Best Free Soccer Manager Games For Pc
Jules Altier
Despite the seemingly limitless athletic, technical and tactical gifts of these players, it all means little without an equally adept mastermind on the touchline. Football's best managers are calculating with their tactics, charming enough with their man-management to handle the emotional rigours of a full club season and sufficiently self-aware to cope with the psychological stresses of a demanding media and the external pressures of the fans. Top managers will transform any squad from a group of individuals to a well-drilled, harmonious collective in which every player knows their role and their worth. And they'll look good doing it, too.
This year's ballot had 50 entries from all over the globe and from all areas of ESPN FC, from writers to reporters, from editors to producers, from behind-the-scenes staff to on-air talent. Gab Marcotti, Julien Laurens, Mark Ogden and Luis Miguel Echegaray were just some of the key voters, along with their FC TV counterparts Craig Burley and Shaka Hislop.
Voters were encouraged to take the following things into consideration when casting their votes: who are the best men's players right now, weighted toward their 2022-23 seasons. Voters were given discretion as to how much injuries played in votes; several players made the cut despite missing chunks of the season given the scale of their contributions and performances when healthy. Equally, performances in individual competitions (aka Champions League, World Cup) were considered, but were not the overarching factor, in casting a vote. Players whose efforts spanned the largest sample size of games should naturally rank higher than those who excelled in short tournament formats.
Xavi has restored Barcelona's pride. The 2022-23 LaLiga title was Barca's first since 2019, and it was won thanks to Xavi's construction of a serious, well-organised team that conceded just 20 goals in 38 games to finish 10 points ahead of Real Madrid. All that, and dealing with the off-field chaos caused by Barca's dire financial situation. Xavi is well on the way to becoming the astute coach everybody expected him to be when his playing career ended.
Taking the next step forward, and righting the wrongs of last season's Champions League. Xavi will be expected to guide Barca to the competition's latter stages in 2023-24, at a minimum, while defending the LaLiga title. And they'll have to do so playing away from Camp Nou -- which is now being rebuilt -- at their temporary home in Montjuic.
Xavi's challenges will include maintaining that defensive solidity, while scoring more goals -- fewer 1-0 wins, please -- as well as identifying and integrating a successor to Sergio Busquets, keeping Pedri injury free and recuperating Ansu Fati. It's quite a to-do list. -- Kirkland
The former striker (and brother of iconic Italy forward Filippo) has had a wild couple of seasons with Inter Milan, but it's clear he deserves respect when it comes to top-tier, attack-minded managers. After guiding Inter to a second-place finish in 2021-22 thanks to 84 goals in 38 games, Inzaghi kept the Nerazzurri competitive domestically (winning the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italia) and saved his best work for the Champions League.
With a commitment to squad rotation -- rarely a game passed without Inzaghi using all five substitutes -- and a two-striker formation that paired a "big" (either Edin Dzeko or Romelu Lukaku) with the elusive Lautaro Martinez, Inter surged to its first Champions League final in 13 years. Jose Mourinho guided Inter to an improbable title back then with a style of play founded on rock-solid defending; Inzaghi's higher-octane approach proved equally effective, as Inter finished above Barcelona in the group stage and defeated Porto, Benfica and rivals AC Milan on their way to a valiant 1-0 defeat against Manchester City in the final.
Inzaghi has made no secret of his desire to remain at Inter and build on this foundation, but the club's financial outlook could be too tumultuous in the long run. Already, Inter have added midfielder Kristjan Asllani (Empoli) and forward Marcus Thuram (from Borussia Monchengladbach) to a formidable, but veteran, squad this summer. With Napoli in flux, AC Milan inconsistent and Juventus in need of yet another rebuild, there's a path to the title if Inzaghi's commitment to Inter is repaid in full. -- Tyler
The rise of Brighton is an absolute fairytale, and De Zerbi deserves more than a few chapters considering how the Seagulls flew higher upon his arrival. Graham Potter's departure for Chelsea in September was seen as a death knell for the Seagulls' progress; so too were the steady departures of key players in both of last season's transfer windows, with Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Yves Bissouma (Tottenham) and Leandro Trossard (Arsenal) leaving. Yet De Zerbi turned the remainders into a potent, brilliant counter-attacking team, with wins over Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal (that ended their title challenge) and Manchester City throughout the season.
Unheralded signings such as Julio Enciso and Pervis Estupinan quickly became first-team regulars, the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Kaoru Mitoma and Moises Caicedo improved into elite Premier League contributors, and De Zerbi's intensity was reflected in his side's never-say-die attitude. Yes, his temper occasionally got him into trouble with the league, but his passion is his brand. Now, it's Brighton's too.
There's little indication to suggest De Zerbi has bigger fish to try beyond the south coast, though he will need to rework things in midfield to offset the departure of World Cup winner Mac Allister, who has taken his abundant talent to Liverpool. The key will be maintaining the progression of his squad -- Evan Ferguson is firmly in "One to watch" territory for next year's FC 100 -- while weathering the persistent inquiries of Premier League rivals for every single member of his first team.
The Dutch manager was tasked to turn around a struggling Manchester United side and inject new life into Old Trafford. Ten Hag achieved exactly that, in parts by making difficult and sometimes even dangerous decisions. He stood up against Cristiano Ronaldo, trusted in his signings instead of established United players in some cases, and stayed true to his football principles. While there may have been doubters questioning whether Ten Hag had the stature to be successful at the helm of such a complex club, he made sure to prove that he belongs among the coaching elite.
After achieving the turnaround and creating a sense of hope, the upcoming campaign could present Ten Hag with a lot of obstacles. The natural way of things is that expectations will be rising and another third place in the Premier League may not be enough.
What makes Ten Hag's life even more difficult is the fact that he is dependent on decisions he has no involvement in, most notably the question over the new ownership of the club. Plus, Ten Hag may have to react to the consequences of off-the-pitch issues of a few of his players and has to hope for significant transfer investments to further strengthen parts of his squad. He is not always in the driver's seat, although it may serve United best to trust in the Dutchman. -- Eckner
Even Scaloni couldn't have dreamt of a more successful spell in charge when he was appointed Argentina coach in 2018. In a little less than five years in charge, he's won 41 of his 61 games, collecting the Copa America in 2021 and the World Cup in 2022. Even if he never wins another game, he will never have to buy another drink in Argentina! Scaloni found a way to get the best out of Lionel Messi but was also astute enough to modify his system during the World Cup campaign in Qatar, bringing in Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez with fantastic results.
After lifting the World Cup in Qatar, Scaloni signed a new contract to stay on as Argentina coach until 2026, which will take him through next finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada. There's a Copa America to come first in the U.S. next summer, when Argentina will look to defend the title they won in Brazil in 2021, but there will also be one eye on building toward the World Cup in 2026. The key question for Scaloni is how long does Messi plan to play on? He's set to join Inter Miami this summer but there has been little indication yet as to when he plans to give up international football. -- Dawson
Liverpool's roster got a bit stale in 2022-23 and got caught in the middle of a rebuild. For the first time since Klopp's first season (when he took over a disappointing squad in October 2015), the Reds just finished outside of the Premier League top four.
For a disappointing season, though? This was pretty great. Liverpool scored the third-most goals and produced the fourth-best goal differential in the Premier League. They won the Community Shield, won five of six Champions League group-stage matches, won Premier League matches by scores of 9-0, 7-0 (against Manchester United, no less) and 6-1 and finished the season on an 11-match unbeaten streak.
That's what a bad season looks like for Klopp, 56, who has won three league titles and three domestic cups and reached three Champions League finals, winning one, with Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund. His high-octane, counter-pressing philosophy has defined the modern era of soccer, and while the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons proved that he needs just the right roster balance to produce the best possible results, Liverpool nearly won every trophy imaginable in 2021-22, proving he's never far away from the highest level.
With a desperately needed midfield refresh underway and expensive young attackers showing promise amid inconsistency last season, Liverpool will enter the coming season with high expectations once again. They might not be ready to make a charge at another league title just yet, but their spring hot streak was a reminder of what Klopp is capable of. He's still one of the sport's greats. -- Connelly
The season didn't end in the way Arteta wanted, but Arsenal still far exceeded expectations. His goal at the start of the campaign was to secure a return to the Champions League, and it was achieved with room to spare. The downside was that Arsenal led the Premier League for most of the year, raising hopes of a first title since 2004, before being overhauled by Manchester City on their way to the treble.
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