Introduction
Football manager simulates the role of managing a football club. Many fans are hooked by the potential of managing their favourite club.
Sports Interactive publish a new version of the game each year. Is the Football Manager 2021 update just an updated database, or has the game been overhauled since the last tear release of Football Manager 2020?
This is a review of my personal copy of Football Manager 2021, which I pre-ordered from Steam. I have not been paid to write this review.
Covid
The first thing you notice at the start of a new game is the lack of money available for transfers due to the impact of the worldwide pandemic and the uncertainty it brought. Then you will notice that the 2020-21 season starts late as it recreates what happened to football fixtures this year. The game is also doing an excellent job of simulating the number of injures the congested fixture list is causing.
As well as Covid. Football Manager 2021 continues to simulate the likely outcomes of Brexit. In my saved game, a work permit system comes in from January 2021, which could impact how you play the game. I might look to share my experiences with work permits in a future article as it will likely have a major impact on the game for many of us.
New features and changes
In the last few releases of football manager, you have been able to select your tone to be assertive in all your replies. This has now been replaced with body language. You can smile, point your finger or even throw a water bottle at halftime if you wish.
Before the transfer window opens and on occasions through the transfer window, the club will organise a meeting to discuss possible targets for the transfer window. It doesn’t change the underlying scouting system, so you can search and sign players the same way you have always done. However, after saying everything, I found that the new meetings add to the game emersion.
Player agents can be contacted directly to get feedback on if the player would be interested in joining your club and the type of contract they would be interested in. On occasions, the agent will leak your interest to the media
The matchday engine has been approved again, and I have to say so far, I’ve been quite happy with it. The game day user interface has been improved. It is easier to access, and displays more helpful information, including expected goals
Conclusion
football manager addicts like myself buy the game if you haven’t already done so. You will enjoy even more emersion than before. Occasional players who play football manager 2019 or earlier should consider buying as you will get the game improvements made in the last couple of years. New players to the series who are either football fans, strategy game players, simulation players should consider buying Football Manager 2021
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