The beta for Football Manager 22 has recently been released, while the full game is set to hit stores on November 9th, 2021. With the game launching day one on Game Pass for Xbox and PC, there will be many people trying the critically acclaimed management series for the first time. For such people, a steep learning curve awaits them, as Football Manager 22, like its predecessors, hits players with screens and screens of information, which can be very overbearing for new players.
One of the many complex features is Dynamics. Dynamics provides the manager with in-depth information about their players' morale, the current social groups, and much more. There are many layers to Dynamics, so we've broken down each of its tabs to give new players a helping hand.
Overview
As the name suggests, the Overview tab provides a range of short, condensed information togive managers a snapshot of the general mood at the club. Along with snappy bullet points and graphs detailing the Team Cohesion, Club Atmosphere, and Managerial Support, the Overview section is also helpful as it details any current issues. Issues among players can range from unhappiness over playing time, the team's performance, or personal problems with the manager.
It's worth noting that the information detailed in the overview tab, along with the other tabs in Dynamics, is from the view of the club's coaching staff. This is important to note as some people assume that the information generated is 100% accurate and isn't a staff member's opinion. Although the information is generally correct, there can sometimes be errors, and hiring a new Assistant Manager can sometimes provide a complete change of opinion.
Hierarchy
The Hierarchy tab basically shows the club's dressing room as a high school popularity contest, detailing the perceived level of importance among the players.
It's essential for the manager to know the player hierarchy at their club for two main reasons:
- Firstly, it shows who the leaders are in not only the dressing room but on the pitch as well. It's always worth having at least one Team Leader on the pitch at all times, as they with be a positive and assertive influence on the rest of the players.
- Secondly, it's always worth checking the hierarchy of the club before making any potentially divisive decisions. Butting heads with someone in the Other Players category isn't likely to cause any problems, but getting into a disagreement with a Team Leader could soon see the rest of the dressing room siding with the player and potentially even wanting the manager sacked.
Social Groups
The Social Groups tab is similar to the aforementioned Hierarchy tab in the sense that they both give the manager an insight into the club's cliques. In the image above, there are two main social groups, both with a sizable number of players. Therefore, the manager should be wary that if, for example, they were to have a disagreement with Cristiano Ronaldo, the rest of the core group would likely take his side.
Unfortunately for James Tarkowski in the image above, there are two social groups, and the poor guy doesn't fit into either of them. This would make it easy for the manager to be hard on him if need be, as Tarkowski won't have any backing from other players if needed.
One handy feature that many people miss is located on the right side of the screen, where the Assistant Manager gives insight into what social groups they believe scouted players will fall into.
Happiness
The Happiness tab does exactly what it says on the tin, offering a visual breakdown of how happy the players are at the club. The tab details the player's morale and their happiness with Training, their Treatment, the Club, the Management, their Playing Time, and their Overall Happiness.
It's absolutely essential to keep in mind any Promises made with players. Promises with players can range from an agreement to renew their contract, increase their playing time, or sign a certain type of player.
Unsurprisingly, broken promises can be devastating for the morale of the dressing room. So in reference to the image above, it's essential for the manager to fulfill the promise made with Team Leader Ronaldo, or the manager may as well start packing their bags.
Team Meeting
Team Meeting is different from the rest of the tabs, as it involves something happening in real-time, rather than just being a screen of information. Once the tag has been selected, the players will gather together to listen to what the manager has to say.
Meetings can be a great way to air out any issues, offer words of encouragement to the players after a bad run of results, or congratulate them on any success. Be very careful when conducting a Team Meeting though, as saying the wrong thing with all the players in the room can be one of the fastest ways to drop morale.
Team Talk Feedback
Team Talk Feedback, as the name suggests, gives the manager a rundown of how the players have responded to their latest team talks. Again, it's worth pointing out that the information provided is from the Assistant Manager, and how they perceived the players to have responded to the team talks; so it's not always entirely accurate.
For most managers, the Team Talk Feeback tab is the one that they visit the least, as they receive immediate visual feedback from the players when they make their team talks. However, overlooking the Team Talk Feedback tab can be a big mistake, as rather than just saying what their reaction to the team talk was, it explains why they had that reaction.
This is detailed in the Team Talk Feedback Reason tab. In the image above, the players felt that the manager's angry team talk was justified, as they performed poorly. This may seem like an obvious reaction, though not all dressing rooms are the same. For example, some dressing rooms develop a culture for rejecting any sort of criticism. Therefore, it is important to keep an eye on this tab, as it helps the manager figure out what tone to use for future talks.
Football Manager 22's beta is out now on PC. The full game is set to release on November 9th for PC, Mac, Xbox, and Mobile, while a Nintendo Switch version is currently in the works.