Football Manager 27 | Our First Impressions of a Series Finding Its Way Again
After the frustrations of FM26, Football Manager 27 delivers meaningful improvements to navigation, tactics and match management, although some familiar issues remain.
Football Manager 26 left us feeling that the series had lost an important part of its identity. With Football Manager 27, Sports Interactive is attempting to address its previous mistakes, and after spending many hours with the new edition, we can confidently say that the difference is noticeable.
For the first time since the transition to Unity, we finally feel that we can focus on building our managerial career rather than constantly searching for the information we need. That does not mean everything works as well as we would like. The AI still shows inconsistencies, some long-standing issues remain, and several areas need further improvement. Most importantly, however, FM27 finally appears to be heading in the right direction.
Football Manager 27 launches on November 10, while a free trial for PC and Mac is available from October 29 to November 3.
Navigation Feels Significantly Better, With More Flexible Menus
In FM26, the excessive reliance on information tiles and pop-up windows made even simple tasks unnecessarily complicated. Information that previously appeared on full pages required several consecutive clicks, while moving between players, clubs and competitions frequently disrupted the natural flow of navigation.
In Football Manager 27, dropdown menus make a return, links to players and competitions lead more directly to their respective pages, and several of the previous pop-up windows have been replaced with full-screen views. Accessing the most important actions within each section is also easier thanks to a consolidated action bar.
The tile-based system has not disappeared, but it is now used primarily to present information at a glance rather than serve as the main navigation method. However, there are still situations where it restricts access to information. One example occurs during the matchday sequence: once it has started, selecting a player or club may only open a limited information window, without the option to navigate to the full profile.
The redesigned Portal brings together the most important news, the team's current situation and financial information without wasting excessive space on less useful details. Tiles can be replaced with others of the same size. For example, instead of constantly displaying the available transfer budget, we can prioritise scouting assignments.
Users can customise the displayed columns, change attribute colours and highlight specific values. Attributes rated 15 or higher, for instance, can be assigned a different colour or border, making it easier to assess a player at a glance. These customisation options also extend to bookmarks, keyboard shortcuts and the default landing page of each main section.
The Wider Football World Feels Alive Again
In FM26, it was easy to become so absorbed in our own club's responsibilities that we had little idea what was happening in other leagues. Transfers, managerial dismissals and significant results often went unnoticed unless we actively searched for them.
With the new Continue feature, instead of constantly returning to the same screen, we are presented with rotating league tables from other competitions, major news stories and messages awaiting our attention. Of course, when we simply want to reach the next match, these transitions can become tiresome. Fortunately, we can limit or disable them.
We also appreciated the return of cup draws and the dedicated transfer deadline day presentation, two features that make the progression of a managerial career more engaging. Financial reports, loan updates and board assessments now provide more information directly within messages, saving us several unnecessary clicks.
Transfers Place Greater Emphasis on Squad Needs
Player agent offers now appear in the Recruitment section throughout the transfer window, with activity increasing as deadline day approaches. This allows us to identify available players more easily without having to wait for a relevant inbox notification.
Young players no longer consider only the stature of the club pursuing them. They place greater importance on playing time and their prospects for development. At the same time, clubs are more careful when evaluating sell-on clauses, which can have a noticeable impact on negotiations, particularly when we are trying to sign a player with limited funds.
The most immediately useful improvement concerns the Director of Football's recommendations. Instead of generic suggestions, we receive more specific guidance on the initial fee, bonuses and payment structure of a transfer. This helps us prepare better offers, especially when our budget is limited and we need to spread the cost of a deal.
Tactical Effectiveness and Training Put Greater Emphasis on Preparation
One of the changes that impressed us most in Football Manager 27 is the new Tactical Effectiveness system. Unlike the simpler Tactical Familiarity indicator in FM26, the new system allows us to assess in greater detail how well our players understand our instructions and whether they are capable of carrying them out.
Simply choosing a formation and placing suitable players in their positions is no longer enough. They need to understand our instructions, possess the necessary attributes and be capable of executing what we ask of them.
For example, switching from a familiar 4-3-3 to a demanding, high-pressing 3-4-3 is no longer such a straightforward process. Players may know their positions but struggle with off-the-ball movement, build-up play or defensive positioning. The positive aspect is that we can identify exactly where they are falling short instead of blindly trying to understand why our tactics are not working.
A simpler tactic with fewer demands may deliver results more quickly, while a more complex system requires additional work and patience. We particularly liked that the assessment is not limited to a single overall rating. Instead, it separately evaluates the players' understanding of instructions, their ability, their acceptance of the tactical approach and their preparation for the next opponent.
The usefulness of the new system becomes even more apparent when planning the weekly training schedule. If, for example, the team has not sufficiently understood how we want to circulate possession, we can schedule training sessions focused on passing. The same applies to pressing, defensive organisation and build-up play.
Where the process becomes particularly interesting is in managing the available time. Spending more time on tactical work means less time for individual development, fitness or recovery. We also appreciated the separation of set-piece training, with dedicated options for corners and free kicks, as well as the ability to copy weekly training schedules, which saves a considerable amount of repetitive work.
More Control from the Touchline with Tactical Tweaks
Tactical Tweaks are among the FM27 additions that left us with the most positive impression during matches. Anyone who has spent countless hours with the series knows how easily a small tactical adjustment can turn into several minutes spent navigating menus. With the new system, we can make meaningful changes with a single click, without constantly interrupting the match.
For example, when trying to protect a lead in the closing minutes, selecting Shut Up Shop adjusts our tactics towards a more conservative approach without requiring us to change multiple instructions individually. Conversely, Throw the Kitchen Sink allows us to take greater risks when chasing an equaliser.
We also liked the ability to stretch the play, reduce pressing intensity or even send the goalkeeper into the opposition's penalty area for the final set pieces.
Tactical Tweaks remain active until we manually disable them. This means we need to keep track of the adjustments we have made, particularly when the scoreline or the overall pattern of the match changes.
Personally, we found the system considerably more useful than the familiar Shouts, which also return with additional options for encouraging players and managing their mentality.
The Match Engine Improves, but Weaknesses Remain
FM27's Match Engine shows noticeable improvements, particularly in how players move and react. Changes to acceleration, speed and changes of direction make many situations feel more natural compared to FM26.
Defenders can no longer compensate for poor positioning quite so easily with unnaturally quick recoveries, while one-on-one situations look more refined. Nevertheless, we still encounter some unusual reactions, particularly when defenders have to deal with sudden changes of direction.
One change we found particularly interesting concerns player fitness. Fatigue now has a greater impact on speed and the ability to perform repeated sprints, becoming increasingly important during the closing stages of a match.
A full-back who constantly moves up and down the flank cannot maintain the same intensity throughout the entire 90 minutes. This places greater importance on substitutions and encourages us to think more carefully about how demanding our tactical instructions are.
In attack, we appreciated the greater variety of off-the-ball movement, feints and dribbling attempts. For example, we can instruct a striker to make a run towards the near post, attack the space behind the defence or delay their arrival into the penalty area.
Improved Match Presentation, More Statistics and Visual Enhancements
In Football Manager 27, we can now customise the sections displayed during matches, choosing between live league standings, passing statistics and individual player performance data. This feature is even more useful on high-resolution monitors, where there is more room to display information without compromising the view of the match.
We particularly welcomed the return of heat maps, action zones and passing maps. For example, when our team's build-up play is struggling down one flank, we can identify where the problem lies before making tactical changes. The redesigned Data Hub provides further insight through more detailed statistics on shots, dribbles and defensive activity.
The updated 2D Classic view also made a positive impression. Smaller player markers, clearer indications of their orientation and improvements to shadows make it easier to follow movement and assess the distances between the lines.
Stadiums look more polished, the stands feel livelier, and supporters are now more frequently seen wearing their clubs' colours. We particularly liked the representation of weather conditions, with rain, fog and shadows changing the appearance of the pitch.
There is also greater variety in pre-match scenes, while players' reactions towards the referee add small but welcome details.
Despite improvements to player models, some animations remain stiff, and there are instances where players' bodies overlap in unnatural ways. Problematic skin tones are also still present, with some footballers appearing excessively pale or almost grey.
We have similar reservations about the faces of young players generated by the game. Although changes have been made to facial features and hairstyles, the results still look rather artificial and are not particularly convincing.
Manager Creator, Shuffle Draft and Other Additions to Football Manager 27
FM27's redesigned Manager Creator allows us to customise our manager's body type, facial features, hairstyle and clothing. There is even an option to create a manager who uses a powered wheelchair.
We can begin our career as a former international footballer, with a higher starting reputation and a greater chance of attracting interest from major clubs, or choose a more modest starting point.
There are also different professional backgrounds, including coaching, analysis, medicine and journalism. These choices influence our starting attributes and reputation, while an already established manager must also deal with higher expectations.
We also appreciated the ability to define our coaching style and personality, as these influence our attributes and tendencies when managing the team.
Shuffle Draft is an interesting addition for those who enjoy the competitive side of Football Manager. Unlike the traditional Fantasy Draft, where we select players from a shared pool, this mode challenges us to build our squad using packs of 20 players that are passed between participants in sequence.
What caught our attention was the different approach required when making selections. Identifying the best available player is not enough, as we also need to consider which positions we have already filled, what we might need next and which options we are leaving for our opponents.
Support for between 2 and 32 managers, along with different competition formats, provides considerable flexibility.
Among the other features, we appreciated the return of several small but useful options, including the ability to view the best elevens from previous seasons and access the database even when unemployed. The in-game editor also features a redesigned full-screen interface.
The Problems That Still Frustrate Us
One particularly frustrating issue is the assistant manager's advice, which sometimes makes absolutely no sense.
Notable examples include being warned that we are outnumbered against three opposing forwards despite playing with five defenders and two defensive midfielders, or being advised to adopt a defensive approach as early as the 16th minute, even though we are leading and dominating the match.
Equally irritating are the incorrect warnings about the number of substitutes, even when we are complying with the competition's regulations. Press conferences, meanwhile, continue to feel tedious, with repetitive questions and very few interesting response options.
On the technical side, the situation is clearly better than in FM26. Issues with text overflowing its containers and incorrect alignment have become less frequent, while the game itself appears more stable.
There are also some unresolved issues involving club names and licensing in the pre-release version, although it is not yet clear which of these will remain in the final release.
Our First Impressions of Football Manager 27
Football Manager 27 has left us with a considerably better impression than its predecessor. Not because it introduces more features, but because it improves the way we interact with them.
Everyday management tasks no longer get in the way quite so often, allowing us to spend more time making the decisions that genuinely matter to our club.
That does not mean we are looking at a game without problems. Some long-standing weaknesses continue to frustrate us, but the overall experience is noticeably better.
Most importantly, even after spending many hours with FM27, we still want to play one more match, experiment with different tactics and see how our managerial career develops. That is something FM26 struggled to achieve.
Before starting your career, take a look at the minimum and recommended system requirements for Football Manager 27 to find out what hardware your PC needs.
For more recommendations, practical guides, tactics and tips, visit Gaming-Sanctum's new Football Manager 27 Hub, where we bring together all our FM27 content in one place.