- Liverpool 2021 Schedule
- Liverpool Team 2021
- Liverpool Football Manager 2021 Calendar
- Liverpool Football Manager 2021 Torrent
I have come across many posts online about the 'best teams to manage in Football Manager 2021'. In most pieces, the authors listed down some interesting club choices, many of which include some 'hipster' and not your run-of-the-mill big clubs. The names of Ajax Amsterdam, Leeds United, Manchester United and AC Milan tend to come up quite often mostly due to their 'sleeping giants' angle. Bring these clubs back to their glory days! Do what their past managers can't! Bring the best out of Zlatan!
Check Liverpool (England) in Football Manager 2021 (FM21). Including potential and rating from the best players and talents. Liverpool Football Club is an English association football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside.The club was formed in 1892 following a disagreement between the board of Everton and club president John Houlding, who owned the club's ground, Anfield.
Apparently, picking the clubs which are currently at the top of their game isn't 'en vogue'. It's as if there's a stigma against managing the likes of Liverpool or Barcelona simply due to the perceived strength of these respective clubs' squad.
A look at 100 of the best prospects on offer in Football Manager 2021 - wonderkids who can lead your team to stardom. Curtis Jones Liverpool We've all seen what a talent this young lad is. Football Manager 2021: 12 clubs you should coach, including Salford City owned by Man United's Class of 92 and Liverpool superstar Virgil van Dijk's former side By Anton Stanley 1st December. Football Manager 2021 with Liverpool? People have been asking me to do this for YEARS, so here we go, a full highlighted version of my Twitch save with Liverpool. Watch me LIVE here.
But here's the thing. The series is called Football Manager, not 'Football Tactician'. Each club has its own issues to contend with – more than what happens on the pitch.
Today, I am going to state my case why managing Liverpool FC pose an even harder challenge than one may assume. I have another case for Barcelona but I'll leave that one for another day.
Of course, Liverpool is the reigning English Premier League Champions. They are the current holders of the World Club Cup and play super exciting football, helmed by one of the most charismatic managers of his time: Jurgen Klopp. But unlike Barcelona during the prime Messi years or Bayern when Pep was in charge, Liverpool's future success is not set in stone.
There are so many things that could go wrong that would instantly derail any attempt for a repeat of their spectacular 19/20 season. Yes, managing Liverpool is harder than you'd expect. Let me explain.
The Lowdown
Liverpool is one of the most solid teams in the English Premier League, boasting a solid backline consisting of the ever-reliable Alisson Becker in goal, two of the best wingbacks in the business in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robinson, with Virgil van Dijk marshalling down the middle. They have a very industrious, tireless midfield in Jordan Henderson and Fabinho covering a lot of ground, with Thiago Alcantara providing the creative spark from the middle of the park.
And then you have the deadliest front three in Mo Salah, Mane and Bobby Firmino linking everyone into play. I do not blame you if your first thought was ‘Where's the challenge, then?'. However, these are the factors that will work against you in steamrolling the game with such a top tier team.
Squad Depth – Or Lack Of It
As a Liverpool fan, I'll admit it immediately – our squad depth leaves a lot to be desired. As seen in what's happening in real life, the loss of key personnel would instantly throw everything into a crisis. Lose Virgil and suddenly you're left with Dejan Lovren MK2 in Joel Matip. Joe Gomez tends to go missing at the most crucial times and your other option is Fabinho. Trent's cover is Neco Williams.
While Neco seems to have improved a lot in real life, his in-game representation requires a lot of game time to really shine and you'll need to balance that for the eventuality of losing your starting right wingback. Diogo Jota is a great cover for one of the front three slots but loses more than one of your starting three and you're suddenly left to pick from the likes of Harvey Elliot who is still very much playing at an Under-23 level, Takumi Minamino who is inconsistent and the injury-prone Alex Oxlande-Chamberlain.
Financial Control and Squad Longevity
Like I emphasized earlier, the game is called Football Manager; you have a squad filled with big egos with even bigger salaries.
Liverpool 2021 Schedule
At the start of the game, you'll probably be able to circumnavigate this issue but give it a season or two, it'll hit you. And it hits hard. Contract renewal time. Expect the likes of Virgil, Mo, Sadio and Bobby Firmino to want new and improved contracts while you, at the same time, try to fend off suitors.
I can guarantee you that the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG and Juve… I mean Zebre to come knocking. Would you sell your stars or offer Virgil a new contract worth 300k/week? How do you send a subtle message that one of your stars are up for sale because you've decided against renewing their contract while at the same time, maintain their morale and on-field form?
Should I point out, that these all happen while you also try to strengthen other areas in the squad and getting your own choice of players in? Failure to manage this squad transition period could easily cost you your job in-game really, really quick.
So these are the problems when picking a top-tier team like Liverpool. What is a fictional football manager to do?
Gegenpress Like Jurgen
Lucky for you, we found a solution to most of these issues thanks to countless hours of tweaking and careful virtual man-management.
Instead of waiting for the proverbial s*** to hit the fan, we … threw said s*** at it. Sort of. Instead of being frugal from the start, we did the opposite by splurging on the best player who would occupy a central position for many seasons to come.
We spent a bulk of our transfer budget on the game's best finisher, Erling Haaland. While this puts you immediately in the red, this move solves our goal scoring issues for at least the next ten seasons or until you get tired of him. Trust us: you are in for a 40+ a season scoring machine here.
Making sure Haaland occupy the central attacking slot would immediately diminish Firmino's playing time and as you reach the final 18-months of his contract, he'd be open to leaving the club. In my save, I also spent on the following players:
20/21
Arsenal willing to splurge on Origi was the best part of it. As you'd notice, my philosophy was to start an early rotation of my attacking unit, preferring to preserve my backline.
Van Dijk keeps everything watertight at the back so you'd want to hold on to the big Dutchman. Talles Magno was a steal. I figured that he'd have limited playing time during his first season so I immediately loaned him out to a team that would guarantee his place as a regular starter. I sent him to Valencia where he improved a ton, leading them to a second-placed finish in La Liga.
Do not worry about the -100m in terms of net transfer spend. We'll make up for it real soon.
21/22
The moment of truth. I was certain that I cannot hold on to my front three simply due to salary demands and I do not want to lose any of them for free.
This gambit resulted in me pocketing over 300m to spend on new players. Since he's available, why not, right? I was able to revive Haaland's Dortmund connection with Jadon Sancho whilst leaving plenty to spare. As expected, Firmino commands the least of my front three, but getting 70m for the Brazilian isn't all bad.
22/23
The second wave of my clearout sees the likes of under-performing Naby Keita leave for a decent price while Jota who wants more playing time gets shipped to Dortmund. Going in the opposite direction was Gio Reyna, a transfer that I'd come to somewhat regret due to his proneness to injury. Grujic, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Shaqiri all made way for new squad additions as I decided to make Martin Odegaard my long-term successor to Thiago.
Sebastiano Esposito provides the perfect cover for Haaland and is able to play as a second striker when tactics require. You'll notice it's still a profitable season, transfer-wise.
Keeping the Spirit Alive
But it isn't all about buying players. Being able to nurture academy graduates into world-class players is one of the best rewards you could get.
With Liverpool, there are a few names that not only fit the bill, but also save you a lot of cash. Marcelo Pitaluga in the goal should be a decent backup and starter once Alisson hangs his gloves. Keep him with the main squad, allow him full 90-minutes with the U-23s and play him in ‘easy' cup matches and he's good to go.
The same goes for Neco Williams, Curtis Jones and Sepp van den Berg. Right wing-back Neco Williams would easily fit in as a starter after a few seasons, allowing Trent to move into Jordan Henderson's slot in midfield. Curtis Jones is very versatile and is able to fill any of the advanced positions when called upon.
Let Sepp start a few games alongside Virgil at the back and you'll have a reliable starter a few seasons on. Improving your scouting team and youth facilities also increase the chances of landing future wonderkids and regens with crazy stats so do not sleep on this.
Match Report
So there you have it: the challenge with Liverpool is basically rebuilding a winning squad whilst staying within a reasonable budget.
Winning the league is easy. Retaining and continuing the winning streak is a whole different ball game. Ensuring Liverpool stay on their perch whilst maintaining the club's philosophy and ensuring a steady stream of quality academy players can be achieved but requires careful and deliberate planning.
Football Manager 2021 is – as ever – chockful of detail and each club presents a fun and unique challenge. My current hurdle? After leaving the club when I took over Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has taken over the reins at … Manchester City.
Related
Football Manager 2021 is here and as we're all staying in a little bit more than normal these days, you've got even more time to get your teeth into a challenge.
Liverpool Team 2021
Don't just take over Barcelona and let Lionel Messi do all the work for you, give yourself a real test.
If you really want to know if your scouting is up to scratch, you can coach a player into a world-class talent, or that you can work within a small financial budget, we might just have something fitting your taste at all levels of the game in Europe.
Liverpool Football Manager 2021 Calendar
We've all got our Football Manager stories, whether it's helping Jonathan Blondel become an elite attacking midfielder at Tottenham, taking Grays Athletic into the Champions League, or beating Barcelona with Southend United.
It's now time to make your mark on the newest iteration of the game, which is now available on Xbox, and has a load of new features too.
If you're looking forward to having your new tactic named after you, then jump into one of our selection of 12 managerial roles you might enjoy, below.
Prove them all wrong 🏆
Defy expectations in #FM21 – Out NOW on PC/Mac and Mobile.
👉 https://t.co/2j98nekHZEpic.twitter.com/tUUgEBIccE
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) November 24, 2020
Burnley (Premier League)
It's not easy being Sean Dyche. And now you get to experience it for yourself.
The Clarets have a minimal budget, a small squad, and you not only need to keep them away from the relegation zone but propel them up the table.
Dwight McNeil can help you, if you aren't forced to sell the England Under-21 ace for further squad enhancements.
But will you continue with Dyche's tried and tested 4-4-2, or will you try and overhaul your squad?
Coventry City (Championship)
The Sky Blues left the Premier League in 2001 and haven't been back since.
It was the first time they had been out of the top division since 1967 and you could be just the coach to get them back where they belong after so long away.
Last season they were the League One title winners and Matt Godden remains their goal-getter, while they have a host of other young talents at your disposal.
Can you build on last year's success and seal a stunning promotion?
Southend United (League Two)
A confession, the Shrimpers have always been the team I start with, bar the campaigns where Grays Athletic were in a playable league.
I've helped them beat Barcelona in the Champions League in recent years and led them to glory in the Premier League with Brazilian sensation Abuda the star of the show way back in 2003/04.
I can guarantee you that the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG and Juve… I mean Zebre to come knocking. Would you sell your stars or offer Virgil a new contract worth 300k/week? How do you send a subtle message that one of your stars are up for sale because you've decided against renewing their contract while at the same time, maintain their morale and on-field form?
Should I point out, that these all happen while you also try to strengthen other areas in the squad and getting your own choice of players in? Failure to manage this squad transition period could easily cost you your job in-game really, really quick.
So these are the problems when picking a top-tier team like Liverpool. What is a fictional football manager to do?
Gegenpress Like Jurgen
Lucky for you, we found a solution to most of these issues thanks to countless hours of tweaking and careful virtual man-management.
Instead of waiting for the proverbial s*** to hit the fan, we … threw said s*** at it. Sort of. Instead of being frugal from the start, we did the opposite by splurging on the best player who would occupy a central position for many seasons to come.
We spent a bulk of our transfer budget on the game's best finisher, Erling Haaland. While this puts you immediately in the red, this move solves our goal scoring issues for at least the next ten seasons or until you get tired of him. Trust us: you are in for a 40+ a season scoring machine here.
Making sure Haaland occupy the central attacking slot would immediately diminish Firmino's playing time and as you reach the final 18-months of his contract, he'd be open to leaving the club. In my save, I also spent on the following players:
20/21
Arsenal willing to splurge on Origi was the best part of it. As you'd notice, my philosophy was to start an early rotation of my attacking unit, preferring to preserve my backline.
Van Dijk keeps everything watertight at the back so you'd want to hold on to the big Dutchman. Talles Magno was a steal. I figured that he'd have limited playing time during his first season so I immediately loaned him out to a team that would guarantee his place as a regular starter. I sent him to Valencia where he improved a ton, leading them to a second-placed finish in La Liga.
Do not worry about the -100m in terms of net transfer spend. We'll make up for it real soon.
21/22
The moment of truth. I was certain that I cannot hold on to my front three simply due to salary demands and I do not want to lose any of them for free.
This gambit resulted in me pocketing over 300m to spend on new players. Since he's available, why not, right? I was able to revive Haaland's Dortmund connection with Jadon Sancho whilst leaving plenty to spare. As expected, Firmino commands the least of my front three, but getting 70m for the Brazilian isn't all bad.
22/23
The second wave of my clearout sees the likes of under-performing Naby Keita leave for a decent price while Jota who wants more playing time gets shipped to Dortmund. Going in the opposite direction was Gio Reyna, a transfer that I'd come to somewhat regret due to his proneness to injury. Grujic, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Shaqiri all made way for new squad additions as I decided to make Martin Odegaard my long-term successor to Thiago.
Sebastiano Esposito provides the perfect cover for Haaland and is able to play as a second striker when tactics require. You'll notice it's still a profitable season, transfer-wise.
Keeping the Spirit Alive
But it isn't all about buying players. Being able to nurture academy graduates into world-class players is one of the best rewards you could get.
With Liverpool, there are a few names that not only fit the bill, but also save you a lot of cash. Marcelo Pitaluga in the goal should be a decent backup and starter once Alisson hangs his gloves. Keep him with the main squad, allow him full 90-minutes with the U-23s and play him in ‘easy' cup matches and he's good to go.
The same goes for Neco Williams, Curtis Jones and Sepp van den Berg. Right wing-back Neco Williams would easily fit in as a starter after a few seasons, allowing Trent to move into Jordan Henderson's slot in midfield. Curtis Jones is very versatile and is able to fill any of the advanced positions when called upon.
Let Sepp start a few games alongside Virgil at the back and you'll have a reliable starter a few seasons on. Improving your scouting team and youth facilities also increase the chances of landing future wonderkids and regens with crazy stats so do not sleep on this.
Match Report
So there you have it: the challenge with Liverpool is basically rebuilding a winning squad whilst staying within a reasonable budget.
Winning the league is easy. Retaining and continuing the winning streak is a whole different ball game. Ensuring Liverpool stay on their perch whilst maintaining the club's philosophy and ensuring a steady stream of quality academy players can be achieved but requires careful and deliberate planning.
Football Manager 2021 is – as ever – chockful of detail and each club presents a fun and unique challenge. My current hurdle? After leaving the club when I took over Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has taken over the reins at … Manchester City.
Related
Football Manager 2021 is here and as we're all staying in a little bit more than normal these days, you've got even more time to get your teeth into a challenge.
Liverpool Team 2021
Don't just take over Barcelona and let Lionel Messi do all the work for you, give yourself a real test.
If you really want to know if your scouting is up to scratch, you can coach a player into a world-class talent, or that you can work within a small financial budget, we might just have something fitting your taste at all levels of the game in Europe.
Liverpool Football Manager 2021 Calendar
We've all got our Football Manager stories, whether it's helping Jonathan Blondel become an elite attacking midfielder at Tottenham, taking Grays Athletic into the Champions League, or beating Barcelona with Southend United.
It's now time to make your mark on the newest iteration of the game, which is now available on Xbox, and has a load of new features too.
If you're looking forward to having your new tactic named after you, then jump into one of our selection of 12 managerial roles you might enjoy, below.
Prove them all wrong 🏆
Defy expectations in #FM21 – Out NOW on PC/Mac and Mobile.
👉 https://t.co/2j98nekHZEpic.twitter.com/tUUgEBIccE
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) November 24, 2020
Burnley (Premier League)
It's not easy being Sean Dyche. And now you get to experience it for yourself.
The Clarets have a minimal budget, a small squad, and you not only need to keep them away from the relegation zone but propel them up the table.
Dwight McNeil can help you, if you aren't forced to sell the England Under-21 ace for further squad enhancements.
But will you continue with Dyche's tried and tested 4-4-2, or will you try and overhaul your squad?
Coventry City (Championship)
The Sky Blues left the Premier League in 2001 and haven't been back since.
It was the first time they had been out of the top division since 1967 and you could be just the coach to get them back where they belong after so long away.
Last season they were the League One title winners and Matt Godden remains their goal-getter, while they have a host of other young talents at your disposal.
Can you build on last year's success and seal a stunning promotion?
Southend United (League Two)
A confession, the Shrimpers have always been the team I start with, bar the campaigns where Grays Athletic were in a playable league.
I've helped them beat Barcelona in the Champions League in recent years and led them to glory in the Premier League with Brazilian sensation Abuda the star of the show way back in 2003/04.
Now, as they plummet through the divisions – not for the first time in my living memory – it's time for you to drag Southend kicking and screaming back to life.
If you do a good enough job you'll be living off all the fish and chips, and Rossi ice cream you can handle. Living the dream.
Salford City (League Two)
Fancy having the Class of 92 as your bosses? Why not pitch up at Moor Lane and try to meet their expectations.
You'll likely to have to adhere to a few philosophies but that's never stopped you before, has it?
Playing attacking football, vie for promotion, and bringing through young talent are likely to be among your immediate tasks.
Wrexham (National League)
Taken over by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny, the Welsh outfit are now the team to watch out for.
Already contenders for promotion to the Football League, ambitions will be high for you – can you handle the pressure?
'This is the third-oldest club on the planet and we don't see why it can't have a global appeal. We want Wrexham to be a global force,' said Reynolds.
Meanwhile, there will also be a documentary about the club – let's hope you're good in front of the camera too.
Athletic Bilbao (LaLiga)
It's far too easy just being Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico in Spain. You need to make things tricky.
Why not become boss in Bilbao?
You're going to have to be an ace at handling young stars as Athletic Club can only sign players with a Basque heritage or Spaniards no older than 16.
The talent of Inaki Williams, Iker Muniain, Yeray, and Inigo Martinez will help to start out.
Vaduz FC (Swiss Super League)
Who? Well, let's educate you a little.
Vaduz is the capital of Liechtenstein, a small European principality with a population of 38,749 people – they could all fit into Stamford Bridge.
The nation is too small to have a professional league, so Vaduz have always played in neighbouring Switzerland and this year they were promoted back to the Swiss Super League.
They do, though have a cup competition in Liechtenstein, which means they are almost always in the Europa League qualifying rounds representing their home nation.
So, why should you play as this tiny club? Well, they can't represent Switzerland in European competitions. So, the only way you can make it into the Champions League is if you manage to go all the way and win the Europa League.
Liverpool Football Manager 2021 Torrent
Now that is a test, if you fancy it!
Schalke 04 (Bundesliga)
The Germans were regulars in the Champions League not too long ago but have just had two poor seasons.
Finishes of 14th and 12th aren't good enough and the signs are they will struggle once again – at the time of writing they are winless in their first nine games.
Defensive talents like Ozan Kabak can be built around, midfielder Amine Harit has pedigree too, while Rabbi Matondo should be a familiar face for you as well.
Can you turn things around for the Bundesliga giants and get them back into the Champions League where they excelled in the early part of the last decade?
Paris FC (Ligue 2)
The French capital currently only has one team in Ligue 1 – but you can make it two.
They began life in 1969, merged to make Paris Saint-Germain and this current iteration exists after they split out in 1972.
Paris FC haven't been in the top flight since 1979 but have had some players you might recognise on their books, like Gabriel Obertan and Mamadou Sakho,.
Oh, and you don't have to worry about a big name signing – they signed Moustapha Name this summer… We'll get our coat.
Pisa (Serie B)
Last year we recommended you take over Venezia, who were in Serie C, but maybe we'd had a few too many Aperol Spritz by the canals.
This time out, why not explore Italy some more and hand yourself the reins in a city mainly known for its leaning tower.
It is the birthplace of Galileo Galilei, and we're pretty sure he'd approve of your scientific approach to tactics and scouting.
Murray weed eater. Oh, and you'd be following in the footsteps of Gennaro Gattuso who managed the club, while Diego Simeone, Leonardo Bonucci, Dunga, and Cristian Vieri all played for them in the past.
Rangers (Scottish Premiership)
Steven Gerrard is currently attempting to end Celtic's reign at the top of football in Scotland.
Rangers are doing all they can to stop their fierce rivals from winning their 10th consecutive title, a stat which won't go down well at Ibrox.
Can you, in place of Liverpool legend Gerrard, get Jermain Defoe and the lads over the line and stop it from happening?
Also, as a bonus task, try and make sure Alfredo Morelos doesn't get a red card all season. Actually, maybe that is the biggest challenge of all.
Willem II (Eredivisie)
We get it. Everyone loves Ajax, Feyenoord, and PSV Eindhoven, so why not make it tricky in Netherlands by heading to Tilburg for your next managerial role.
They have won three Dutch titles, but not one since it was rebranded as the Eredivisie in 1956.
It's not too surprising given the prowess of the top clubs in the country, however just check out some of their former players.
Virgil van Dijk, Sami Hyypia, Frenkie de Jong, Jaap Stam, Marc Overmars, and Mousa Dembele have all played some part for the club, although not at their peaks.
Can you get them that Eredivise title?
