PEP TALK

FOOTBALL MANAGER 26 is thrilling on game day, like treacle everywhere else

- By Phil Iwaniuk

How to improve Football Manager. Is it a matter of making it a more technically impressive affair? Sports Interactive evidently thinks so. The London-based studio took a lot of heat for cancelling Football Manager 25's release last year in order to switch engines and deliver a more technically substantial update than has been customary. You've got to admire a developer that does that.

The result? Simply put, matches look more like real football. Now running in Unity, but most importantly with a deeper fidelity and variety of player animations in the match engine, Football Manager 26 shows you details that weren't there before. Alright, it doesn't rival the Matrix Awakens demo for jaw-on-the-floor graphical heft, but it actually makes your job easier.

Previously I might have looked at the player profile screen to decide which of my Roma squad's left-backs made it into my starting team, scanning for numbers approaching 20. Now it's clear by actually watching Angelino and Tsimikas on the ball: the former is pacey and creative, full of deft touches and stepovers. The latter is functional and less adventurous in possession.