Football Manager 2023 launched on 8 November 2022 and was the first entry to carry official UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League branding, complete with the music, scoreboards and redrawn draws. Sports Interactive rebuilt recruitment around the Squad Planner and Recruitment Focus, and added Supporter Confidence, which splits your fanbase into Hardcore, Core, Family, Fair Weather, Corporate and Casual segments that judge you separately from the board. Match engine work went into goalkeeper distribution, spread blocks and aerial defending.
Combat in Football Manager 2023 rewards knowledge over reflexes. Understanding how each mechanic works (and how they interact) is what turns a struggling player into a dominant one. New here? Start with our beginner's guide for the basics.
Core Combat Mechanics
1. Squad Planner
Ranks every player against your tactic by choice order, folds in your shortlist, and runs plans for the current season plus the next two. The Experience Matrix sitting beside it is where squad depth gaps become visible before an injury exposes them.
Why it matters: This is the foundation of all combat. Everything else builds on this.
2. Recruitment Focus
Replaces FM22's assignment system. You set filters for position, age and potential, scouts work targets through four stages, finalists receive full reports, and a near misses view surfaces players who failed one or two of your criteria.
Why it matters: The most underrated mechanic. Players who master this early have a massive advantage.
3. Supporter Confidence
Your fanbase divides into Hardcore, Core, Family, Fair Weather, Corporate and Casual segments, each judging Match Performance, Transfer Activity, Tactics and Squad separately from board objectives. How far that feeds back into your job security varies by club.
Why it matters: Unlocks a new layer of gameplay depth once understood.
4. Mentality and team instructions
Mentality sets your baseline risk and the instructions moderate it, grouped as In Possession, In Transition and Out of Possession. FM23 simplified the Line of Engagement wording, added a low block option, and replaced the Offside Trap with Drop Off and Hold the Line.
Why it matters: The tactical edge that separates average players from advanced ones.
5. Role and duty familiarity
Every player carries a familiarity rating for each role, and individual training set to their assigned role is what raises it. Leaving individual training on a default quietly caps both familiarity and attribute growth across a season.
Why it matters: The endgame optimization mechanic. Small improvements here compound into massive gains.
How These Mechanics Combine
Understanding how mechanics interact is where real optimization happens:
Squad Planner + Recruitment Focus
Ranks every player against your tactic by choice order, folds in your shortlist, and runs plans for the current season plus the next two. When combined with Recruitment Focus, replaces fm22's assignment system. This combination is the core of every effective build.
Supporter Confidence + Mentality and team instructions
Your fanbase divides into Hardcore, Core, Family, Fair Weather, Corporate and Casual segments, each judging Match Performance, Transfer Activity, Tactics and Squad separately from board objectives. Paired with Mentality and team instructions, mentality sets your baseline risk and the instructions moderate it, grouped as in possession, in transition and out of possession. This is why the tier list favors builds that leverage both.
Role and duty familiarity as a Multiplier
Every player carries a familiarity rating for each role, and individual training set to their assigned role is what raises it. Leaving individual training on a default quietly caps both familiarity and attribute growth across a season. This system amplifies everything else. The better your Role and duty familiarity optimization, the more your other mechanics pay off.
Combat by Role
Each role approaches combat differently:
Sweeper Keeper (A-Tier)
Combat approach: Balanced combat style. Key equipment: Play Out Of Defence Primary mechanic: Squad Planner
Sweeper Keeper offers a solid combat experience. Full setup in our builds guide.
Inverted Wing-Back (A-Tier)
Combat approach: Balanced combat style. Key equipment: Pass Into Space Primary mechanic: Recruitment Focus
Inverted Wing-Back offers a solid combat experience. Full setup in our builds guide.
Mezzala (A-Tier)
Combat approach: Balanced combat style. Key equipment: Counter Primary mechanic: Supporter Confidence
Mezzala offers a solid combat experience. Full setup in our builds guide.
Segundo Volante (A-Tier)
Combat approach: Balanced combat style. Key equipment: Trigger Press Primary mechanic: Mentality and team instructions
Segundo Volante offers a solid combat experience. Full setup in our builds guide.
Pressing Forward (A-Tier)
Combat approach: Balanced combat style. Key equipment: Drop Off Primary mechanic: Role and duty familiarity
Pressing Forward offers a solid combat experience. Full setup in our builds guide.
Advanced Combat Techniques
Damage Optimization
- Match your equipment to your role's stat priorities
- Exploit Squad Planner for maximum damage windows
- Chain Recruitment Focus and Supporter Confidence for combo damage
- Use Mentality and team instructions to create openings
Survivability
- Learn enemy patterns before committing to attacks
- Mentality is your baseline risk and roles, duties and instructions are the moderators. Stacking a much higher tempo, much more direct passing and an Attacking mentality does not produce an aggressive side, it produces an incoherent one.
- Position using Squad Planner to control spacing
- Save defensive options for guaranteed survival, not comfort
Boss Combat
Bosses test your understanding of every mechanic. See our boss guide for fight-specific strategies.
- Phase awareness: Most bosses change behavior at health thresholds
- Patience over aggression: One extra hit per opening beats dying to greed
- Build preparation: Swap gear and equipment for specific fights when needed
Common Combat Mistakes
- Button mashing: Committed attacks have recovery frames. Mashing locks you into animations.
- Ignoring Recruitment Focus: This mechanic exists for a reason. Players who use it take significantly less damage.
- Wrong equipment for the situation: Check our weapons guide for situational picks.
- Not learning from deaths: Every death teaches something. If you don't know why you died, you'll die the same way again.
- Overcommitting: Trading hits works in UEFA Champions League but will get you killed in Major League Soccer.
More Football Manager 2023 Guides
- Football Manager 2023 Football Manager 2023 Overview
- Football Manager 2023 Best Builds
- Football Manager 2023 Tier List
- Football Manager 2023 Walkthrough
- Football Manager 2023 Beginner's Guide
- Football Manager 2023 Tips & Tricks
- Football Manager 2023 Weapons Guide
- Football Manager 2023 Boss Guide
- Football Manager 2023 Maps & Locations
- Football Manager 2023 Crafting Guide
- Football Manager 2023 Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Football Manager 2023, check out these related guides:
- Beat the Champions Combat Guide: sports game with similar mechanics
- Rocket League Combat Guide: sports game with similar mechanics
- Football Manager 2024 Combat Guide: sports game with similar mechanics
