C30 years have passed since the launch of the first ever ‘Championship Manager’ on the 1st of September. Since then, a lot has changed, not only in the world of football simulators, but especially in football itself.
Barcelona, which is now in the Europa League, had just become European champions, beating Sampdoria 1-0 thanks to a goal by Ronald Koeman in extra time. The Premier League, which now has a rate close to 70% of foreign players, had just 13 players born outside England. Here, Ricky, from Boavista, was the top scorer in the I Liga.
Since 1992, the world has ‘turned upside down’, and video games have followed suit. Mainly, the ‘Championship Manager’, which in the meantime gave rise to the ‘Football Manager’, following the ‘divorce’ between Sports Interactive and Eido. For the best… and for the worst.
The 2023 edition of this franchise will undoubtedly lead aficionados to invest tens or even hundreds of dollars, whether guiding the club of the heart to success, or taking the Oriental Dragon of League 3 on an epic walk towards the conquest of the League. of Champions.
In between, these will live moments of great emotions, both in the victories and in the defeats, but, when they stop to think, the question will invariably be the same: “Is it just me or the ‘Football Manager 2023’ is not like that so different from 2022?”.
‘Avalanche’ of data
The most immediate answer is “Yes, you are right”. ‘Football Manager 2023 isn’t that different from 2022. That is, unless you ‘dive’ deep enough to truly benefit from the new features introduced by Sports Interactive in the latest edition.
If football today is based more than ever on data analysis, this franchise follows and reflects it. This means that if you want to optimize your team to the fullest, you can spend hours upon hours analyzing the endless heat maps, statistics and opponent movements.
You can shape the team to your image, both in terms of tactics, with an increasing number of tactical options and player roles, and in terms of squad composition, with a planner that becomes especially useful before the transfer market.
And, speaking of the transfer market, a new way to search for potential reinforcements was also introduced, in which you can define the so-called “recruitment focuses”, where you can ask observers to find exactly the missing piece for your plans .
The new tools allow you to find exactly the players you need to compose your team© Sports Interactive
New but…
On the human side, new elements were also introduced, such as a new system of supporters’ trust or the fact of being able to talk to the agent of the player who has been ‘chasing’ for so long to understand whether or not he wants to join his club.
Also noteworthy is the complete licensing of European competitions, which means that, for example, whenever you go to play in the Champions League, you will not only see the exact graphics of the competition, but even the ‘eternal’ music played in the stadiums. before each match.
All of this is welcome, but the truth is that, after spending hours upon hours ‘immersed’ in this world, few or none of the elements will truly change the way you play. Also, a ‘newbie’ will easily feel overwhelmed by having to deal with so much.
UEFA competitions are fully licensed, in ‘Football Manager 2023’© Sports Interactive
Final considerations
If you are already a ‘veteran’ in these wanderings, you can rest assured. ‘Football Manager 2023’ does not disappoint. It is as realistic (and addictive) as ever, even if it lacks something that truly differentiates it from the last edition. If you are a ‘newbie’, the best suggestion is not to ‘put the cart before the horse’, since, if you try to assume, all at once, the composition of the squad, the tactical planning, the market strategy, the relationship with the team, requests to management and everything else, it won’t take long for you to feel overwhelmed.
Strengths
– In a team that wins, it doesn’t move. Sports Interactive keeps intact all the elements that made ‘Football Manager’ a winning formula.
– The introduction of elements such as the squad planner and recruitment focuses help a lot when defining exactly what you want to make the team.
– The full licensing of UEFA competitions is used to the fullest, whether in the draws or in the games themselves, to create an even more immersive environment.
Negative points
– If you have ‘Football Manager 2022’, there is something missing that really justifies investing in the latest edition, other than the updated squads.
– Data analysis is a central part of this video game, just like it is in football today, which means you’ll spend a lot of time looking at heat maps and more, which gets easily boring.
– Elements such as staff meetings or press conferences capture all your attention at first, but it doesn’t take long to become repetitive, as in the past.
Ideal for…
If you’re looking for something that gives you a sense of the ‘titanic’ task of running a football club, you can’t go wrong. ‘Football Manager 2023’ remains the most faithful representation of what it’s like to experience the king of sport from the inside, and it will ‘rob you’ very easily for several hours a day.
Also Read: Roberto Júnior: From goal to sports management thanks to… a video game
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