Football Manager 2022 Review: 8 Ups And 2 Downs

5. As Are Wide Centre-Backs

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Some may criticise Football Manager 2022 for not having a huge amount of new features, but one new element that brings plenty to the table is the Wide Centre-Back option.

A tactic used brilliantly by Graham Potter's Brighton at the moment - and, of course, previously popularised by Chris Wilder at Sheffield United - this feature allows for you to have a centre-half become part of your attack.

Holding a wider position than usual, the WCB will push into midfield and try to exploit gaps by either over or underlapping their teammates. For those who like to play with a back three or five, employing a Wide Centre-Back is certainly something you should consider.

Many have been calling out for the Wide Centre-Back to be included in the past couple of FM releases, and it's been worth the wait for nothing if not the added entertainment value of seeing your sturdy central defenders bombing forward to overrun the opposition.

In terms of said entertainment value, using a Wide Centre-Back can also spectacularly backfire should possession be lost and your defender ends up stranded way, way out of position.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.