Football Manager 2022: How to Start a Game (Beginner’s Guide)

Football Manager 2022 is out and first-time players often find it difficult - so we have the perfect guide for beginners on starting the game.

There are plenty of challenges to take on in the new game, depending on what you want from the game.

Will you simply take over your favourite club and attempt to guide them to glory or will you look to start in non-league and climb the ladder journeyman style?

You also have the option of starting in a far-flung nation and making your name with a little-known club, their reputation soaring as yours does.

But what should you be doing when you start a game if you’re a beginner?

Football Manager 2022 can appear a huge game to navigate when you start, but we’ve looked at the best ways for you to ensure that you get to grips with the behemoth that is Sports Interactive’s management simulation, so you don’t feel overwhelmed.

Take a look at the steps below!

How to start a game of Football Manager 2022

Here are some simple tips to help you when you launch FM22 for the first time:

1. Delegate

First things first, there’s a lot of stuff to do on Football Manager.

There’s training, there’s press conferences, there’s renewing contracts; basically, loads of stuff that stops you from doing transfers and playing matches!

If you don’t think you can take on all of that initially, you can head to the staff responsibilities screen and delegate some of these to your staff.

It could mean that your assistant speaks to the press, your director of football renews contracts, and your coaching team takes care of friendlies and training.

It’s not recommended if you’re looking for a properly long-term save where you can impact every facet of the club but if you’re new, we’ll overlook it!

2. Check the dynamics

When you take over a club, you need to take a look at the squad dynamics screen.

It lets you know the hierarchy in the squad, so you know the team leaders, the highly influential players, the influential players, and those labelled ‘other players’.

Basically, don’t sell a team leader straight away or you’ll have an unhappy dressing room on your hands.

If you ignore this, you’re heading for disaster!

3. Create three distinct tactics

This is so, so vital.

When you head into the tactics screen with a new club, your coaching staff will suggest three presets for your playing style. It makes sense to use all of them, especially if you’re learning.

Have three distinct tactics – maybe one for playing those lower in the league, one for playing a top club, and one for all-out attack – so you can switch between them.

Training all of them means that your opposition won’t necessarily figure you out, much like the Premier League did for Sheffield United in their second season.

Nobody wants to be like Sheffield United!

4. Choose a top club

Yeah, this might go against a few purist views on FM22 but it makes sense if you’re new.

Taking over a club like Manchester City, Liverpool or Manchester United means that you have world-class players, world-class facilities and world-class coaches.

Essentially, if you leave everything bar the tactics, the transfers and the matches to your staff, you’ll still be winning football matches.

Of course, the dream in Football Manager is to take a team from the very bottom to the very top, but let’s walk before we can run!

5. Slow and steady wins the race

Seasons take quite a while to complete!

You can’t expect to be racing through seasons at a clip; you need to take your time, and make sure that you’re taking in every little facet of the game.

Otherwise, you’re going to struggle to learn. Don’t rush, take your time, and you’ll be fluent in the Football Manager language in no time.

Trust us, it’s worth it!

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