Football Manager 2018: 10 Challenging Teams You Must Consider Managing

6. Parma

It's a long way back to the top when financial turmoil destroys your club and sends its to the foot of the footballing pyramid; just ask Parma fans. It was dark times for this historic team in 2015 when bankruptcy tore them apart and forced them to reform as a Serie D outfit.

Two years later, things are on the up for the club now known as S.S.D. Parma Calcio 1913. Back-to-back promotions finds them in Serie B and they've started the season well: six wins out of 12 sees them in fourth place in the table, just one point off the summit.

There's still a long road ahead and the second tier of Italian football is sure to be a tough hurdle for Football Manager 18 players to overcome at Parma, with teams including Palermo, Empoli and Bari all vying for the league title.

The plight of Rangers when they attempted to fast track their way back to the top of the Scottish football pyramid post-liquidation is a cautionary tale for Parma and any manager who dares take them on. The Gers found the third and fourth tiers plain sailing, but couldn't navigate Championship waters at the first time of asking.

Parma is a still a massive rebuilding job, even though some of the early groundwork has been carried out in previous seasons, but taking them back to the days when they were competing with the likes of Inter Milan, Lazio and Napoli for trophies is a big ask.