8 tips to succeed in Football Manager 2015

Football Manager 2015 was released a month back and many of the users have been reviewing the game positively. While there is criticism for the match engine and bugs related to player injuries (which has now been resolved by Sports Interactive in their latest update), the game is developed in an exceptional standard. This is till now the best football management simulation game that has ever been made, vast in scope and detail. The regular football managers who have already played every game in the FM series will always have a plan on how to play, scout, assign tactics and win big. They will form the best squad possible and mostly win every matches in the competitions. They always have a plan.But what about users who might not be as well-versed, both with the game and tactical awareness? A loss comes with a great cost as it leads to poor squad morale and other problems which can eventually lead to sacking. What do we do about that? Here are eight listed tips that will be very helpful for you to guide yourself intoanagerial glory. This is a master plan to beat the game using its own tricks.

#1 Buy young players

There are several wonderkids in the game, who are potential game changers and are guaranteed to be the future stars. Try to scout and sign these players before they turn into 20s. Investing in the young players will result in more money when they turn into big game players. These players will grow with the club and continue in the path to their legacy.

These young players are already hugely talented and might be tad bit expensive, but nonetheless, it is a better investment than buying a 28 year old player for £30m who will score a lot for two years and then lose out his prime form. These young talents will surely turn into millions in valuation or more, and future transfers can be guaranteed with a profit return if you choose to sell. This is the way to really beat the game.

And, to top that off, the feeling to field a team with all of your hand groomed players can really make you proud!

#2 Play the transfer market

Once you start the game, when you try to sign the players, they will be priced steeply. The bargaining chip is in the player’s contract. When you try to search for a player in the transfer market, add the factors like Minimum Fee Release Clause, or Expiring contracts to filter the players. You will be surprised to see that more and more, talented up-and-coming players have loopholes in their contract as long as you are willing to pay the amount.

It is better to look into clauses and expiration dates as it will be a matter of importance. Even more importantly, as soon as it gets to January, change your search filters to find Expiring contracts: usually the clubs are slow in offering contracts for useful and talented players, and if you are quick to offer better terms to those players, you can pick up some serious bargains.

#3 Always have a Plan B

The flexible tactical formations are among the major improvements in the game. When you start an a new game, first focus on the squad and buy players you think are appropriate for their positions. Analyze the players and choose your tactics accordingly. Always try to have more than one tactics for your players to learn, i.e., setting your team in different ways to combat different opposition is a very good decision.

Create different types of tactics, create one for Attacking, one for Defensive mode, one for Counter attacking mode. Like this if you have more than one plan, it will be helpful when facing tough oppositions. You can play lower league clubs with the attacking tactic formation, and the defensive or counter attacking tactic when playing against big teams like Real Madrid, Chelsea or Bayern Munich.

This way you can always have Plan B to change during the match, having the personnel to change from one system to another during games is an even smarter tip without using a formation that would be less familiar to the players.

#4 Loan the youngsters

The young players coming out of the club’s youth academy will surely want to make it into the senior side. Before giving them their senior chances, it is better to loan them out to other clubs so as to get them more game time on the field. Having unhappy players in your squad will impact their performance levels, and a choice to loan unwanted players is also a wise one, as it saves both your money and the player’s potential to grow.

These players will not realise their talents if they just play 4 or 5 games a season with your club in either the reserve or the youth teams. They need first team football to sharpen their skills. Giving them more first team experience with other clubs, when you know your team is full with talents, will keep the youngsters mostly happy and will help them improve their ability. This will surely benefit you in the long-term.

#5 Patience is a virtue

Usually everyone’s opinion is when something goes wrong, it’s time to rip everything up and start again with something drastically different. Be patient. Don’t tear up your tactics or change the training instructions once a week. You need to give your tactical systems more time to let the players adapt to it, and changing everything once a week will just make your players feel unsettled.

The pre-season games are the best way to tinker with all the formations you have created. Stick with the one when the season kicks off, which you think is the better option for the team. It is better to have two main tactical set-ups, depending on which teams you play. Ripping the tactics up once a week or by changing the player roles or team instructions daily is not a smart way to sustain in this game.

#6 Always Invest Smartly

Buying too many players or buying only one player for the entire transfer budget is not good in the long run. Search for better players and try to invest in the players smartly instead. The key to the transfer market is by evaluating your squad in the summer and identifying where the weaknesses are. Sell the players you want and replace smartly. Try to sign transfer bargains for your team.

If you scout more than two players for one position in your squad, scout thoroughly and try to sign the younger player among them. Don’t overload your strikers or midfielders or defenders and don’t keep adding on goalkeepers, unless you really need one for the first team. Try to keep your squad to a reasonable size. Try not to have more than two players for the same position as this will affect the squad’s morale too. If they don’t get more game time, they will hand over transfer request and try to leave the club.

#7 Scout the world

Spend time in the Scouting section and try to send your scouts to all the major football regions to search for future players. Don’t assign two scouts to a same country. Rather, assign them to scout the world. Yes, scouting the world is always a better option to search for future top stars in the game. If you have more than five or six scouts in your management team, try to send at least two scouts to scout the world.

Try to pick multiple countries when starting a new game and set a large database. This way it helps uncover more talents throughout the world. At the start of the game, try to assign your scouts to France, Holland, Brazil, Argentina and England. They are where the most value is, and where the most undiscovered talent is.

#8 Ignore whatever your Assistant says

The Assistant manager is like a right hand to you, he bridges the gap between the squad and the management. In the ideal football world, assistants play a crucial role in the game, they offer tips at improving specific skills in individual players and adopting them to benefit the first team. Whereas, in this game, ignore whatever your assistant says. Sure, he can be asked to take control of training, to answer press conferences and take control of friendlies. These are good aspects, but it all goes wrong when he tries to advise things.

If you have paid close attention to everything the assistant suggests during the match, you will know that by clicking accept advice, you will change your entire game plan and tactics for every few seconds. The assistant will try to play long balls when you would have set a passing tactic; the players will cross more with no heading striker. This is because he usually plays by the numbers but not the men playing on field.