Football Manager 2018: 10 Challenging Teams You Will Need To Use
3. Hamburg SV
The Newcastle United of German football, Hamburg SV have spent the past few seasons scrapping for Bundesliga survival. They avoided finishing in a relegation playoff spot by just a single point in 2016/17, but they’ve been flirting with the second tier for years, despite attracting bumper crowds of 52,000 almost every single week.
HSV were once one of Europe’s most successful clubs. Their greatest success came in the 1980s, when they scored two Bundesliga titles and a European Cup win in 1983, but they haven’t won a major trophy since then. Their last European appearance came on the back of a 5th place finish in 2008/09, and unfortunately for their massive fanbase, Hamburg have been on the slide ever since.
They’re a huge club who aren’t short of spending power, but woeful management has seen them fail year after year. This won’t be the biggest challenge on our list, but restoring their glory is still daunting, given the strength of the teams at the top of the Bundesliga.
Constant relegation battles mean they’ve never had a chance to truly rebuild, and after scoring a paltry 33 goals last season, revamping their attack should be your first task.