Football Manager 2024 review - one of the most polished sports games in history | OneFootball

Highlights

Football Manager 2024 is here - another year of allowing gamers from across the world to embark on new adventures. A combination of skill, man management and luck is needed to win football's most illustrious trophies in Football Manager, and this is the same case again this year, with major improvements to the tactical side of the game making it better than ever.

Sports Interactive's most prized possession, Football Manager, has always been competing with EA, most recently their FIFA games, until the name change to 'EAFC 24'. They've always been two drastically different games; one requires obscene amounts of luck and money spent to acquire a good team, whilst the other tests your brain and challenges you to become the new Pep Guardiola.

However, this year, the gulf between the games and the separation of the fanbases is growing, with fans of Football Manager realising what they have is one of the most polished sports games of all time. As Sports Interactive describe it, Football Manager 2024 is 'a love letter to football and the culmination of two decades of dedication and commitment' to 'complete football authenticity'. Sounds good, right?

New features, coupled with the existing leagues and players you all know and love, make it a game that will keep you gripped all year round. With the beta now out, and with full release on November 6th, GIVEMESPORT, has looked at all the details to provide you with an in-depth analysis of the latest game to hit the market.

Positional play and inverted full-backs

Football Manager 2024 has built from the existing groundwork Sports Interactive have put in place. The usual philosophies remain, with gegenpressing, tiki-taka football and counter-attacking football all remaining prominent. It all depends on your style at the end of the day!

But within that, there are two major changes to the tactics this year - introducing advanced positional play and a new player role, the Inverted Full-back.

Starting off with positional play, players now take up free space across the pitch, allowing players to switch positions and potentially adopt Guardiola's play style. For example, an Inside Forward or Inverted Winger will not stay closer to the flank if there is an additional midfielder nearby, whilst Advanced Playmakers and Segundo Volante will free up space for one another in the build-up to the final third. On paper, it seems sleeker, but it's not as effective as it could be.

The Inverted Full-back is the latest role to be introduced to Football Manager, clearly inspired by Guardiola's adaptations last season. We're not even surprised by Guardiola's new ground-breaking ideas these days! Used by players like Kyle Walker or Oleksandr Zinchenko, they push up into midfield when your team has the ball on the opposite flank.

They can also drop in to become a third centre-back if the other full-back pushes into midfield. It's smart and provides a new layer to the tactics in Football Manager. However, as previously mentioned, it could be better. In real life, positional play requires every player to work as a team.

There are no set positions, meaning players are consistently moving, however, in FM24, that isn't the case, with players only moving in specific tactics. This downside is only worsened with no 'out of possession' tactic specifically available. Teams now consistently play two different styles with and without the ball, which isn't available in this year's game, but it will be something Sports Interactive work towards in the future. Progress this year? 100%. But perfection? Not quite yet.

Set-piece overhaul

The introduction of set-piece coaches is one of the biggest changes to Football Manager in years. Once considered crazy, epitomised when the appointment of throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark at Liverpool was met with bemusement back in 2018, now set-piece coaches are common are football's most elite clubs. Deciding set-pieces used to be challenging, and often frustrating. Still, now you can leave it all to your coach, knowing the focus of every routine and scenario is on the players with the most appropriate attributes instead of their positions in your tactic.

However, if you want to take a hands-on approach and do it yourself, you can. A detailed and advanced screen awaits you in the tactical set-up, allowing you to change everything from the type of kick, the layout of your players, who takes which set-piece, and how aggressive you are in the box. Want to throw everyone forward? You can. But want to stay pragmatic and leave four players back? You can do that as well; the possibilities are endless.

In general, the overview of set pieces provides more variety during matches. Goals from corners are now more common if you get your tactics spot on, which only adds to the pressure of being a manager. As you put on your suit to play the cup final, you know you have to get your set piece routine correct, otherwise you'll be collecting a second-place medal.

Original, Real World, Your World

Another much-needed addition to FM24 is the introduction of three options when you start your club journey; Real World, Original and Your World.

Real World states that transfers happen when they happen in real life. For example, Harry Kane starts the transfer window at Tottenham Hotspur, but he eventually moves to Bayern Munich on the eve of the new campaign. It means you might start the season without a key player if they signed on Deadline Day, which only adds to the realism. However, it is messy to work around in the menus. You have several players in your squad that you can do nothing with until they leave; it will be more effective after the January Transfer Window, but currently Original seems more effective. Original is the one fans across the world are used to; you start with the team as it is in real life before being provided with a small budget to make changes. It's the bread and butter of Football Manager which seems to be the most popular at the moment.

Last but not least, there's the arrival of 'Your World' - a new way to play the first season in Football Manager. Remember all the transfers that happened in the summer transfer window? Well, they didn't happen. Yes, that's right, you can rewrite history and restart the window. Chelsea were the biggest spenders in the summer, which you can redo with all the money they spent under Todd Boehly. It's not the most realistic way to play Football Manager, but it's fun and, most importantly, unique.

One of the main criticisms of Football Manager over the years has been its graphics. It's always been pixilated and underwhelming to look at - a stark contrast to one of its main rivals EAFC, which has continually pushed the boundaries of the impossible since 2015. It's been accepted by fans for years, knowing they still have a fun game to play, but pressure was eventually growing on Sports Interactive to make changes. They listened, with FM24 having some small but noticeable changes to the graphics.

It now longer looks like Minecraft with a football - one that was always rough around the edges. The players look smoother and glide around the pitch, whilst new ball animations - including the possibility of volleys hit into the ground - only add to the authenticity of the game. The lighting has drastically improved, making it seem more realistic throughout. It still doesn't match the appearance of EAFC, but with the introduction of a new match engine in FM25, they might soon catch up.

Selling players

Finally, the way you operate in the transfer market has changed slightly, with the introduction of intermediaries helping you sell players. We all know how hard it can be to sell unwanted players, especially if they're old, but now you can get help from external agents to sell them. It makes it easier, but it comes with one downside; they take a cut of the revenue.

It's probably a risk worth taking, even if it is a tool you want to use as a last resort. The offer to clubs options has now been replaced by the 'Transfer Room', but, in reality, it's just a name change, with the option to list a player for specific prices still common.

Football Manager has always been one of the most enjoyable sports games on the market; that's the same story this year. New tactical philosophies, new options to start your game, a new league (we're looking at you Japan), and smoother ball animations throughout make it a game to remember this year.

With its price of £44.99 (10% off if you pre-order), it also comes in considerably cheaper than competitors on the marker. FM24 is one of the most polished games around, but with a new match engine and women's football coming next year, the major changes are just around the corner.