The latest Football Manager is finally out and you’re probably wondering which is the best team to manage in your new FM 23 career. It’s rather common to choose the favorite team, or the usual big teams such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Man Utd, Man City, and similar. For this reason, we explored some of the most interesting teams to manage that you may overlook otherwise (unless you’re a fan that is).
You’ll find some title contenders but mostly a mix of teams that are one step away to achieve glory, having a glorious past, or just making for a good run. So, with some of these teams, you might be able to lift trophies at the end of the first season while with others you’ll be in for a medium to long-term project to achieve epic results.
Before we start with our list, as few suggestions. First, you should get a Licensing and Real Names fix to change the fake names of teams, cities and competitions into their corresponding real ones. Also, if you play on a console, don’t miss our opinion piece explaining why FM23 is finally good on console too.
Video by FM Scout
Best Teams to Manage in England
Tottenham Hotspurs
Unless you’re an Arsenal or Chelsea fan, the Spurs are surely one of the best teams to manage in FM 23. They have great potential, though the team isn’t complete enough to challenge the likes of Manchester City or Liverpool for the Premier League title. Even if it’s one of the richest teams in the Premier League, the Spurs lifted their last trophy in 2008 (Carabao Cup) and their last PL title in 1961. They came close to 2019’s Champions League but got defeated by Liverpool in the final.
You must work on getting the defence up to standards and, maybe, one or two additions to the midfield. The attack is certainly the best area of the team. You won’t need much effort there as long as Kane, Son, Kulusevski, and Moura are up and running. With some good signings and good tactics, you might be able to have some glory with Spurs even in your first year.
Best Teams to Manage in FM 23: Spurs Squad
Blackburn Rovers
During the ’90s, they were often fighting for the title and even got one just three years after being promoted from the second division. After two decades in the top flight, the team got relegated and never managed to get back up to Premier League. Will you be able to bring them back to where they belong?
It’s not an easy job, considering that the Championship is one tough competition and the Rovers aren’t among the favorites. However, it’s not an impossible feat. You can improve the squad building around its solid midfield. All you need is providing some stability in defence and getting one or two dangerous strikers. If you secure that, and with a bit of luck, you might even be able to surprise all skeptics and get the promotion very early.
Derby County
It might not be one of the most successful or prestigious teams and it spent most of its history in lower divisions. However, Derby County has a fascinating history and entered into legend thanks to Brian Clough’s title in the 1971/72 season. The Rams won another title in 1975 but that was the last time they lifted a trophy.
Given its current poor financial situation, Derby County makes it for a difficult but exciting challenge. Getting a promotion in your first year shouldn’t be too complicated. There are some good players in all areas, though reaching the end of their careers, as well as a few interesting youngsters. This means that you have to look around for some good bargains to secure a promotion to Championship.
Best Teams to Manage in Italy
Torino
Torino is one of the most well-respected teams in Italy thanks to a glorious past. The Grande Torino team is considered one of the strongest teams in history. Only a plane crash put an end to its streak of victories. Torino had ups and downs throughout its history but never lost its combative spirit.
In FM23, Torino is one of the best teams to manage in Italy for those looking for a medium challenge. This year’s squad is much stronger than before and could aim higher than in recent years. The defence is already quite strong with decent centrals and good side-backs. There’s a good selection of hard-working midfielders though, this area could do with a few more creative players. As for strikers, this is where the team struggles a bit and definitely needs at least one strong finisher.
By securing some quality reinforcements, you can aim for a short-term fight for a place in Europe. Once you achieve that, you can bring the fight for the title that’s missing since 1976.
Best Teams to Manage in FM 23: Torino’s History
Parma
In the ’90s, Parma was a force to be reckoned with. Even if it never managed to win the Serie A, it secured four European competitions and three Italian national cups. After going bankrupt in 2015, the team had to rebuild itself starting from the 4th division. Within three years they made it back to Serie A but are still struggling to keep staying in the top division and in 2023 they start from Serie B.
The team feats 44-year-old legend Buffon still as a respectable goalkeeper. There are plenty of central defenders and midfielders to choose from so, you can sell some to help with the team’s finances. Depending on your tactics, you might need to buy a couple of strong wing players. Aside from that, you should have a strong enough team to secure promotion in your first year and build on it to stay on top.
Pro Vercelli
It has been almost a century since their last time in Serie A, however, Pro Vercelli is the 5th team per number of victories in the top division with 7 titles. Years haven’t been kind to the Piedmontese team that struggled even to remain in Serie B and spent the last five years in the third division.
Bringing Pro Vercelli back to Serie A is a very hard and romantic task. It will require some patience since the team isn’t built to go up quickly. However, it’s a young team with some interesting talents. If you can back them up with a few strong and experienced players, you should be able to have a very solid squad in just a few seasons. Build on that and Serie A won’t be a dream anymore.
Best Teams to Manage in Spain
Athletic Bilbao
The Basque side is one of the most romantic teams in the world. For many people, it’s more than just a football team but a representation of the Basque culture. Athletic Bilbao, in fact, only plays with Basque players since its foundation in 1898. Even with this limitation, it still is one the most successful teams in Spain and the only one with Real Madrid and Barcelona to have avoided relegation.
In 2023, Athletic Bilbao has a reasonably strong team with the likes of Muniain leading the attack, Herrera managing the midfield and Martinez controlling the defence. Due to the club’s transfer policy, there’s not much you can do in terms of buying players. In any case, you can rely on top-notch training and youth facilities to improve who’s already in the team. Otherwise, you can always try to “steal” the talents of your fierce rivals Real Sociedad.
Best Teams to Manage in FM 23: Athletic Bilbao Key Player
Ibiza
Definitely not the best team in Spain but surely one of the best places to be. If you’re a little bit into roleplay, you can picture starting your career in Ibiza struggling to keep your players away from the parties. Or just joining them all the time. The team has not much in terms of history and this will be their second season ever in the second division.
You can rely on a few old but strong players and some future prospects. What you’ll need is a good scouting team to find players interested in moving to this little paradise in the Western Mediterranean Sea. It won’t be easy but relying on the attractiveness of the island, you might build a team strong enough to reach La Liga for the first time in Ibiza’s history.
Deportivo la Coruña
The Galician side enjoyed moments of glory in the early 2000s when they won their only La Liga title and got respectable positions in the UEFA Champions League. In the last five years, however, Deportivo entered into a spiral of bad management and relegations that dropped them into the third division.
The 2023 team is made to start the comeback towards La Liga and shouldn’t be too difficult to achieve promotion to the second division. For the long term, though, you may want to get some young talents. The team’s best players are quite old already and, if you want to ensure a quick rise to the top, you must be prepared to keep the team competitive.
Best Teams to Manage in Germany
Borussia Dortmund
It may be a bit of a cliché but sharing the league with Bayern München doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Borussia Dortmund is the only team with the players and the resources to fight for victory. Ten years passed since their last Bundesliga title and, in the meanwhile, they only managed to win twice the national cup. In the middle, also a painful defeat in the Champions League final against Bayern München in 2013.
The team is pretty strong with a tough defence and an impressive midfield. The only thing missing is a top-class striker to ensure that goals keep on coming. You must be perfect throughout the season if you want to interrupt the winning streak of Bayern. It’s also important to keep the morale of the team high at all times, especially before direct matches against your biggest rivals. The team is also strong enough to let you dream of reaching the final stages of the Champions League.
Best Teams to Manage in FM 23: Borussia Dortmund Squad
Hamburger SV
Up until 2019, Hamburger’s fans proud themselves mainly on two things: 1983’s Champions League victory and being the only team never to be relegated to the second division. This changed three years ago. The team never managed to get over it and return to Bundesliga.
The 2023 team makes it for a good team to manage since it’s strong enough to fight for first place in the second division. However, it does need some tweaks here and there given the absence of players in some key areas (like a proper right back). The team is young and full of talent so, with good management, you might have a really good bunch for future years.
Dynamo Dresden
Dynamo Dresden was one of the biggest teams in the D.D.R. as well as one of the most victorious. After the reunification of Germany in 1991, it resisted for a few years in Bundesliga and then sank into lower divisions. Having spent a decade in 4th division, the team is now bouncing up and down from second to the third division.
In 2023, Dynamo Dresden has a good enough team to achieve promotion right away. As for many teams in the third division, focusing on promising young players is likely to be the best strategy to get a strong team and to make some money by reselling them later on. What the team really needs immediately are a good striker and some defensive side backs, the only areas where there’s not much quality.
Best Teams to Manage in the Rest of the World
Olympique Marseille (France)
One of France’s giants, consistently in the top half of the rankings yet, in the last 30 years, they managed to win the Ligue 1 only once in 2010. OM enjoyed its best spell by the end of the ’80s and the beginning of the ’90s, culminating in the victory of the UEFA Champions League in 1993. Can you put an end to their draught of victories?
OM is one of the best teams to manage in FM 23 since it will provide you with the tough challenge to defeat PSG in the race for the French title. Your team will be strong but nowhere near the strength of your fierce rivals. Meaning that you must find good reinforcements and great tactics to challenge the likes of Messi, Neymar and Mbappé.
Best Teams to Manage in FM 23: Olympique Marseille Achievements
R Antwerp FC (Belgium)
Antwerp spent most of the last 20 years in the second division but, now, they look strong enough to fight for the title missing since 1957. The Belgian league is pretty balanced considering that there are five teams with good chances of victory. Also, you’ll be participating in one of the strangest league systems in the world.
The team has good key players in all areas of the pitch though it might need a more reliable goalkeeper. With a few adjustments, you should be able to secure the title quite quickly. You can also try your luck in the Conference League and see how you fare against similar European teams.
Flamengo (Brazil)
If you love to play loads of matches in a season then you should choose a Brazilian team. Our pick goes to Flamengo since it has a pretty good team made of a few old glories like Arturo Vidal and David Luiz, and some potential wonderkids. Aside from the national championship, you’ll be playing in the state championship, the Brazilian cup and the Copa Libertadores.
Your main challenges will be to manage the fatigue of your best players and to have a deep enough squad to fight on different fronts. The club’s finances aren’t the best so you really need to win some trophies and get bonuses if you want the team to remain competitive.
Conclusion
This list should provide you with some interesting ideas for your next career in Football Manager 23. With each of these teams you’ll have different challenges and none of them will make it for a dull gameplay. Alternatively, you can use them to get inspiration and find some other forgotten glory or fresh title contender.
