Football Manager 2020 New Features

Excitement is starting to fill the air as we crawl towards the release of Football Manager 2020. Sports Interactive added to the excitement rippling across the Football Manager community recently by announcing five new features that will be coming to FM20 ahead of the game’s full release in about two months’ time. With the title rumoured to be launching on Xbox Game Pass, following FM19’s addition to the program, FM20 is shaping up to be another great option to play, particularly on a budget.  

Each of the new features have been introduced in great detail over on footballmanager.com. If you are looking for a snappier breakdown of the first round of FM20 announcements, look no further. 

Development Centre

One of the most important aspects of creating a sustainable legacy with a club on Football Manager has always been youth development; making the introduction of the Development Centre so exciting.

According to footballmanager.com, “The Development Centre is an all-encompassing hub, which you can use to track the progress of your players. It sits on the sidebar in place of the sections that previously existed for your youth, reserve and development squads.”

Players will be able to more clearly track the development of youth players as well as the updated youth intake system allowing you to see academy graduates at an earlier stage. You will also be able to better follow your players away on loan compared to previous instalments.

Club Vision

The way that you will be able to interact with the board on FM20 has also changed heavily. The introduction of a ‘Club Vision’ will that the club’s owners will now expect you to fulfil their long-term visions for the team they own. 

The board will judge your management: taking into account “club culture”, “ongoing objectives”, and their “five year plan”, replacing the short-term focus in previous editions of Football Manager. 

Players can now develop a more personalised reputation in the game. If you play defensive football, you will become a more attractive target to clubs with a defensive culture.

Graphic Improvements

As with any new iteration in a series, Sports Interactive has announced another round of graphical improvements ahead of FM20. General changes to texture and lighting have been implemented, alongside an improved bone structure for players and officials in the 3d match engine, and clothing will look and behave more realistically. 

Backroom Staff

The new backroom roles have also been introduced to Football Manager 2020 to further improve the realism of this modern football simulation. Technical Directors and Heads of Player Development have been introduced to the series, giving you the option to delegate tasks to more specialised members of staff.

The advice that staff offer on FM20 has also been changed. Coaches and assistants will now give more detailed tactical/coaching advice, giving you a greater breadth (and more detailed) collection of advice to help you make key decisions in the build-up to matchday.

Backroom staff will also now work more “collaboratively”, mimicking the working environment at clubs around the world. 

Playing Time Pathway

The final announcement made was the Playing Time Pathway. The PTP is designed to help you create a clearer path to the first team for your players. You will now be able to set squad roles in advance, meaning that you can plan for the future by informing a player that their squad role will improve/decrease as years go by.

As said on footballmanager.com, “This gives way more definition to a player’s standing within the club. From day one of them arriving, either from another club or the academy, you both know where you stand, through this mutual agreement/promise. This should go some way to alleviating potential issues with keeping the squad happy.”