Football Manager 2019 is the newest entry into the world-renowned football management simulation. It is not considered a significant update to the immensely addictive and extremely tough-to-master franchise. It does place a lot of focus on making the statistic-heavy interface more attractive to newcomers.

The first thing that veterans of Football Manager will notice when they start the game is the refreshed look. You can essentially call this a minor franchise reboot, with yellows and purples replacing the dull, old greens. It feels vibrant and fresh, even if it takes a while to get used to it. However, the updated hues are the least important aspect of the redesign as the training areas, and new tactics are undoubtedly the centre of attention of this new release which was previously the most difficult to master.

Brand-New Tactics

The tactics screen now allows you to select your playing style from a vast range of notable mantras. You’ll find fast-paced passing with Tika-Taka, Jurgen Klopp inspired pressing with Gegenpress and maximum opportunity with Route One. Once you have your preferred style, the game will automatically adjust player roles, mentality, and more. Choosing a notable style is easy and quick, but it won’t allow you to instantly play like Barcelona. Selecting the Tika-Taka style with Bournemouth, for instance, won’t work as efficiently as you would think as the ball will be given away on almost every pass. You will need to have the right players for your preferred tactic style to get the most out of each option. The first time you play the game and start to build a brand-new tactic, you’ll receive an overview of how everything works. That makes it ideal for newcomers and veterans that need a refresher course.

Training Area

The new training area is much more visually accessible when it comes to your current regimes, giving you a weekly glance along with your top performers. You will also have a new mentors section that will coach young players to eventually become wonderkids. The training section comes with a wide range of information; however, if you prefer not to invest a large volume of time assistant managers can be given this task.

Other Aspects of the Game

The social media feed is still awful in Football Manager 2019, flowing with horrible views when it comes to your signings from fans. Talking to players is another drawback to the game as one wrong move will see a player decline your offer. Once that takes place, there’s no room for negotiation thereafter. The 3D match-engine is another aspect that needs improving. As immersive and deep as the entire game is, that feeling quickly disappears when you enter a match.

Overall, the new Football Manager 2019 game is one of the best simulations out there with loads of depth. It provides hours of excitement with a brand new user interface that is accompanied by new tactics and a training area to make it more appealing than ever before.