Okay, this post is all for the Fifa 13 fans and console players out there. If your looking at how to start Manager mode and have no idea about how to go about it or you have a little bit of experience and just want to improve your whole experience this one is for you.
Manager mode in Fifa 13 is one of the most played modes in the game, and rightfully so. It allows you to take control of a chosen team and manage them over a vast number of seasons. You will be faced with challenges set down by the Teams Board members, Transfer Market requests to complete and even International management all whilst trying to win matches and keep your chosen players in your squad content and happy. Sound difficult? it doesn't have to be. So for those who may be struggling in Fifa's 2013 Manager Mode with an average team and a below average transfer kitty, here are some tips that will most likely help you succeed.
Team Selection
First things first. I STRONGLY advise you to not use/choose a powerhouse team when playing manager mode. Believe me it is a lot less realistic and doesn't set you a challenge. Give it two seasons and I almost guarantee you that playing will be boring and you eventually ditch them due to the lack of interesting challenges and decisions that you have to make. They are too easily accomplished and becomes boring in the long run. So teams such as Manchester City and United, PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich should be a no go. Thus choosing a team that has a reasonable budget and challenges set down for you to accomplish will almost immediately enhance and let you have a greater experience of Fifa 13. Thus i advise you o start with teams such as...
~ Newcastle United
~ Stoke City
~ AC Monaco
~ Bolton
~ Brisbane Roar
All these teams have a reasonable budget and decent budget wages to work with as well as a decent starting team with plenty of room for potential players and growth. I personally began with Newcastle United and up to the 4th consecutive season with them and have grown my wage transfer budget to at least a starting total of $48 000 000 and players well over 85 overall with their potential still increasing and growth continuing in all aspects the the players game. Though I would also highly recommend starting with the team of AC Monaco. They have the best budget of any second division team in the game, and full of talent so you can mold the to your own tastes. Also Bolton has 9 players with potential 80+, three times as many as the next highest amount in the championship, which is amazing. All 4 of their goalkeepers have potential 75+ considering that many championship teams don't even have one with that potential. So all in all make sure you choose a reasonable team with a fair budget and potential players within the squad with plenty of room for future growth.
Choose A Playing Style
Yes. We all love to play and watch attractive football such as Barcelona's Tiki Taka system playing with a 4-4-3 (False 9) formation. It is devastatingly beautiful and goals are endless. But that's Barcelona. Not you. If your taking on a team with grafters (such as Stoke City) as a challenge leave your visions of Tiki Taka at the entrance, for at least a couple of seasons anyways. Simply put it that if your players don't inherit and suit your playing style then forget it. You'd have forged a losing team within the first few seasons. Especially when simming your matches if you choose not to play some of them. You cant expect your two selfish forwards to play one two's to each other all game every game and expect them not to hand in a transfer request in the next transfer window. It just doesn't work like that. Start of firstly by implementing the default custom tactics and formations around your club and tweaking them ever so slightly in the first season or two to your demands and your preferred playing style and then gradually ever so slowly implement hour future intended playing style such as Tiki Taka for example. Then and only then will your team adjust and play effectively around it.
Resist Your High Demands in Transfer Windows
Resist your impulses people! A lot of times we all tend to have the tendency to fire up manager mode and then in up coming transfer window we all transfer list all I players in hope they will all be sold at a hefty price so that our transfer budget increases and we can buy Messi, Ronaldo and all the other up coming and major stars. Yeah, it doesn't work either. Get used to hearing that line. Transfers are a big thing in Fifa 13. Players are more moody (PMS) top clubs wont sell their stars easily and players won’t accept roles assigned to them (a player playing in the first XI won’t take the offer of being a squad player or future starting XI player for your club). Trying to get transfers is a lot harder then one might think. For example at Bolton, Players won’t come, you can’t sign anyone above a rating of 70 because you don’t have the money, your best option here is to store the money you get from Cup runs (this is a major source of finance for all small clubs like in real life) and try to get a signing of two from the FREE AGENTS market. 2-3 seasons in the game and you would get players who are young and have an overall rating of 70-79 easily. So if you are to take anything by what i just said don't be and idiot. You have to work within your limits.
The Need For SPEED
Speed is the king here in Fifa. The through ball to a fast winger/forward is the tactic to win games. Assaidi and Sterling, fast wingers with Suarez up front, help create bucket loads of chances as they get away from those old, slow, battle tank defenders easily and can get shots on goal. I had to remove players such as Matt Smith from my team Brisbane Roar completely from my line up so as to avoid players like Walcott and other pace makers form making him look like granddad trying to catch up with his grandson.
So sign players who are fast, they will help you create a lot of chances and for sure you won’t regret having a few speedsters in the squad. Don't worry. You can thank me for it later.
Final Thoughts
As we've all certainly heard before. Rome wasn't built in a day. Your chosen team that you will manage most likely wont top the table within the first couple of seasons but it is a working process. The biggest thing is to be practical and realistic about the whole situation. You cant overhaul your squad into a powerhouse in one transfer window, you have to be able to spread it out. Year after year slowly and smartly, progressively build your team to the one that you want and within a realistic amount of seasons your team will hopefully be contending with the other powerhouse clubs. Happy managing!
