10 challenges to set yourself on Football Manager 2022

One of the best parts of Football Manager 2022 is the infinite ways in which to play it.

Sure, you can take the routine path of taking over your favourite side and building to glory, but if you're looking for something a little tougher, there are plenty of challenges to set yourself to prove you deserve your place in the managerial hall of fame.

Here are ten of the best challenges to set yourself in FM22:

Overthrow the king

This one's pretty simple. Your task is to end a reign of terror, but to make this a real challenge, you need to do it as a newly promoted side who have just won the second tier.

For the ultimate test, you've got to do it all in one year.

Zero to hero

Don't know who to start a save with? Easy. No-one.

Start unemployed and apply for every job under the sun until somebody finally brings you in, and then your target route is up to you:

- Take that team to the top flight.
- Work your way up until the country's biggest team offers you the job.
- Wait for your favourite side to offer you a role.
- Get your national team to bring you in.

The magic of this one is not knowing where you're starting off. There's no time to plan, you'll miss the first transfer window and you're probably going to end up working for a team in the relegation zone. It's not going to be easy.

Points deduction

Just as the title says, this challenge is all about taking over a side who begin the season at a disadvantage already.

For beginners, you can start the Ligue 1 campaign with a one-point deficit. That's a nice way to ease yourself in to the world of negative points.

The intermediate challenge is with ADO Den Haag in the Eredivisie, who are down by six when things kick off.

If you want a real toughie, Derby County have been docked 12 points in the Championship and Dover Athletic kick off the National League with their own 12-point deduction. Good luck.

Tricky transfer policy

Transfer policies are a great way to tie your own hands in FM22. Some clubs will hand you strict rules when you begin, such as only signing players from the local region. As far as they're concerned, that's not negotiable.

You can enforce that policy with literally any team on the game, or you can set yourself another rule. Maybe you want to only sign players over 30, or under the age of 21? Perhaps no foreign players, or exclusively players from overseas?

However you choose to play this one, just be prepared for how surprisingly infuriating it can be.

The real giant of Paris

Paris Saint-Germain are the obvious heavy hitters in the French capital these days. They've won seven of the last nine Ligue 1 titles and are Paris' biggest side by quite some margin.

There is, however, one team who might have something to say about that, and that's Paris FC of Ligue 2.

The two clubs have an interwoven story. Paris FC merged with Stade Saint-Germain to form PSG in 1970 but split apart in 1972, but their paths have separated since then. PFC have spent most of their history in the amateur leagues but are now up in the French second tier and have their sights set on their older brothers.

The squad overhaul

Rebuilding a fallen giant is always a fun challenge of any FM, but how about rebuilding a team that doesn't even need it?

The rules of this one are simple. Once you join a team, every player currently on the books has to go. Put them all up for sale, loan them out or terminate their contracts. You can even do the same with your staff if you're feeling wild.

With the money raised, you now have to build up an entire squad and backroom staff of your own. All the responsibility falls on your shoulders. You have to plan every aspect of your team and there's nobody else to blame.

For a tricky twist, ban yourself from signing players until you've managed to sell your whole first team. Better get working quickly.

The academy graduate challenge

As the title suggests, this one is about winning the biggest trophies with a team made up entirely of academy graduates.

Celtic's famous Lisbon Lions are your inspiration for this challenge. The European champions of 1967, Celtic named a squad full of players born within 30 miles of their stadium for the final, while all but two came from within ten miles.

There are a few clubs with elite youth academies which might make this a little easier, but if you want to really test yourself, you could take control of a smaller team, oversee the improvement of their youth facilities and then build a homegrown legend of your own.

Bosmans only

Signing players is usually key to success in Football Manager, but landing a superstar free agent is one of the best feelings.

This challenge feeds off that thrill. The aim of the game is to limit yourself solely to Bosman signings - free transfers of players on expiring contracts.

There are obviously a finite number of players available, and filling a specific void in your squad could end up being impossible, but isn't that all part of the fun?

Director of Football calls the shots

Similarly, take transfers out of your hands by leaving the whole thing to your Director of Football.

They can sign who they want and sell whoever they want, so without any notice, you could have your whole game plan torn up. You need a right-back? You better hope your DoF agrees. An ageing striker on an awful contract? You have to wait until the DoF decides to cash in.

Deciding who to hire as your director suddenly becomes the most important decision of your career.

Gibraltar giants

The smallest country to have an officially recognised football team, Gibraltar could do with your help. They've only been playing official games for a few years now and, as you've probably guessed, aren't doing very well.

Take over the national team and decide how ambitious you want to be. You can simply aim to start a winning streak, get to a major tournament or go crazy and win one.

Because this is definitely going to be a long-term challenge, you might want to try taking charge of one of Gibraltar's top-flight sides and working on their youth recruitment, in the hope that you land a star or two to help you a few years down the line. The Lincoln Red Imps already have a 20 in that stat, so they might be your best bet.