Football Manager 2021 Review (PC)

excellent
key review info
  • Game: Football Manager 2021
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
  • Reviewed on:
Football Manager 2021 key art

In the real world, Liverpool is preparing for a tough season, trying to defend their title while dealing with a squad affected by injury and with rivals that have improved their rosters. In my Football Manager 2021 campaign Liverpool have clinched their second title in a row, by one win over Manchester United, but the team is dealing with major injuries to starters and a transfer market that does not allow them to make major moves.

I’ve already lost points in the 2021 – 2022 seasons by trying out a new formation and mentality (5-3-2 coupled with vertical tiki-taka) and management will probably soon be breathing down my neck. I also have problems with Jordan Henderson, annoyed that he is no longer captain. To make things worse City has transferred 3 players over 80 million Euros and is 4 points ahead. It’s enough to make even the real world Jurgen Klopp respond angrily during interviews, something that I'm very much doing in the virtual world.

Football Manager 2021 is the latest sports simulation from long-time developer Sports Interactive and SEGA. After a few years of mostly incremental changes, the team has introduced a new match experience and other well-thought-out tweaks. And during this weird Covid-19 year the football game delivers a slice of normal that many fans have been asking for.

Football Manager 2021
Football Manager 2021
Football Manager 2021
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The core of the series is unchanged and everyone who has played one of these titles in the past five years will feel instantly at home when starting a campaign. Players can be recruited and motivated, sometimes reprimanded, often coddled. Tactics need to be decided, tweaked, implemented, then tweaked again. Club finances need balancing, other employees have their own requirements and use. There’s a lot of talking to do, with everyone from the press to other managers and agents. And almost everything can be delegated or automated away if it’s too time-consuming or annoying.

The match experience has been upgraded both visually and mechanically. It’s easier to watch the on-pitch action while also keeping an eye on both teams and player performances. A lot more information is introduced via the Dugout. Matches look better and the footballers move very close to how they do in the real world, although the game does not aim for FIFA style photo realism.

There are moments when the way teams behave in Football Manager 2021 is hard to distinguish from how they perform in the real world. Both before and after a match gamers can get access to a lot of information that can inform tweaks to tactics or even entire squad revamps. The xG metric will allow plenty of would-be managers to quickly see how their team is doing.

The amount of interactions and the involved nuance has also been increased. A manager can break his entire team by being hard on a favored player. The right half-time, coupled with some tactical changes, can lead to miraculous results. Tone and gestures are important. But, most of the time, talking seems like a relative waste of time, and delegating to an assistant does not seem to do any major harm.

The database the game relies on is as impressive as ever. Planning and executing transfers is very fun, especially for the big teams. In fact, the biggest problem with Football Manager 2021 at the moment is how many great players the massive European powers can gather in two or three seasons. It’s not hard to discover and develop new talent but the likes of Salah or Sancho will probably head to Real Madrid relatively quickly.

Playing the new Sports Interactive sim is a great experience as long as one has time. When managing most aspects of a big club it can take 20 hours to move through a season, without watching matches in their entirety. For all those willing to give the game their hours and days the experience is impressive.

Football Manager 2021
Football Manager 2021
Football Manager 2021
+7more

The Good

  • New match presentation
  • Amount and accuracy of featured information
  • Delegation options

The Bad

  • A season can take a long time to complete
  • Some interactions have limited impact
  • Weird stats on some regens

Conclusion

Football Manager 2021 is a very good management game. It offers more options than before, takes up more time than ever, delivers such an accurate take on the real-world sport that it is sometimes unnerving. It also makes it a little harder to create truly alternate worlds, like one where Wrexhman wins the Premier League.

For those who want something that moves faster and is more focused on just tactics, the Touch version of the game is a better choice. I love the depth that the series has been adding and I don’t mind playing at the most 3 or 4 seasons in one run. But for those who want 20 year-long attempts at greatness, with plenty of regens and takeovers, delegation and quick matches are the right way to go.

Football Manager 2021 is a game best enjoyed a few virtual matches a night, preferably with some real-world football in the background, wondering whether you can get Fulham out of that bind (maybe, in a season or three) or if you can be the one to lead 1. FC Koln to greatness (it might take a decade).

story 9
gameplay 10
concept 8
graphics 8
audio 8
multiplayer 8
final rating 9
Editor's review
excellent
 
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Football Manager 2021 screenshots (31 Images)

Football Manager 2021 key art
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