Football Manager 2018: 10 Essential Fan Demands It Must Include
2. Organic Manager Rivalries
Football Manager generally does it a good job when it comes to club rivalries. If you manage Manchester United to a horrendous 5-0 panning at Man City’s hands, you’re probably going to get slaughtered for it, just like you would in real-life. Such stories comprise the backbone of football’s narrative, but the sport is about much more than inter-club relationships, and feuds between individual personalities are almost just as compelling.
From Arsene Wenger vs. Jose Mourinho to Alan Pardew vs. anyone with a common sense of decency, touchline tensions are often just as compelling as the game itself. This is something that FM has never truly implemented, however, and it’d make for a welcome addition in 2018.
All you really need to do to make another manager dislike you is say some mean things about them in a press conference. They might return the favour, but that’s the extent of their impact, and such interactions rarely result in anything other than a morale change.
It’d be far more fitting to see managers react by raising their game, increasing their team’s aggression, or talking themselves into a touchline ban while facing a hated opponent.