Football Manager 2024 is a realistic footie management simulator that can at first be a little daunting for new players. The first thing most players probably want to do when they start playing Football Manager 2024 is win a major league title. Lifting cup silverware is fun, but nothing beats winning league titles. Here are some Football Manager 2024 tips for winning the leagues.
Keep Your Squad Size Down to 22-25 Players
Some FM24 rookies might think having bigger squads will give them a better chance of winning league titles in Football Manager 2024. However, it’s the quality, not the quantity, of your players that counts. A smaller squad is easier to manage because you can give fewer players more matches. Thus, fewer players will likely complain they’re not getting enough playing time in smaller squads.
It’s also important to keep your squad size down to about 22-25 players for the sake of your transfer budget. Having more players increases your club’s salary expenditure, which restricts finances for signings. The bigger your transfer budget, the better chance you have of winning a league title. So, try to keep your squad size at 22-25 players, which is big enough to have a suitable backup for all positions in a team.
Play the 4-3-3 DM Wide Control Possession Formation
I am not necessarily suggesting the 4-3-3 DM Wide formation for controlled possession (short passing) is the best playing system in Football Manager 2024. However, this is the formation that worked best for me. I won eight league titles across nine seasons with Paris St Germain when playing with the 4-3-3 DM Wide formation. So, this is a good formation for teams in top divisions.
This formation and tactic emphasizes short passing and ball possession. You’ll need to fill your team with players who have good technique, first-touch, passing, and off-ball movement attribute ratings for it to be effective. Try to sign players with attribute ratings of 15 or higher for those attributes, particularly for the three central midfield positions (AP, DM, and MEZ) and attacking wingers.
Hire a Decent Assistant Manager
The assistant manager is your most important staff member in Football Manager 2024. He gives you feedback on your players, recommends team talk dialogue, and provides tactical instructions for matches. So, make sure you hire a decent assistant manager with higher ratings for tactics, motivation, and judging player attributes. Then, apply most, if not all, of the tactical instructions he suggests before matches.
Sign Freebie Players With Expiring Contracts
Signing players for free is the most economical way to strengthen your squad for winning league titles. You can sign many quality players with free transfers when their contracts are close to expiring. So, look out for decent players with contracts due to expire within six to 12-month periods during the mid-season transfer windows. You can make free signings for players with contracts that expire in six months.
Rest Players for League Matches
Winning the league is your priority, right? So, it makes sense to rest some of your first-choice players for league matches by not selecting them in cup games. By doing this, you can keep more of your first-choice players fresher for league matches. Tired players don’t usually play so well, so try to keep your first-choice players in the best condition for league matches by rotating your squad a bit.
Sign Players With Minimum Release Fee Clauses
Minimum release fees are contract clauses that force clubs to accept transfer bids that meet their values. These release fee clauses can make it easier (and cheaper) to sign players with contracts that include them. So, it’s worth keeping an out for players with minimum release fees when strengthening your squad.
To find players with minimum release fees to sign, click Scouting to select the Players > Players in Range options. Next, click Edit search to select Add > Contract > Clauses (Release). You can select a Minimum Release Fee Clause condition with a specified value for your player search.
Substitute Booked Players During League Matches
Red cards can cost your team points in league matches. For example, two sendings off in different games could potentially cost your team four points, which can be the difference between winning and losing a title race. Substituting booked players during matching will ensure they can’t get sent off with second yellow cards, reducing the number of red cards your team receives during a league campaign. This will also reduce the number of red card suspensions for your team’s league matches.
Keep Team Morale Up
Morale is an important factor in your players’ performances on the pitch. Your players will usually play better when their morale is higher. So, you should regularly monitor the team’s morale by viewing the Happiness tab in Dynamics. Try to keep morale up in your squad by changing player training when needed, selecting disgruntled players for matches more, and sticking to your promises.
Use the Player Comparison Tool
The player comparison tool enables you to compare one player’s attribute ratings with another. It shows you what player has the best average attribute ratings compared to another. This tool is extremely useful for identifying the best players to select for certain positions in your team. For example, you can use this tool to compare two goalkeepers if you’re not sure who your first-choice keeper should be. It’s also a great utility for comparing potential transfer targets. So, make sure you utilize this comparison tool for selecting and signing players.
If you don’t know how to utilize this tool, click Comparison on any player’s attribute ratings screen. Then, select Compare with to choose an alternative player for attribute comparison. The Attributes tab in that tool is the best thing to look at for player comparison, but you can also select to view the Position & Roles and Statistics tabs.
Those Football Manager 2024 tips will give you a better chance of winning league titles. Aside from those tips, I also recommend starting with clubs that have bigger budgets and better sides in their domestic divisions. A bigger budget makes it easier to win leagues but doesn’t guarantee title glory.
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