Football Manager 2023 Review: The Ultimate Guide

Football Manager remains the top simulation game in its category, but the absence of significant improvements in highlights the negative impact of an annual release schedule. 

Playing Football Manager allows you to discover and follow the progress of upcoming wonder kids to develop a world-class team that you wouldn’t find elsewhere. 

If you’re a fan of playing with virtual spreadsheets and trying to take your tiny hometown football club to the Champions League, this one is for you. You can experience the drama of Football Manager from your console, whether you’re playing on PS5, Xbox or Xbox Game Pass.

Sports Interactive consistently produces some of the top football games in the market. While it may not have the same level of graphic quality as FIFA, it remains the preferred choice for purists.

This particular version of the game, set to be released on November 8th, is the most intricately detailed Football Manager (FM) we have ever encountered.

Only a few games can capture the authenticity of professional football, as FM 23 can. It will make you jump for joy in your living room when your team scores a last-minute goal, and it will frustrate you to no end when you concede one.

Football Manager 2023 Console, titled Xbox Edition in Football Manager 2022, is available on both Xbox and PlayStation consoles. The game’s mobile version is available on Android and iOS devices, and Football Manager 2023 Touch was released on both the Nintendo Switch and Apple Arcade.

Graphics

The visuals in FM23 could be better. They can’t compete at the level of FIFA, which has been refining its formula for years to deliver a truly next-gen experience.

It may seem unfair to compare FM 23 to games released on the PS5, but there has been discussion on social media about the subpar graphics in FM 23. However, graphics aren’t actually that crucial.

FM 23’s advanced 3D match engine gives remarkable detail, capturing every aspect of the game. Moreover, it creates unforgettable moments that will be etched in your mind, allowing you to nostalgically reminisce about the exhilarating time you led Newport County to the FA Cup final.

In addition, there are numerous new touches in comparison to FM22. The ball exhibits a more lifelike bounce, and goalkeepers showcase enhanced reactivity by employing their feet frequently and, on occasion, managing to touch shots that ultimately result in goals. Moreover, interceptions, blocks, and tackles have all undergone a thorough transformation.

This serves the purpose of improving the defensive aspect of the game engine, making it easier for you to coach defensive strategies in football.

This is a crucial aspect of FM 23. Each small detail contributes to the overall goal of making FM 23 the most user-friendly game in the series.

Gameplay

FM23 has many new features contributing to its immersive and dynamic gameplay, making it one of the most engaging in Football Manager history.

The primary key change is that it’s harder. The AI managers have improved, enabling them to react to your in-game decisions and adjust their tactics to secure favourable outcomes. For instance, if your team is competing for the title and faces a relegation-threatened opponent, the opposing team might prioritize securing a draw, as the single point holds more significance for them than it does for your team. 

 Certainly, there are ways to win football’s top prizes, and inevitably, strategies will emerge as popular in this year’s game. However, during our experience with the game, we needed help to discover such strategies. We consistently experimented and implemented minor tactical alterations for every match, as adapting to the upcoming opponent was necessary.

Licenses

This year’s Football Manager boasts more licenses than ever, but the most significant is the Champions League license. This encompasses the premier European competition and includes realistic renditions of the Europa League, the Europa Conference League, and the UEFA Super Cup within the game. Additionally, players will be treated to the lively music during the cup draw, revamped to provide an authentic draw experience complete with host and social media reactions and the opening of games in the competition, as opposed to previous games in the series, FM 23 licensed UEFA club competitions.

Transfers

A significant aspect of Football Manager involves examining your available funds for transfers and deciding whether to spend it all on a prominent player or acquire multiple talented young players for the same amount. It is recommended to choose the latter option.

Furthermore, transfers have undergone a significant overhaul this year.

Agents play a crucial role in the game as they are essential for any negotiation tasks involving players, regardless of whether they are currently part of your club.

For instance, if you are Manchester City’s manager and wish to recruit a renowned player, you must engage in discussions with the player’s representative. This will entail determining the player’s level of interest, understanding their desired terms and conditions, determining their preferred position on the field, and establishing the duration of their contract.

You can solidify all the specifics before placing a bid, exactly how it operates.

If you skip this stage, you will face consequences during the negotiation phase because you will enter without prior information.

This also applies to contract discussions with players already part of your team.

Using the City example, if you intend to offer Kevin De Bruyne a new contract, you will need to talk with his agent to ascertain his interest in renewing, his desired salary, and whether he anticipates being responsible for taking set pieces.

Once again, this simplifies the contract negotiations as everything is already settled beforehand. However, it is important to note that if you promise De Bruyne’s agent to pay him over £ 200,000 per week and then offer him a lower amount, the negotiations may immediately halt.

Additionally, you will have the opportunity to utilize the Squad Planner. This new feature eliminates the need to keep a notepad and pen beside the game instead of providing a digital notebook.

Consequently, you will have the ability to plan for the future adequately. You can accurately predict how the star ratings will change and strategize for signing potential successors. For instance, you can determine when De Bruyne’s abilities will decline and create a plan to acquire a high-quality replacement. It is worth mentioning that City’s abundant financial resources make this task easier compared to a club like Southampton, but the feature is still extremely beneficial.

You can also set Recruitment Focuses directly from here, telling scouts to hunt for a new centre-back, and you can also fine-tune the kind of player you want based on height, weight, footedness, and the lot.

You’re also allowed to look at what SI term an Experience Matrix, making it easy to see which older players are on their way out and which youngsters are primed for a breakthrough.

Fans and Board

The game now includes additional features that highlight the significance of supporters.

Every club possesses a unique group of followers, comprising intense fanatics, occasional enthusiasts, and those who are more casual.

As you achieve greater success, you attract more fair-weather fans. However, in lower leagues, you encounter fervent supporters determined to see their team triumph at any expense. 

As a result, you will receive a rating from the board that evaluates your success on the field, in the transfer market, and the backstage operations, as well as a rating from the fans.

Every time you participate in a match, you will receive the desired outcome from the board on the result they want and one from the fans. For instance, the board might expect you to achieve a draw, while the supporters want a victory. This element remains consistent throughout and serves as a pleasing and authentic enhancement to the game. 

Tactics

There are many strategies to organize your team in FM 23 since SI has made an effort to ensure that every playstyle is valuable.

If you prefer a high-pressing, high-intensity approach, it may not have the same level of dominance as in FM22, but it is still highly effective for top teams.

Whether you’ve taken a team from the lower leagues to cup glory or just fought off relegation, the Dynamic Manager Timeline snapshots the achievements and milestones of your career.

The primary and only problem we’ve detected in the game is the need for progress in set pieces.

Although SI has made great efforts to make the game as comprehensive as possible, the limitations imposed on corners and free kicks still seem unusual.

FM24 maybe when we witness a complete makeover of set pieces, but it seems like something the community has been requesting for multiple versions of the game, and we have yet to see a substantial advancement in this area.

Please don’t misunderstand us, you can still create highly effective corner strategies, but it is not as intuitive as it should be at this series stage.

Console

It has been confirmed that the game is coming to the console, as it has been officially announced for both Xbox and PS5.

However, SI recently revealed they were compelled to postpone the game’s release on Sony’s console due to unforeseen circumstances.

As a result, we have yet to have the opportunity to experience FM 23 on a console. 

Football Management 2023: What are the issues?

The problems with Football Manager 2023 are identical to the issues that remain consistent every year. The game needs to properly handle a team’s fast rise, causing teams that achieve consecutive promotions to face low-wage budgets and no transfer funds. Additionally, loaned players are not available as an option because the game continues to view your team as a lower-tier club, even after moving up from the lower leagues to the championship. Nevertheless, this problem is likely realistic and uncommon, as only a few players will encounter such difficulties.

Conclusion

In case you have never played the Football Manager game before, let me explain it to you. Football Manager 2023 is an expansive strategic game. It will captivate individuals not typically interested in strategic games – those who would never imagine studying a European map and conquering territories in games like Victoria 3, Crusader Kings 3, or Hearts of Iron 4. However, these people passionate about football will find themselves engrossed in Football Manager 2023 and effortlessly spend countless hours playing it.