First things first, I LOVE FM21. Yes, it’s a Beta, there are bugs, and I’ve only been able to play for a few hours. However, I already have found features that the little kid in me cannot get over. This game is not like FM20 though, there are differences with interface, interactions, and tactics. I’m here to tell you about my first hour, and help guide you through yours as well.
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Scouting:
This year, scouting and recruitment got a great revamp. Now, the board holds recruitment meetings twice a transfer window, to suggest positions worth recruiting, and suggest players for that role. You can suggest your own positions which you think you need to recruit as well. In totality, the recruitment meetings give you, the manager, more control.
Also in the realm of recruitment and transfers, as Miles Jacobson alluded to in the pre-stream, the transfer market has been massively effected this year. More players are listed for transfer, and despite commanding 50 million dollar fees before, you can snag them for a fraction of the price. For example, in my Villareal Beta save, I snapped up Jerome Roussillon, Djene, and Roberto Gagliardini for a combined price of 30 million. Granted, the market works both ways, as now players have lower values, and your transfer budget is smaller, but if you make the right moves, you can bring in big names for cheap.
Tactics:
I entered my first game of the season against relegation favorite Getafe with my 352 that worked so well last year. I let up 3 goals in the first half and barely salvaged a 3-2 loss. The next game I switched to a completely different 442 tikitaka and smacked around team after team and shot up the table. The point being, different tactics work this year, its not just 4231 gegenpress your way to glory.
My Advice:
Familiarise yourself with the new features. xG and statistics provide a more accurate assessment of your team’s success. Make sure you know how all of that relates to your squad. Go through every tutorial, even if you are an experienced player, as it refresh’s your memory on previous features, and introduces you to the new ones. Finally, don’t be afraid to try new things. New signings, formations, transfer strategies, anything. The beta is a great chance to experiment with new things, and this year is very different than last. Enjoy the game, it’s a good one.
