Nobody likes losing, but once you're done shouting at the media and commiserating with the players, there's only one place you can fix it: the training ground. For Football Manager 2019, we introduced the biggest training overhaul in the series' history.

The new training system was brimming with ways to return your team to winning ways. There were tons of options, sessions and programmes to help managers, each based on meticulous research undertaken with real-world clubs and coaches. You really could train your team the way professional footballers are trained.

You need to know your objective if you want to train efficiently, so we paired this overhaul with a revamp of the tactics module, with numerous new preset styles to draw upon (or develop yourself), as well as team instructions for attacking, defensive and transition phases.

Thanks to a new licensing deal, you could also work with 36 fully licensed clubs across the DFL Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, with German translation available in-game too (among 19 language options). Having embraced technology early, German leagues were also host to new goal-line and VAR technologies - as were all competitions where these breakthroughs had been adopted in the real world.

It was also time for a visual refresh. FM19 featured a new logo and, after years of service, retirement for 'Manager Man' on the cover, replaced by a manager's eye view of the pitch.

What We Said

London, England – 6 August 2018: With fans eagerly anticipating the upcoming season, Sports Interactive and SEGA are delighted to announce that would-be managers will get the chance to ensure their team finishes top of the league when Football Manager 2019 hits the streets on Friday, November 2nd with a new look brand.

Football Manager 2019 will be saying goodbye to the iconic ‘Manager Man’ who has featured on the cover of every Football Manager game since FM 2005, to be replaced by a manager’s eye view of the pitch as the gaffer and players head down the tunnel ahead of a big match. With redesigned logos, loads of new and improved features, and the implementation of the DFL Bundesliga license for the first time, Football Manager 2019 is set to be even more comprehensive in its realism than ever before.

What They Said

Games Radar
4.5/5

"Sports Interactive may have just done the impossible and created the ultimate Football Manager game, one you can dip into for the next half-decade without needing to buy any future editions, save for downloading updated squads. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now, I’ve got another match to play."

PCGamesN
9/10

"Sports Interactive has exposed more of the game’s workings to players than ever. It feels both fresh and familiar at the same time, while being the best Football Manager has ever played on day one."

PC Gamer
90%

"Return to the digital dugout for the most comprehensive footie management simulation around."