6 Teams to Manage in FM22 Database Update

If you are trying to find a new team to manage in FM22, then you should definitely check out some of the following clubs.

If you are trying to find a new team to manage in FM22, then you should definitely check out some of the following clubs.

With so many teams to manage and so many opportunities, it can be tough to choose the right club for you. The below teams, though, all offer an exceptional place to build an empire. So, where should you start?

 

1. Newcastle United

Let us start off with an obvious one, shall we? Go to Newcastle. Build a superclub with money of questionable origin. Build something from scratch, with a pretty poor squad to begin with you should have no problem in finding slots for new signings to fill-in. This, though, comes with the caveat that your expectations will ramp up massively after the first season.

This is a fun one to take on because you are taking on a relatively big club that has a really strong local backing. Now that you have the funds that Newcastle probably need to thrive, you can start building a genuinely exciting football club. The challenge, though, also stems from landing the high profile targets that your board will demand.

Newcastle are not a contender, but you are expected to sign contender-tier talent. When they start rejecting you or asking for eye-watering sums of money, the reality of this challenge will soon become clear. Keep that in mind and you can probably make it a bit easier to start developing and building something. This is a slow burn effort that can take 2-3 windows to really get a team together, but you will have precious little time. Can you do it?

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2. Sunderland

Sticking in the North East, why not take on the non-Saudi owned giant of the region? Sunderland are a great club, just as Newcastle are. The difference is they are (compared to Newcastle) skint, they are stuck in League One, and they have a dreadful squad for the size of club they are. You need to take the also-rans that Lee Johnstone signed (and got him sacked), and get promoted in year one or face the bullet.

Can you get them promoted whilst playing with a squad that isn’t even the best side in the division? Can you win every week whilst playing a good style of football to keep your young owner happy? And can you then make a promotion push within two seasons in the Championship? That is the expectation.

All of this is will be done amid a backdrop of ageing players with poor professionalism, young players who cannot wait to go, and a sea of better players all on poor contracts that run out within a season or two. No pressure like, but you basically need to get a burning wheelie bin over the line in season one.

ALSO READ: FM22 Teams to Manage from League One

3. FC Koln

If you want to escape England but stick with beloved clubs in decaying industrial regions, then look to Cologne – or Koln as they are mostly known. With a surprisingly good young squad and a decent smattering of older talent like Mark Uth and Anthony Modeste, you have some good players to work with at this club.

You will not have much in the way of prime age talent, but guys like Jonas Hector and Ondrej Duda give you players in their prime (or just leaving their prime) years who can be relied upon to grow and improve. Cologne are a massive club in Germany but have done precious little for decades. Luckily, you should find yourself working for a board who are happy to let you develop slowly and should not be expecting too much within the first 2-3 years.

Eventually, though, you will be expected to push for European football and add more trophies to the cabinet. For a long-burn project that you can work on whilst using a very interesting young squad, though, Koln is a no-brainer. They are one of German football's best clubs historically, so restoring them to former glories should be pretty enticing.

READ ALSO: 4 Phoenix Clubs to Restore to Glory in FM22

 

4. Hibernian

Despite being a football daft nation, it would be fair to say that Scottish football sees a bit of a drop-off after the ‘big two’ of Celtic and Rangers. Edinburgh sides Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian are always seen as clubs with potential. They play in a well-off capital city with plenty of cash behind them (relative to the league) and relatively high attendance rates. Wining cups and splitting Celtic and Rangers should be the seasonal aim, not the dream.

For a club that has a fine youth sector and a good playing squad as is, then, be sure to look at Hibs. They are building an interesting team in Leith, and you could be the one to take it on and actually turn them around. You will be reliant on a few key Scottish international players; guys like Ryan Porteous and Kevin Nisbet will be your most important players. Alongside them, though, you have some exciting young talent and a good crop of youth – including Premier League linked Josh Doig – to think about.

So, if you want a Scottish save with long-term aspirations, give the Edinburgh side a try. Of course, if you prefer the colour maroon, why not go to Gorgie and manage Hearts instead?

READ ALSO: FM22 Scottish Cities Challenge

5. Athletic Club

If your eyes are sorely on the development of good young talent, then you should definitely make some time go to Athletic Club. They are a massive football club who seem to be allergic to trophy wins. They also have the best youth development system in Spain, and could be a tremendous choice for you if you want to build something interesting. They are limited to signing Basque region players, so you might need to get used to signing talent based on that.

It is good fun, though, to try and build a team whilst having such massive constraints on you. It can be tough work to build a team that can win titles with Athletic Club, but it is by no means impossible. If you want to take on a proper long-term challenge, though, this might be one of the best in the top five leagues. The unique nature of the club means you cannot just buy success, but if you do get any success you should be able to offer lucrative contracts and keep a Basque squad together that can properly compete for titles in the medium-term future.

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6. SL Benfica

If you want to manage one of the biggest clubs in the world who have been cast adrift by ‘modern football’ then make your way to Portugal. You will find a Benfica team in absolute chaos, with players leaving all over the place and a totally imbalanced playing staff. Add to that the fact you are chasing two very good sides in Sporting Clube de Portugal and FC Porto, and that anything other than a league will probably mean the sack, and there is much to enjoy about life in Portugal.

Benfica are a club with massive European pedigree and among the best academies in the world, but you would not know it. They underperform with regularity and are more likely to sell on a youth player to pay for an import than develop them. If you want to change how this club works, then a truly world class academy should be something that you focus on.

Build a team using the youth players you have, and focus on developing a squad that has every opportunity to go all the way. Benfica are a massive club, but they need huge organisational change to get back to their best. Can you provide the catalyst for the change needed and finally undo the curse of Bela Guttmann?

Which of the above clubs, then, can you see yourself trying to take to the top? Who do you think offers the best balance between opportunity and appeal?