new role for all of us to experiment with, and already we have seen some of the more enterprising FM enthusiasts ranging from deploying multiple WCB’s in a tactic to completely scrapping it altogether based on the risks and gaps it can leave when not deployed correctly. As football has evolved we have seen the role of Centre Backs become much more impactful and influential on the ball versus the more old-fashioned No-Nonsense Centre Half of yesteryear, however if you can set up a solidified defence which allows more freedom for a Wide Centre Back to advance on the ball and make overlaps when the opportunity presents itself, you suddenly have an additional attacking outlet to help overload when attacking which has proven to cause havoc for the opposition as they struggle to account for marauding wing-backs and the latest line of highly skilled defensive players who are equally adept at cutting inside and pushing higher up the field on the attack. It’s early days but this one has all of us mouthwatering at the concept of a brand new role and it’s implications in the match engine.

Key Attributes: Crossing, Dribbling, Heading, Marking, Tackling, Off the Ball, Jumping Reach, Pace, Stamina, Strength

Player Traits: Brings Ball out of Defence, Tries to Get Forward Whenever Possible, Wants Ball to Feet More Often.

Elite Tier: Ruben Dias (Man City) £137-£161m

More Affordable:  Jack O’Connell (Sheff Utd) £16m -£20m

Cut Price Alternative: Riccardo Gagliolo (Salernitana) £2.7m -£3.7m

 
 

That’s your lot for now - a brief overview on some of the more interesting tactical roles in FM22, how they are best utilised and some real-life examples upon which you can set a benchmark or better yet maybe even submit a sneaky bid if funds and circumstances permit! We will be back again for Part II where we will further analyse some of the specialist player roles available, if there are any specific roles you’d like covered be sure to let us know over on Twitter (@5StarPod) or in the comments below.

Thanks for reading,

MaddFM.

Out of Contract in 2022: Football Manager's Best Free Agents

 
 

If you thought the summer transfer window of 2021 was crazy, just wait for next summer where there are a host of top name players coming to the end of their contracts.

Before we start, there are some important steps to take when it comes to free agency, the first of which is to keep up to date with the news, so Tip Number One; save the players to your shortlist so you’re notified of any changes as they happen. If you want to download our shortlist that contains the players listed today then head to the bottom of the post where you’ll find the download link.

 
 

Kylian Mbappe - Forward

Arguably the hottest property on the market this summer, Mbappe is considering his options at the start of this game, likely to want a minimum of £400,000 you’re going to have to be one of the big European clubs to interest this generational talent.

 
 

Paulo Dybala - Forward

Juventus have been the kings of the Bosman market in recent years but it looks like the Prince of Turin could run his contract down. The Argentinian is sure to command a strong contract as his in his prime years but he’d be a solid signing if you’re looking for a player that can comfortably play across the front four positions.

 
 

Ousmane Dembele - Forward

The French forward starts the game with an injury that’ll see him recover just as you can approach him to talk about a contract. Newcastle have been linked with the winger and they can certainly afford his wage and with Barcelona in financial difficulty they’ll probably be happy to shift his contract of the wage bill.

Tip Number Two: If a player isn’t interested in joining you, declare your interest in the player to the press.

 
 

Andre Onana - Goalkeeper

When you start the game you’ll find Onana currently serving a global ban, the good news as it was recently reduced by the Court of Arbitration meaning one of the top goalkeepers in Football Manager will be back playing football by the time you can approach to sign him in January.

 
 

Franck Kessie - Midfielder

Franck the Tank, the Ivorian midfielder has been a Football Manager must buy for the last decade and next summer his contract at AC Milan will expire. Franck’s mental attributes are not to be messed with and if you’re from the school of Fibra, he ticks the box.

 
 

Marcelo Brozovic - Midfielder

In Football Manager he’s heralded as a World Class Midfielder and next summer his contract with Inter Milan expires. Inter’s financial difficulties have been well documented so they likelihood of him resigning are very slim. He’s strongest through the centre of the midfield and is capable of playing in multiple roles.

Tip Number 3: Still struggling to make the player interested in a move? Make sure you’ve got a scout watching him constantly and then, when you can, go and watch his team play, he’ll always appreciate it.

 
 

Niklas Sule - Defender

If you’re looking for a giant centre back to stick on the front post at corners then look no further than Niklas Sule from Bayern Munich. This powerful centre back has all the attributes you’d expect from a defender that’s been playing for one of the best teams in the world and with his contract expiring you’ll be able to pick him up either in January for next to nothing, or take the risk of trying to sign him on a pre-contract.

 
 

Matthias Ginter - Defender

The German with the Model Citizen personality is nearing the end of his contract and is a brilliant Premier League signing… cough Newcastle cough. Ginter is the epitome of a German defender, he does everything effortlessly excellent.

 
 

Juan Cuadrado - Wing Back

At 33, 34 when his contract expires, Cuadrado still possesses some amazing attributes and with his versatility across the right sided positions he’ll do a job for the next couple of seasons. His personality could also lend him to being a key mentor for your youngsters coming through.

 
 

Faouzi Ghoulam - Defender

We had to add Ghoulam to this list purely for those of you that want to dominate from set-pieces and utilise his 18 Long Throw attribute. He is of course, more than that, a solid left sided player that’ll give you solid performances game-in, game-out.

Tip Number Four: Still having difficulty making yourself seen by the player? See if you have an International Teammate in your squad and ask him to talk up the move. This can work with an influential player as well.

 
 

Gareth Bale - Forward

Wales. Golf. Leaving Real Madrid. Do you think your team will have the minerals to sign the experienced winger? I feel that his physical attributes are going to hamper him when it comes from signing for a big club, but as 95% of Football Manager players are managing Newcastle at the moment… could you get him?

 
 

There are LOTS more players nearing the end of their contract, Luca Modric, Luis Suarez, Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria… so give the shortlist a little download and see what works for your team.

I’ve no doubt that we’ll talk about out of contracted players on our weekly Football Manager Podcast, 5 Star Potential, and you can let us know who you signed by Tweeting us @5StarPod. Thanks for reading.

5 Teams to Revive in FM22

 
 

The time between the Football Manager beta release and the official launch date is somewhat of a limbo period for FM players and content creators alike. The dilemma of whether to start a new save versus making a final decision on your first or main save on the full-fat version makes it difficult to get stuck into a new save adventure knowing that its life cycle is likely to be cut short upon full release date, however that burning desire to play and grow accustomed to the new game environment never seems to cease year-on-year. We wouldn’t have it any other way, right?

To get you through this wonderfully difficult time, here are 5 clubs to revive in FM22 whom collectively struggled in their respective leagues season and therefore make for an excellent save either as a one-season beta challenge or an even longer-term venture if things go well and you find yourself yearning to keep hitting that Continue button beyond Season 1 at the helm.

1. Arsenal

2020/2021 Final Position: 8th (25 points behind winners)

Last 5 seasons: 5th, 6th, 5th, 8th, 8th

Media Prediction: 7th

Biggest Summer Signing: Ben White - £50m

In need of: a Goalscorer

Transfer Budget: £10m

Things just haven’t gone according to plan under Mikel Arteta. Injuries haven’t helped, and the club’s clear intent on signing younger players combined with underperformances from many of their key personnel have put them considerably behind the likes of Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea and Man Utd whom not so long ago were considered rivals and even inferior to the Gunners during their best years under Arsene Wenger. Nowadays they find themselves failing to qualify for Europe however with the quality and potential of the likes of Kieran Tierney, Emile Smyth-Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, surely we can do better right?

 
 

2. Valencia

2020/2021 Final Position: 13th (43 points behind winners)

Last 5 seasons: 12th, 4th, 4th, 9th, 13th

Media Prediction: 7th

Biggest Summer Signing: Marcos André - £7.25m

In need of: a #10

Transfer Budget: £1.71m

43 points. 43 points behind La Liga winners Atletico Madrid last season. Definite underachievers considering the squad they have. Jasper Cilessen, Mouctar Diakhaby, José Gaya, Thierry Correia, Carlos Soler, Yunus Musah, Goncalo Guedes, Maxi Gomez. This squad has everything you need to spark a massive revival in Spain especially with the recent downfall of Barcelona and if you can keep hold of these players and conduct some shrewd business in the transfer windows, life at the Mestalla Stadium will start to become a whole lot more interesting for a club that just 20 years ago competed in back-to-back Champions League finals. Better times to come at Valencia, the time is now.

 
 

3. Fiorentina

2020/2021 Final Position: 13th (51 points behind winners)

Last 5 seasons: 8th, 8th, 16th, 10th, 13th

Media Prediction: 8th

Biggest Summer Signing: Nicolás González - £19.75m

In need of: Wingers

Transfer Budget: £7.25m

Fiorentina. Gabriel Batistuta, Ariel Ortega, Francesco Toldo, Rui Costa. Yes, that Fiorentina. Despite having one of the most in-form bagsmen in European football (Dusan Vlahovic - 21 goals last season), I Viola have struggled massively in recent years and since losing Federico Chiesa to Juventus they have lacked that star quality or gamechanger to help ignite their season. Despite that there is still a strong spine to this side - Drągowski in goal has great potential at just 23; @5StarPod favourite Nikola Milenković is a giant at the back while @FMDoop’s mancrush Gaetano Castrovilli is nothing short of a baller in midfield - add loan signings Álvaro Odriozola and Lucas Torreira and you have quite a decent squad on your hands. Florence is lovely at this time of year 🔥.

 
 

4. Feyenoord

2020/2021 Final Position: 5th (29 points behind winners)

Last 5 seasons: 1st, 4th, 3rd, 3rd, 5th

Media Prediction: 3rd

Biggest Summer Signing: Alireza Jahanbakhsh - £4.3m

In need of: Strikers

Transfer Budget: £425k

Firstly if you haven’t yet watched the “That One Word - Feyenoord” documentary yet then I’d highly recommend adding it to your watchlist for immediate viewing, it’s an excellent production. You might think 5th place isn’t too bad a finish for a team like Feyenoord, however considering they were league winners just 5 seasons back and that they found themselves almost 30 points behind eventual winners Ajax (not to mention finishing behind Vitesse), the gulf is wider than ever and there is much to do at Feyenoord especially considering they have lost both their main goalscorers in Steven Berghuis and Nicolai Jorgensen this summer without any ready-made replacements coming in. In Goalkeeper Justin Bijlow and Centre-Half Marcos Senesi, the foundations are there to be built upon however competing with the likes of Ajax, PSV and AZ will be again be a big ask this season.

 
 

5. Schalke

2020/2021 Final Position: 18th (62 points behind winners)

Last 5 seasons: 10th, 2nd, 14th, 12th, 18th

Media Prediction: 2nd

Biggest Summer Signing: Marius Bülter (€800k)

In need of: Strikers

Transfer Budget: £0

The epitomy of disappointment in 2021. When most of us think of Schalke, we think of Leroy Sané, Mezut Ozil, Leon Goretzka, Manuel Neuer, Ilkay Gundogan - the list goes on and it’s incredible to think that a team who finished 2nd in the Bundesliga just 4 years ago have now been relegated after a horrendous campaign last season. While they have retained a few key players in the likes of Ralf Fahrmann and Salif Sané, the departures of Suat Serdar, Sebastian Rudy, Matija Nastasic and Matthew Hoppe will be felt hard and a big challenge lies ahead this season with the continued increase in quality and pedigree of Bundesliga 2 in Germany.

 
 

There you have it - 5 teams that are desperately in need of a revival this year after a poor showing last time out. The current economic climate in football (which seems to be reflected in FM22) will make it even more challenging to claw these teams back to compete among the heavyweights of their respective leagues, however as FM saves go isn’t that exactly what you are looking for? Let us know how you get on in the comments below, on Twitter (@5StarPod) or Instagram (@5StarPod).

Enjoy the beta.

Realistic Signings for Newcastle United in FM22

 
 

Cast your mind back to the days of adding a new manager of a club with money, signing your worst player for every last penny the club has got just so you can go on a spending spree signing all your favourite players from around the globe, well Newcastle’s new owners have cut out the middlemen and are likely to be one of the most popular Beta, if not main save, teams to manage in Football Manager 2022 so we thought we would take a look at what to expect when you start your career as Steve Bruce’s successor.

Looking at the squad you inherit there not many players that you would realistically keep with your new found wealth, we have identified Martin Dubravka, Jamaal Lascelles, Jamal Lewis, new signing Joe Willock, Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson & the Longstaff brothers as the players we would realistically keep in the squad which means there are six first team slots that need to be filled before you start looking for backups.

Now the Ultimate Team players amongst you would love to be signing Mbappe, Kane or Haaland but in reality the takeover and the wealth won’t instantly increase the desire to play for Newcastle United so we’ll aim to be realistic with a dose of hope & dreams.

We start at right back with Ajax’s Noussair Mazraoui who you know will have fantastic fundamentals having come through the famous Ajax academy, he’s got well rounded attributes for a progressive wing-back that are likely to develop as your side grows in stature. Another alternative is Newcastle old-boy, Kevin Mbabu who you should be able to pick up from Wolfsburg for a reasonable fee, he’ll slot straight into the side & at 26 probably won’t develop much more.

 
 

At centre back there are a number of options available, however, Matthias Ginter’s contract expires at the end of the season so you could pick him up on the cheap saving some of the gold for those creative positions up top. If Ginter isn’t doing it for you, what about Lisandro Martinez from Ajax? He’s a versatile defensive player who has proven his worth in the Dutch league and is ready to make the step across the water to the Premier League. If you really want to splash the cash, what about a partnership of Nikola Milenkovic & Kalidou Koulibaly, you’ll probably looking in the region of £90m for the pair, but there won’t be many defensive partnerships in the league than those two!

 
 

The left back position is very subjective, I like to have an attacking full back that’s quick and can cross so my first pick is Renan Lodi from Atletico Madrid. The Covid-19 pandemic hit Spain hard so there’s a chance that you’ll get real value from Atleti. Another potential signing could be set-piece wizard, Borna Barisic, from Rangers. If you’re building a squad and want to focus on set-pieces then Barisic is a no brainer, just look at those attributes!

 
 

In holding midfield I’ve picked two Football Manager cult figures, William Carvalho & Wilmar Barrios. Both players enjoy the defensive side of the game, Carvalho is probably more a recycler of possession whereas Barrios will snap at an opponents heals to win the ball back for his team.

 
 

For the central midfield positions I’ve looked towards Weston McKennie & Renato Sanches, a perfect combination of a box-to-box midfielder and a deep lying playmaker who is equally adept at pushing forward in the Mezzala role.

 
 

I think we’d all agree the Allan Saint-Maximin will remain in your first team, so to compliment him on the other flank I’ve looked at Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen. Speed, agility and flair combined with a left foot just scream left sided ASM to me. When I was writing my notes for this another name cropped up that might be worth a punt, Philippe Coutinho. You’ve probably heard that Barcelona are in a bit of financial ruin… and Newcastle have just had a windfall so there could be a deal to be done there.

 
 

When it came to strikers there was only one name on my shortlist, Victor Osimhen, the Nigerian frontman has been impressive in previous games & with Napoli’s financial position you might negotiate yourself a worthwhile transfer figure. Imagine it, FM goal scoring supremo, Callum Wilson, partnered with FM goal scoring supremo, Victor Osimhen….

 
 

I will caveat the list with the unwritten rule in football that you don’t want to mix it all up in the first window, four or five players is really the max you want to be bringing in to your first eleven so you can get the squad dynamic going. Manchester City’s first window under Sheik Mansour saw Robinho, Jo, Nigel de Jong, Craig Bellamy, Wayne Bridge, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Shay Given, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany & Tal Ben Haim come in, one star player complimented by some real solid workers and an unpolished gem in Kompany were the bedrock in Manchester City’s stepping stone to where they are now.

There’s also the infrastructure to think about, yes, I know it’s boring but Newcastle have average Training, average Youth Facilities, adequate Junior Coaching & average Youth Recruitment so there’s money to be spent building for your future.

Shall we continue down the boring route? If we really want to be realistic for January’s transfer window it could look a little something like this; Dean Henderson, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, Callum Chambers, Saed Kolasinac, Nemanja Matic, Ross Barkley, Takumi Minamino, Jesse Lingard & Anthony Martial! They are still signings that better the squad, but I know you’ll be aiming for better.



Enjoy the beta and be sure to let us know who you’ve signed in the comment section or on Twitter @5StarPod and Instagram @5StarPod

FM22 Custom Views

 
 

Squad View

Your main squad overview page, it contains all the information you need for a quick snapshot of day-to-day life with your squad.

  • Overall Happiness - Pretty obvious and it stands out like a sore thumb if someone’s unhappy.

  • Training Rating: Reward those that train hard and penalise those that don’t.

  • Injury Risk: If you’re like me and select your squad from this page it gives me a quick look at the condition and injury risk.

  • Stats: The standard FM Appearance, Goals & Assists.

  • CA/PA: My scout’s opinion of the player’s current and potential ability.

  • Style: Your Assistant Manager’s opinion of this player’s player style.

  • Performance: Overall Training Performance, this is a new feature for FM21 where you can see if a player is training better or worse than the previous week.

 
 

Squad View - Pathway

This view is designed to monitor player happiness and take into consideration the playing time pathway features added back in FM20.

  • Agreed Playing Time: Your agreement with the player.

  • Actual Playing Time: As it says on the tin, what the player’s current actual playing time is.

  • Playing Time Happiness: A very visual representation of your player’s mindset, they can be disappointed that they are out of the side but happy to be in your team.

  • Progress: Quick glimpse at how the player is progressing.

  • Promises: Have you ever been in a position where you’ve had an interaction with a player only for them to rub it in your face at the end of the season because you forgot all about it? Well this keeps a marker of the promises you’ve made and should remind you before it’s too late. With new interaction features added in FM21 you’ll need to make sure you’re keeping an eye on your promises more than ever before!

 
 

Development View

Here you have a super clean quick snapshot of what’s happening in your junior squads the small alterations made to the standard view just add a bit more depth to an already important screen.

 
 

Staff Views

Here we have the views I use for my backroom staff. Having played this title for what seems like forever you’ll be used to the ‘DDM’ phrase for your staff if not, have a look at this post. These views all take in to account DDM plus the attributes you’ll be looking at for their specific roles.

 
 

Staff Search

Much like the Staff View above this filter is used in the Staff Search and shows the specific attributes for Coaches, Recruitment and Medical. I find these filters extremely pleasing on the eye and if you’re exporting the attributes for calculating the perfect staff member for your team, this screen makes it easy.

 
 

Transfer View

If you spend time ignoring your scouts and scouring the transfer list for bargains then this view will probably be right up your street.

  • Info: Unhappy, Transfer Listed, Listed For Loan, Injured or a number of other pieces of info will be shown here.

  • Agreed Playing Time: A new addition to my transfer view, but here you’ll see if a player is surplus to requirements which could lead to a cut-price deal.

  • RC Injury: This is really important for me as sometimes you’ll only skim through a scout report but here it’s very obvious if a player has a recurring injury.

  • Media Description: Looking for an explosive winger or a Wonderkid? The media description will reveal all.

  • Attributes: These attributes match my squad view, if you have attributes you’re keen on, replace them here.

  • Minimum Release Clause: There are a number of different release clauses in the game, but I keep the basic one on this view. If you purchase a lot of talent from Brazil, add the minimum fee release clause for foreign clubs.

 
 

International Squad View

If you use my normal squad view you’ll find a lot of the attribute and scout recommendations will be blank. This view is just a modified version for when you’re taking a sneaky peak at those U18 International Squads. You’ll also be able to quickly identify the parent club which might lead you to a bargain buy. You’ll also see their International records as well.

 
 

Fixture View

This view is used to quickly see if there’s a formation you’re struggling against or see where a tactical change may have inspired a turnaround in performance.

 
 

Installation

These files should be placed in Documents > Sports Interactive > Football Manager 2022 > Views (if you don’t have a Views folder, create one).

Football Manager 2022 - What We Know So Far

 
 

by MaddFM.

September/October is a funny time of year for Football Manager enthusiasts. In some ways it’s our favourite time of year as @MilesSI’s narrative changes from “We haven’t announced any future editions of the game yet” to “the Beta will be out when it’s good and ready”, while in other ways it’s often a stagnant and somewhat frustrating time of year as the previous edition comes to the end of its life cycle and our attention span for continuing our old saves concludes knowing that the end is nigh and a new game approaches on the horizon.

The positives far outweigh the negatives. Football Manager 2022 was officially announced on Thursday September 9th 2021 with a confirmed release date of Tuesday 9th November 2021, meaning that at the time of writing there is just one month to go until FM22 hits the shelves and our screens, with the Beta likely to appear some two weeks in advance of the official release date.

 
 

Having had SI release an official statement to confirm the existence of FM22 and two subsequent videos hosted by the excellent @JamesAlcott, we thought it might be useful to reflect on what we have learned so far about the new game and in this post we will continue to keep you updated as & when new features and information are published by the team over at @SIgames.

Making a Video Game

A statement released by Miles on 17th September drew our minds back to last year when, amidst all the chaos caused by a global pandemic which none of us ever expected to experience in our lifetime, the Sports Interactive team not only confirmed a new game would be produced despite their entire team working in the confine of their own homes, but managed to produced a wholeheartedly excellent game, which despite a few minor flaws was an undoubted improvement on FM20. This time around, we learned that in addition to moving to a brand new office, the team have evolved to a more agile approach from their previous “waterfall” production method wherein “feature pods” have been established to focus entirely an enhancing how new game features are developed by combining product owners, designers, engineers & artists and working in a “sprint” model akin to how engineers often work in technical production environments. What this means is we benefit from a more holistic approach to feature development as well as what has clearly been an investment by SI as they expanded their team adding a host of designers and UI/UX experts to their ranks.

 
 

Transfers and Mobility

This statement also eluded to changes on how the game facilitates and processes transfer activity to again reflect a more real-life representation of the challenges facing clubs at present. We have observed clear examples of clubs struggling massively in the aftermath of the pandemic which has greatly inhibited their transfer activity and forced them to sell and recruit perhaps unwillingly, and according to Miles this will also be reflected in-game wherein “many more clubs than normal will start the game with much smaller budgets available or still being in the position of having to try to sell players”, with “others struggling to reduce their squad sizes and wage bills”. Will this mean the end of back-to-back unrealistic promotions and transfers that you’d never see in real-life?

Data Hub

After implementing XG in FM21 last year, the FM22 trailer was our first introduction to the new Data Hub in Football Manager, a welcome addition having seen some of the data issues and discrepancies which arose early in FM21. Data enthusiasts are rejoicing at the idea of an improved data management system in FM22 and subsequent videos have given us a sneak preview into some of the new features and functionality available - Match Momentum, Improved Passing & Possession Maps, Requesting Data from Analysts - all of these are geared towards presenting data in a much more digestible and user friendly way, which will make data far more useful and accessible to the average FM player assuming that prior data issues have now been remedied and corrected since FM21.

 
 

Deadline Day & Agent Activity

HERE. WE. GO. Not only were we introduced to a new Deadline Day screen in-game which will greatly enhance how we experience arguably one of the biggest days in the football calendar (Harry Redknapp leaning out the window, Jim White’s tie, Mike Ashley’s helicopter and now Fabrizio Romano’s tweets). It’s fair to say that social media has revolutionised transfer deadline day and FM22 will see a much improved deadline day experience which will hopefully lead players like me away from hitting that “Decline” button when it comes to taking part in the deadline day madness. Early screenshots and previews not only show a wonderfully designed yellow-themed landing page (not unlike the Sky Sports News layout), but also a far more interactive and engaging experience to replicate the energy, rumours and multitude of events & chaos that often occur on the day before the transfer window closes.

 
 

Hate them or love them, Agents play a huge part in modern day football and SI are also bringing this to the fore in FM22 with the introduction of Agent Offers. FM21 saw a new “Ask Agent About Availability” option whereby one can now enquire as to a player’s interest and availability for a transfer, and FM22 takes this one step further with a newly added feature wherein those crafty agents will now approach you as a club to tout their players’ services - this previously only used to happen with free agents but will now see player representatives stirring the pot in order to potentially ignite a move as is common place in real life particularly around deadline day. It also appears that players attracting interest will be collated on one screen making it easier for you to assess your outgoings as well incoming transfers.

 
 

Transfer Values

For me one of the newer features of FM22 that has slightly flown under the radar is the change to player transfer values, wherein we will no longer see a specific value allocated to a player but rather a value range to capture and illustrate their worth. This is quite a big change - think about it, where previously you would have a clear idea of a player’s value to decide how high you are willing to go, now you will have to test the water and make your own assessment on how much exactly you think a player is worth. Get it wrong and you could potentially be spending a few million above and beyond what you may need to; looks like negotiation skills will be essential when orchestrating transfers in FM this year.

 
Transfer Value.png
 

Staff Meetings

Most of us spend hours scouting and building up our backroom staff, surrounding ourselves with trusted scouts, coaches, ex-internationals and club legends to drive success behind the scenes. With the help of former Sheffield United Manager Chris Wilder, we were recently introduced to the new Staff Meeting feature in FM22. We previously had recruitment meetings added as a feature in FM21, and while overall this is not a brand new functionality in FM it most certainly collates multiple interactions and staff responsibilities into one consolidated meeting which you can schedule weekly, bi-weekly, monthly etc. Are you a conference room or pints-down-the-pub kind of manager?

 
 

New Roles & Tactical Evolution 😲

Three words. WIDE..CENTRE..BACK. We’ve long been aficionados of a Libero here at 5 Star Potential meaning a fondness for three-defender formations - the introduction of a new Wide Centre Back role is mouthwatering given the additional opportunity to tailor and tweak your tactic, allowing you to make use of technically gifted ball-carrying centre-halves and further capitalise on how you deploy wing-backs either on the overlap or in an inverted role. This could be game-changing, nay, game BREAKING 🔥.

 
WCB gif.gif
 

“A plug and play gegenpress system is going to be a thing of the past” says Nic Madden, Match Producer for SI Games. An increased codependency between player stamina and pressing means that tacticians out there will have to be extra-careful with how they deploy their team in terms of pressing and tactical setup. Default tactics are fine but there appears to be an increased focus required on your player attributes combined with tactical style and pressing mentality - i.e. it’s your tactics mate! If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear 👀.

Animation

Debut of a new animation engine. More fluid gameplay. More natural dribbling and first touch. More player freedom. Nothing bad here, more of the same please.

 
dcfa025d80a64c05389be886b076497a.gif
 

Versus Mode

We haven’t heard much about this addition to the full-fat version of Football Manager, however with the recent news that Football Manager Touch will not be released in FM22, this will hopefully create a more stable and streamlined means by which players can play online and potentially open up some new possibilities in terms of tournaments and competitive Football Manager. While we have only gotten a glance of Versus mode on the home screen (FMFC members only?), one can only hope this brings a new layer to PvP especially with the massive surge of interest in online and competitive Football Manager in recent months. We live in hope!

 
Versus.png
 

Overall thoughts? No groundbreaking features or surprise announcements just yet, however a hell of a lot of “quality of life” improvements as well as a clear focus by the SI team to improve on specific areas that have caused issues in the past as well as much tidying up and consolidation of existing functions to reduce clicks and streamline gameplay. No complaints over here just yet - as and when more updates and announcements are made we will add them here for continuity. Roll on the beta!

Be sure to follow 5 Star Potential on Twitter for reaction to the latest FM22 updates as well as all our latest content as we gear up for the next edition of the beautiful game.

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