After the short 60-second trailer, Sports Interactive have now shared what exactly are the new features coming to Football Manager 2021, aside from the usual database update for the football sim.
The big headlining feature is better interactions. FM21 gives more nuance to how you interact with players and the media. You can add specific gestures (body language) while having conversations- a touch more than the previous tone selection. Team talks, press conferences and face-to-face meetings are also revamped.
You can also have a quick chat with specific people, informal conversations with players in the club, players out on loan, opposition managers and journalists.
The build-up to a matchday has also improved- the second big feature for this year. You can make last-minute tactical tweaks in the new pre-match tactical meeting where your backroom staff. You can also make last-minute lineup selection once you see the official team sheets, so you can basically counter-pick your opponent’s lineup of players should you need to.
Match UI have been improved, and new assets can be see on the pitch like jib cranes and steady cams. Lighting and animations should be improved too.
Recruitment is also an aspect that sees some improvement. You can now do Recruitment Meetings with your scouts and recruitment team to set up goals and areas to focus. You can also have more interactions with agents, like finding out what it takes for a player to consider a move to your club.
Lastly, the end-of-season will also get some love. There will be on-pitch celebrations (including a trophy lift moment), and more media attention. A new end-of-season review will also present the season highlights involving happenings on and off the pitch.
Suffice to say, FM2021 is a marginal step forward, but considering FM20 was a big jump of features, it’s what you expect from an annual title- a year of small, but important improvements.
Football Manager 2021 launches on November 24th for the PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, iOS and Android, with the Nintendo Switch version coming later this December.