The much-awaited Manager Mode is finally playable in the Global Edition of EA Sports’ most popular soccer title, FC Mobile 24. Fans can finally experience this all-new game mode that could potentially open up a new dimension in the already vast world of the franchise. In this FC Mobile Guide, we are going to discuss the new Manager Mode added in the game, the Tactics that one can opt for in a given match situation to progress through the Divisions, the formations that best suit these tactics, and share some useful tips and tricks for users to ace in this mode.
For all the new players, who have just recently started playing FC Mobile, remember the Manager mode unlocks only at Level 11, therefore make sure to check our guide on how to Level up quickly in FC Mobile 24. Additionally besides Manager Mode, if you grind Division Rivals regularly, make sure to check our VS Attack and H2H mode guides as well!
Introducing the new Manager Mode
As the name suggests, in FC Mobile Manager mode, one has to fill in the shoes of a Manager and lead his side to victory in auto-play mode games, That is, your team will be AI-controlled and will play according to the Tactics and formations that you decide at the start of the match. However, one can even change the Tactics in the middle of an ongoing match, if he feels it necessary, given the game situation.
Say for example you are playing an Attacking Game and the opposition team has just scored against you. The score tally reads 2-1 at the 88th minute. Now as the Manager, it is you who have to decide whether you want to continue with the same strategy or switch to a Defensive tactic to negate the risk of conceding another one.
It is a Player vs. player (PVP mode) and can be accessed from the in-game Division Rivals menu alongside, Head to Head (H2H) and VS Attack (VSA). The Division Progression methodology is also similar in all three. When you start winning Manager Mode games, you go up the Division Rival Rankings.
Rewards are earned in the form of Competitive Points that can be in turn used to trade in for Resources from the Store. The rewards amplify with every Division that you climb. However, unlike the Head-to-Head and VS Attack modes, you cannot participate in the game as a Player. You can only spectate your side playing according to the plans set by you.
Divisions in Manager Mode
Divisions are nothing but the progression levels that one has to get through, to get promoted in Manager Mode. You are rewarded with points for both winning or tying a Division game and none for losing. You have to accumulate a certain amount of points depending on your current Division, to be eligible for a promotion.
You have to achieve the cut-off points within 10 games, or else you stay back in that Division. Apart from points, one also receives a certain amount of Competitive Points upon winning, depending on their current Division. Division labels are similar to their other Division rival counterparts i.e., H2H and VSA. Here are the divisions from bottom to top.
- Amateur III
- Amateur II
- Amateur I
- Pro III
- Pro II
- Pro I
- World Class III
- World Class II
- World Class I
- Legendary III
- Legendary II
- Legendary I
- FC Champion(Rank>1000)
Understanding the Manager Mode Tactics
Tactics are everything in Manager Mode. They are nothing but the game plan that you go out with, in a certain match. Just as we mentioned before, the new FC Mobile Manager Mode allows you to dynamically plan your strategy and change your preferred tactic midway, based on the game situation. To help users with their strategy, FC Mobile has provided a set of Preset Tactics that one can use in the game. Let us know about them in detail.
1. Attacking Tactic
You can choose this tactic if you want to go out with an aggressive approach upfront. Your players won’t be in organized positions and will look to penetrate through open spaces. This is a high-risk tactic since your players would tend to build the Attack with Long passes/Through passes that might sometimes gift the ball to your opposition and may leave your Defense exposed as your Defenders would also stay in high lines (i.e. in the Midfield Position) looking to press/mark the opposition Attackers closely thus leaving your Midfielders out of Position. This would keep the chances of a Counter-Attack open.
When you are using the Attacking strategy, your players would have a free-positioning and aggressive mentality. You can additionally change the Back-Line trait to Offside Trap so that when the opposition attacker is on a counter-attacking run, your defense moves up in unison and leaves the attacker in the Offside Position. We will discuss all these traits in detail when we talk about Custom Tactics.
Using the Attacking Tactic
You can use an Attacking strategy when you are matched against weaker opposition. You can even switch to an Attacking tactic sometime in the 2nd half when your side is unable to score. To utilise the Attacking tactic to the fullest you need clinical Forwards as a priority. Check our list of FC Mobile’s most in-form Strikers who can score goals from every single angle of the pitch
2. Control Tactic
It is nothing but the Possession game tactic where your side would look to have higher ball possession and build up the attack through the wings with short passes to negate the chances of missed passing. That is, your players will wait patiently for that one chance to break past the opposition’s defense.
When you choose the Control Tactic, your team’s Mentality is Balanced, and your players stay in Organized positions during Build-ups, unlike the Attacking tactic.
Using the Control Tactic
One should use the Control Tactic if and only if he has players in his squad who can formally adopt that style of play. In this context, FC Barcelona players are somewhat adept at playing in this style. So if you have a player who is well-suited to the Possession Game playstyle, you can go with this Tactic. Control Tactic often involves creative attacking mids, if you are looking for one, check our list of best attacking midfielders to have in your squad.
3. Counter Tactic
In Counter Tactic, your side would not care about ball possession and only sit back and wait till they gain possession. Once they regain Possession, they would look to make long-through balls to open spaces directly to your Striker’s feet.
When you choose Counter Tactic, all your players would tend to drop back and play with a Defending Mentality.
Using the Counter Tactic
One should switch to a Counter-Attacking strategy when the Opposition team takes an Aggressive approach and tends to Attack from the start. This would not only strengthen your defense but also fetch you the odd goals when the opposition loses the ball. When you opt for a Counter Strategy, make sure that the Wingers and Fullbacks in your 11 can make quick runs. And as pacey wingers are a must for the Counter strategy, go through our list of the fastest wingers and fullbacks to choose for your team.
4. Defensive Tactic
The Defensive tactic is solely for staying active Defensively and restricting your opposition team’s Offensive inroads. Your players will all drop back and swarm the defensive third of the field to restrict your opposition team from scoring. Your players will attempt to relieve the pressure by making long passes up to your attackers whenever you regain possession of the ball.
When you choose Counter Tactic, all your players would tend to drop back and play with a Defensive Mentality.
Using the Defensive Tactic
One should switch to a Defensive strategy when they are matched against invincible opponents. They may even switch to the Defensive tactic in the dying moments of the game when they have a small lead and cannot afford to give away that lead. Defenders are key for any strategy. To get the strongest centerbacks, go through our list of best Defenders in the game
5. Custom Tactic
You may even choose to customize your tactics to suit your team’s needs. The Custom Tactic is the one that we suggest users use, as you can make adjustments in the Build-Up, Offense, and Defense Options or completely re-condition them. We will discuss next the various Customizable Options available and give our suggestions on what you should set them at.
Choosing the Ideal Custom Tactics
Build-Up Tactics
- Speed: It would decide how fast your players move the ball up while on Attack. We recommend users keep this at maximum level as players would pass the ball up faster in this scenario.
- Passing Distance: This would decide whether your team would build up using Short passes or Long Passes, i.e., Through Balls. We recommend lowering this trait by a level or two since that would reduce the chances of missed passing.
- Mentality: It determines the mentality of your players on the pitch. Set this as Balanced at the beginning and switch it as per the match situation.
- Positioning: Keep the Positioning Free so that your players do not hold on to their positions when they have the scope to penetrate through open spaces.
Offense Tactics
- Passing Rate: Lower the passing rate as it would make your player do safer passes.
- Crossing Rate: Determines how often your player will cross the ball from the Wings. You can set this to Medium or High.
- Shooting Rate: Keep this at Medium to restrict your player from going for Long-distance shots as they have a very low conversion rate.
- Positioning: Set this as Free so that your wingers can move freely and drift inside to aid your strikers, while your strikers can fall back or drift to the wings to aid the midfielders, given the game situation.
Defensive Tactics
- Pressure: Set this to High to mark your Opponents closely.
- Width: The area on the sides of the pitch is known as the width. You can select this according to your preference. For example, you may choose Wide, if you want to engage your opposition Out-Wide while on attack.
- Aggression: Denotes the tackling tendency. Set this to medium.
- Back-Line: This is again up to you. You may set this to Offside Trap if you want your defense to move up in unison and leave the opposition attacker in the Offside Position when he is on the run.
Custom Tactics give a greater command to the strategy-maker as we can get a mixed bag of all the strategies. However, one must switch their tactics back to any of the Default tactics as and when the situation demands. Also, note that these are just our personal preferences and one can always customize the Settings according to their preference.
Choosing the ideal Formation for each Tactic
If Tactics account for 50% of your road-to-win matches, your Team Formation accounts for the remaining 50%. Choosing the ideal Formation as per your preferred Tactic is equally important if you want to rise the Divisions quickly. Here’s our take on what should be the ideal formation for each tactic.
Attacking
If you want to play with the Attacking tactic there can be two formations to choose from in FC Mobile:
- 4-1-2-1-2 Wide: With two forwards to cross the ball to, the wide variation of this formation provides an attacking presence in wide areas. The opposition’s wingers will have to work hard on defense if there is strong attacking play down the sides, which will reduce their opportunities to attack.
- 4-2-3-1 Narrow: This should be the to-go option as It combines offensive strength with defensive cohesion. Four lines make up the 4-2-3-1 formation. Two central defenders and two fullbacks make up the back four in the defense. Often referred to as a double pivot, two deeper center midfielders operate in front of the back line. A lone center-forward is surrounded by an aggressive midfield three as they go forward.
Control
For Control Tactic, the 4-3-3 Hold is the ideal formation. This is because you need to have 4 backs and two wingers who would look to facilitate the Attack through the Wings and look for a crossing opportunity to send the ball to your striker’s feet.
Counter
For Counter Strategy, 4-5-1 is the ideal formation. This is because pressure can come from either two of the three midfielders, the two wide players, or both, it is also easily adapted to the counter-attacking style. The important thing is that the other central midfielder and winger hold and support if one winger and one central midfielder press.
Defensive
The ideal formation in this scenario is the 4-1-4-1 formation. When the midfield four advance forward in a compact unit in a 4-1-4-1 formation, direct pressing against the opposing center backs is simple to begin. As soon as this formation is broken, the players in the center rush the opposing defense. Assuming a back four, the lone striker effectively eliminates the second center-back from the game by stopping defenders’ lateral passes.
FC Mobile Manager Mode Tips and Tricks
In this section, we are going to discuss some useful tips and tricks for fans so that they can reach the FC Champion Division in no time.
1. Switch to Counter Tactic when your Opponent looks to Attack upfront
Just as we said before, when someone comes up with an Attacking strategy, there are cons to it as well. It might leave their Defense exposed when they lose Possession as their midfielders would be out of position.
Hence, when you see your opponent Attacking aggressively from the onset, just switch to Counter Tactic and wait for that one opportunity when you can take a counter-attack back to the opposition.
2. Play with a Control Tactic only if you have the right players in your squad
The Control Tactic mostly requires players who are technically very good with the Holding formation and wing play. They also must be adept at the take-the-ball-pass-the-ball strategy. Hence go for this tactic only if you have the ideal squad for this tactic or else there are other options.
3. Switch to the Attacking tactic in the later half of the game if your side is unable to score
Scoring goals is important if you are to win matches. If you see that your team is unable to send one in the nets or is trailing, switch to the Attacking tactic in the 2nd half to make up for that. You may even switch to the Attacking tactic at the beginning itself if you are matched against weaker opposition.
4. Switch to the Defensive Tactic when you are matched against a better opponent
When you are matched against an opponent better than you, he/she will always look to dominate. In that scenario, you may switch to the Defensive Tactic to restrict him from scoring. You may also switch to Defensive Tactic in the last moments of the game when you have a very small lead and cannot afford to give that away.
5. Use the formation that is the best fit for your strategy
We have already discussed as to which formation maps the best to a given strategy. Make sure to follow that as team formation also has a great impact on the game outcome. If you choose the Custom Tactic and choose the Settings suggested by us, then the best-fit formations would be 4-5-1 and 4-2-3-1. You can use anyone as per your comfort.
6. Keep auto-substitutions on before entering a Manager Mode Game
In Manager Mode games, you cannot perform the manual substitution. Hence it is a good idea to keep the Auto-Substitution enabled so that the game suggests some Substitutions in the 2nd half when some of your players run out of Stamina.
You can always choose to cancel the sub by tapping on the cross button beside the suggested Substitution if you do not want to substitute that player.
Final Thoughts
The newly added Manager Mode is surely a hit as it gives users a very different perspective of the Game and puts their knowledge of the game to the test as well. We have covered all that one needs to know about the Manager Mode in FC Mobile, in this guide. If you face any difficulties in your Manager Mode journey with FC Mobile, you can always fall back on this guide for assistance.
Did you find this guide on the new FC Mobile Manager Mode helpful? Do let us know in the comments.
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