Football Manager 2022 is just over a week away from its full release on November 9 – and many players have already got on with sampling the game via its beta.
There are a host of new features, including the highly-acclaimed Data Hub, which gives players new ways to analyse their team’s performance across a wide range of different metrics and graphs.
With all those features read and understood, it’s now time to delve into the centre of the Football Manager universe – choosing a team to manage.
Here’s five teams we think would be a great starting point on FM22:
Derby County
There’s not many more challenging saves on paper than managing Derby County on FM22.
The squad is practically down to bare bones in some areas, there’s a transfer embargo in place and the club is in administration. Oh, and you can throw in a 12-point deduction for good measure.
It may also require a bit of good fortune. Any takeover would ideally be completed in the summer transfer window, but if that doesn’t happen, you want to ensure you can at least do some spending in January. If you can keep the club in the Championship in the first season, the future should be much brighter for the Rams.
LOSC Lille
Having completed a fairytale Ligue 1 triumph last season, Lille are currently sat in mid-table at the time of writing this time around.
Despite that, there’s still huge amounts of talent in the squad. Defender Sven Botman was linked with a host of top European clubs last summer, whilst Jonathan David is one of the most exciting prospects in the game. Both are aged 21.
Then there’s Renato Sanches, who has kicked on massively since joining from Bayern Munich in 2019. Burak Yilmaz is still capable of banging the goals in, whilst Jonathan Ikone is a reliable figure on either flank. This is certainly a great long-term project.
UD Ibiza
The popular holiday destination is now home to a Spanish Second Division club, with Ibiza promoted to the second tier last season.
There’s a decent amount of money to spend as well, should you take over. The £2.3 million and £44,000 per week in wages should be able to get you two or three solid players through the door, as well as some promising loans.
Most of the core of the squad is ageing – the bulk of the best players at the club are between 30 and 35 – but there is young talent there in 19-year-old Mateusz Bogusz, the Polish midfielder on loan from Leeds United who is worth upwards of £10m when the game begins.
The media prediction is for the club to finish just outside the relegation zone in 18th, but there’s scope to improve on that.
Schalke 04
Relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in 19 years last season, Schalke’s unquestionable aim in this campaign is to return to the top flight at the first time of asking.
There’s certainly the talent at the club in order to achieve that aim. Veteran striker Simon Terodde is almost guaranteed to score goals – he has 11 in 11 games so far this season – whilst Salif Sane will be one of the best centre-backs in the division.
There’s also an insane amount of promising youth players at the club. There’s an incredible 12 players outside the first team squad that have potentials of at least four stars (greyed out).
One major issue will be the club’s financial position. Schalke start the game over £50m in the red, whilst their net debt stands at £213 million. That means a transfer budget of absolute zero, and you’re also tight on wages as well. But the current squad should be able to see you through the first season – then it’s about consolidating in the Bundesliga.
Heart of Midlothian
After being relegated from the Scottish Premiership in 2020, Hearts bounced back to the top flight at the first time of asking last season.
They’ve had a strong summer transfer window, bringing in former Everton midfielder Beni Baningime and ex-Swansea forward Barrie McKay on free transfers, as well as Liverpool‘s Ben Woodburn in on loan. In real life, they are the only team to currently be unbeaten in the SPL, having won five and drawn six of their first 11 matches, and are only three points behind leaders Rangers.
The aim for this save will be to comfortably consolidate Hearts in the SPL, get them potentially into Europe and then, further down the line, get them into a position to challenge the established Old Firm.
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