Teams to manage
With thousands of teams and dozens of leagues to choose from, your toughest decision of Football Manager 2019 might just be who to play as first. Below are relegation certainties, fallen giants and mid-table also-rans like… er, Real Madrid.
They’re all here – ready and waiting for you to sign on the (virtual) dotted line...
Blackburn (Championship)
Despite being the only Premier League champions to be relegated to the third tier of English football, Blackburn have hit a purple patch recently – and now it’s up to you to get them back to the top tier. The likes of Bradley Dack and Danny Graham should help you storm up the Championship table before your opposition has known what’s hit it, and you’ve got a potential fortress in Ewood Park that could humble all but the biggest of teams.
The anoraks among you can aim for some seriously impressive long-term records: Blackburn, if you get promoted, could be the first Premier League team to win the title more than two decades after winning their first.
Cincinnati (MLS)
Like Los Angeles FC last year, Cincinnati will be added to MLS for the 2019 season in March. Why not fast-forward a few months and become this new club’s first ever manager? You’ll have the chance to give Cincinnati an identity, and if things go well, shape their destiny for years to come.
With the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney finding that crossing the Atlantic offers an enjoyable challenge in the twilight of their careers, you might be able to tempt a few others to join them. Or shun the big names altogether and look for young domestic talent – the choice is very much yours, which is what makes this job so appealing.
FC Emmen (Eredivisie)
2018/19 marks Emmen’s first ever season in the Eredivisie, after 33 seasons in the same division. Last term, they finished seventh in the second tier and advanced through the play-offs.
The question is, can you keep them rubbing shoulders with the likes of Feyenoord and Ajax for the foreseeable future? Emmen have already been on the end of some nasty thrashings in real life this season (0-5 vs Ajax; 0-6 vs PSV), so it’s on you to keep the minnows afloat and pick up vital points against fellow drop-dodgers. From there, who knows?
Hamburg (2. Bundesliga)
Hamburg were, for many years, the Bundesliga’s answer to Sunderland – perennially battling against relegation before finally falling through the trapdoor last term. It was their first ever demotion from the German top flight, and with a rich history – they’ve won six titles and a European Cup – plus a 67,000-seater stadium, they don’t intend to be away for too long.
Your objective, then, is to return Hamburg to the Bundesliga and then get them challenging for silverware once more. That’s no small task considering the haplessness of their last five seasons, not to mention the might of Bayern Munich and a re-energised Borussia Dortmund standing in your way. A long-term save.
Paris FC (Ligue 2)
Don’t worry, we’re not advocating taking charge of mega-rich PSG – that wouldn’t be much of a challenge. Instead, look to another club from the French capital; one who haven’t played in the top flight of French football since 1979.
Money is tight, so promotion could be beyond you in your first season at the helm. The romantic element of this story can’t be ignored, though, and everyone loves an underdog in FM. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll even be able to topple PSG at the summit of Ligue 1...
Cardiff (Premier League)
Earmarked as contenders for Derby’s record of lowest Premier League points before they’d even kicked a ball, Cardiff present one of the toughest and most accessible challenges for those who don’t fancy going globetrotting further than Wales.
With their shoestring budget and squad of players who are mostly untested at the highest level, you have your work cut out from the start. Harry Arter has been brought in to beef up the midfield, while Josh Murphy and Bobby Reid have also bolstered the ranks after impressive seasons in the Championship. Simply staying up would be a fantastic accomplishment.
Parma (Serie A)
Parma were one of Europe’s most iconic clubs in the 1990s, but financial hardship means they've fallen a long, long way since. Now a phoenix club going by the name of Parma Calcio 1913 after filing for bankruptcy in 2015, they’ve done a pretty impressive job of returning to Serie A after three consecutive promotions.
The budget remains small, though, and staying in the top flight will be tricky. Former Arsenal forward Gervinho could be your trump card, but Parma are among the favourites for the drop and a 17th-place finish in your debut campaign would be a success.
Real Madrid (La Liga)
Taking the reins at a club who have just won three Champions Leagues in a row might not sound like too tricky a proposition, but Julen Lopetegui’s fate in the real world proves this won’t be easy. Dealing with the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo is the first item on your to-do list – do you stick with what you’ve got or splash the cash on a Galactico replacement?
A transfer budget of £54m awaits you at the Santiago Bernabeu, and aside from Ronaldo, the Europe-conquering squad remains intact. Knocking Barcelona off their perch should be your first target, but winning Los Blancos’ fourth successive Champions League would endear you to the club’s notoriously demanding fans – until you lose a couple of games the following autumn, that is…
Santos (Brazilian First Division)
If you can get your head around the confusing league structures in South America, Santos should be your first port of call. A legacy of players including Pele and Neymar brings with it expectation and, with the return of Gabriel Barbosa following his unhappy jaunt in Europe, you’ve got all the makings of a fun, experimental save game in a far-flung division.
But you’re not going to steamroller the opposition here. Each league season (and its different stages) provides a difficult challenge filled with rotation, ego-balancing, and trying to push through prospects from Santos’s famed youth academy. That’s going to be even harder with the fact that Rodrygo, your star player, will be leaving for Real Madrid come July, and ‘Gabigol’ is only on loan until then too.
Shanghai SIPG (Chinese Super League)
Shanghai SIPG have finished as runners-up in the Chinese Super League for two of the last three years, despite having a talented squad which features Oscar and Hulk. You’ll be tasked with getting the best out of the club’s supporters and fashioning a collective which is at least equal to the sum of its parts.
The aforementioned Brazilians won’t stick around forever, so winning silverware in your first couple of seasons is a must. You may also target continental glory in the Asian Champions League, which Shanghai SIPG exited at the last-16 stage in 2018.
Sporting CP (Primeira Liga)
It’s fair to say that 2017/18 was an unmitigated disaster for Sporting. The club’s training ground was attacked by their own fans in May, prompting several players – including four members of Portugal’s World Cup squad, Gelson Martins, Bruno Fernandes, Rui Patricio and William Carvalho – to walk out in the summer.
Sporting also missed out on the Champions League qualification spots, before falling to a 2-1 defeat by lowly Aves in the Portuguese Cup Final. A rebuilding job is therefore required at the Estadio Jose Alvalade; if you can win Sporting their first title since 2002, you’ll guarantee yourself hero status in the green and white half of Lisbon. Just try and keep the supporters on side…
Sunderland (League One)
Sunderland fans discovered last season that relegation from the Premier League was far from the nadir. The Black Cats fell through the Championship trapdoor in 2017/18, and now find themselves taking on the likes of Fleetwood Town and Accrington Stanley in the third tier of English football.
For now, you’ll have to focus on getting the big-earners off the wage bill and building towards the future with academy talent such as Josh Maja and Duncan Watmore. Should you succeed in your first season, you’ve got the foundations in place to have a long and successful career in the north-east.
