The Citizens, the richest club in the world. If you're here, then you're either a long-term fan or, like me, you want to test the hypothesis that greatness can be bought and created within no time. The club was more fun to manage in the last game, frankly, as the club was utterly threadbare and it was really upto your transfer dealings to completely turn the club around.
A note of warning, however. Spending on a whole new team will not guarantee you success. On the other hand, it will screw up everything. Team chemistry is very important so at most you should be buying 3 players. City already has a great new squad and so it reflects badly on your man management skills if you can't get these stars to gel together.
Goalkeeper
Given is obviously your first choice. He's good and saves most shots but you can't rely upon him keeping a clean sheet against the top teams. But if you're letting in a lot of goals, don't blame him instantly, though. Check out his average rating and see if he consistently fails to perform. Employ him as a sweeper keeper against weak teams and he'll come out and stop attacks with ease.
Fullbacks
Richards is a nice, pacey fullback. You should attack with him (pair him up with a slightly defensive minded winger so as to cover for him). He has great acceleration and links up well. He's also your Long Throws taker. Sylvinho's too old to make a difference and I largely ignored him. Bridge is decent and consistent. Zabaleta is a good backup and Onuoha is largely ignorable. This is your weakest link in defence and I think that it's probably to blame for any defensive frailty. One solution that you might want to employ is to shift Lescott & Toure to the sides and buy 2 classy centrebacks in the middle (Gallas is available for 10m pounds and is a great buy).
Centrebacks
Toure and Lescott provide an interesting combination of strength and composure. Lescott heads well (use him to mark Drogba or other forwards good in the air) but with strong opponents, Toure would be the key. Toure also averages 7-8 goals per season with his head in corners (make him attack near post and set the corner to land in the 6 yard box). I guess it's not just Lescott's heading skills that matters but the need to outmuscle one's marker and so Toure would be a reliable source of goals.
Wingers
SWP may seem a disappointment. His stats are low and there are better buys out there. But never under-estimate a home-grown player. His passion is admirable, especially in games against Man Utd. He dribbles well against normal opposition though he won't produce any magic against strong teams. Petrov is an enigma and you shouldn't rely on him on a weekly basis. He just isn't as hardworking as you'd like him to be. Robinho's a better winger and he's assisted quite handsomely thus far in my season. Robinho can be an inside forward and help contribute with the goals quite regularly. Just remember to swap the two whenever one's form wanes and to caution the ******. Spending on a right winger would be a good idea too. I recommend having a defensive wide midfielder as your side will not be balanced if you choose to stick with the original back four.
Attacking midfielders
Unfortunately, there isn't a real creative player out there who can pull the strings in midfield. Ireland is hopeless and probably one player who should be loaned out. He won't do well in other squads either thus verifying my verdict. Johnson's too young to make much of a difference and he doesn't have any stats that stand out and grab your attention.
Defensive midfielders
I would place Barry here as he's quite an all-round player and it helps a great deal for your team's linkage if your defensive midfielder isn't just a hard tackler but someone who can do something with the ball. He's a great ball-winning midfielder but do not place him with too defensive instructions as his talents will go to waste. He delivers most of my corners and him and Toure can have a good thing going. Nigel De Jong is reliable and consistent but he lacks finesse.
Forwards
This is probably your best department. Not only do you have a workaholic in Tevez but you have a target man in Adebayor. Roque Santa Cruz & Bellamy will largely disappoint you but these two can contribute a number of goals between them. Tevez is your quintisential deep lying forward or trequartista if you feel ambitious while Adebayor is the complete forward or poacher (against weak teams) or target man. If you plan to use Adebayor as a target man, make sure he isn't too far out as he won't have anyone to head the ball too. I'd rather recommend Tevez as the target man, however, as when he gets the ball he makes good use of it. Adebayor will always get to head the ball in once or twice every game and he'll definitely score. Another great thing with Tevez is that he is your ideal free kick taker. FM10 makes scoring from free kicks quite easy and so he'll definitely bag 5-10 goals per season through free kicks alone. But the confidence boost that he gets from scoring a free kick will spur him on to play even better for the rest of the game which is superb. If it's just outside the penalty box, then you should sit back and allow yourself a chuckle. Another great thing about Tevez is that he learns any preferred moves fast and he is very consistent. +
Recommendations
I think that the squad lacks decent fullbacks that will do their defensive duties properly. Also, the squad needs a good creative central midfielder who can spray the ball around for the wingers and for the forwards to pounce upon. I bought Fabregas for 50m but he didn't live up to the billing.
If you aren't happy with the backup forwards, I'd recommend selling Bellamy off (or loaning him away) and buying a good forward. But don't waste your money needlessly on a high quality forward but instead you should purchase one who will punish weak teams efficiently allowing Tevez & Abe to have their rest in preparation for their big games. I highly recommend Nistelrooy for this as his stats are excellent, he's available for just abotu 1.5m and he will fade after 1 or 2 years allowing you to buy another forward then as you will undoubtedly want to.
In the midfield, I think you should loan away or sell Ireland, Johnson, Kompany. I sincerely think that a top 3 finish is within reach with the squad that you have inherited. Buying a new team is not necessary. A good goalkeeper worth buying (if you're not happy with Given) is Rene Adler. A great backup is Vincent Enyeama (buy him at the start of the season or else you'll lose him). There are many good loan possibilities out there such as Giovanni Dos Santos, Gabriel Milito if all you're looking for is decent backups for your players.
Staff
The scouts are good but most of the coaching staff sucks. Ask for a mutual termination to get rid of them cheaply. I'd recommend signing most of the worldclass free coaches out there. The assistant manager Mark Bowen is decent and worth keeping.
Tactics
A plain 4-4-2 will do just fine (check out the tz1 tactic). High quality defenders and Richards running amok allows you to play an offside trap easily. Attack from the get-go against weak teams and play Counter against strong teams. Avoid the temptation to shield a lead by shifting mentalities suddenly.
Since the City of Manchester stadium is very wide, you can play games exploting the flanks and allowing SWP and Robinho to do their jobs. Against Man Utd, make sure you overload them in the first 15 minutes as that's when they're most likely to concede. Also, give out bullish comments before the match to psych up your team. Against Liverpool, mark Stevie G properly and single out Kuyt as the dangerman as he succumbs to pressure easily. Against Arsenal, you just have to outmuscle them and so be aggresive (buying Fabregas definitely weakens them a great deal). Against weaker teams, Tevez is probably your best bet but don't play him if his form is dipping. Be sure to cycle through your forwards and to avoid any injuries to your team as the second string squad is still good enough to demolish the weak teams. Your biggest rivals should be Tottenham, Everton & Aston Villa so beating them is a must and don't be disheartened if you don't get a result against the big 4.
Goals
Winning the Premier League is possible (with a transfer budget of about 79m, it should be easy if you spend wisely and on the right people). A more realistic goal would be getting a 3rd place. A lack of European competitions means that you'll have lesser injuries to worry about. In your second year, though, you should definitely aim for the title.
A note of warning, however. Spending on a whole new team will not guarantee you success. On the other hand, it will screw up everything. Team chemistry is very important so at most you should be buying 3 players. City already has a great new squad and so it reflects badly on your man management skills if you can't get these stars to gel together.
Goalkeeper
Given is obviously your first choice. He's good and saves most shots but you can't rely upon him keeping a clean sheet against the top teams. But if you're letting in a lot of goals, don't blame him instantly, though. Check out his average rating and see if he consistently fails to perform. Employ him as a sweeper keeper against weak teams and he'll come out and stop attacks with ease.
Fullbacks
Richards is a nice, pacey fullback. You should attack with him (pair him up with a slightly defensive minded winger so as to cover for him). He has great acceleration and links up well. He's also your Long Throws taker. Sylvinho's too old to make a difference and I largely ignored him. Bridge is decent and consistent. Zabaleta is a good backup and Onuoha is largely ignorable. This is your weakest link in defence and I think that it's probably to blame for any defensive frailty. One solution that you might want to employ is to shift Lescott & Toure to the sides and buy 2 classy centrebacks in the middle (Gallas is available for 10m pounds and is a great buy).
Centrebacks
Toure and Lescott provide an interesting combination of strength and composure. Lescott heads well (use him to mark Drogba or other forwards good in the air) but with strong opponents, Toure would be the key. Toure also averages 7-8 goals per season with his head in corners (make him attack near post and set the corner to land in the 6 yard box). I guess it's not just Lescott's heading skills that matters but the need to outmuscle one's marker and so Toure would be a reliable source of goals.
Wingers
SWP may seem a disappointment. His stats are low and there are better buys out there. But never under-estimate a home-grown player. His passion is admirable, especially in games against Man Utd. He dribbles well against normal opposition though he won't produce any magic against strong teams. Petrov is an enigma and you shouldn't rely on him on a weekly basis. He just isn't as hardworking as you'd like him to be. Robinho's a better winger and he's assisted quite handsomely thus far in my season. Robinho can be an inside forward and help contribute with the goals quite regularly. Just remember to swap the two whenever one's form wanes and to caution the ******. Spending on a right winger would be a good idea too. I recommend having a defensive wide midfielder as your side will not be balanced if you choose to stick with the original back four.
Attacking midfielders
Unfortunately, there isn't a real creative player out there who can pull the strings in midfield. Ireland is hopeless and probably one player who should be loaned out. He won't do well in other squads either thus verifying my verdict. Johnson's too young to make much of a difference and he doesn't have any stats that stand out and grab your attention.
Defensive midfielders
I would place Barry here as he's quite an all-round player and it helps a great deal for your team's linkage if your defensive midfielder isn't just a hard tackler but someone who can do something with the ball. He's a great ball-winning midfielder but do not place him with too defensive instructions as his talents will go to waste. He delivers most of my corners and him and Toure can have a good thing going. Nigel De Jong is reliable and consistent but he lacks finesse.
Forwards
This is probably your best department. Not only do you have a workaholic in Tevez but you have a target man in Adebayor. Roque Santa Cruz & Bellamy will largely disappoint you but these two can contribute a number of goals between them. Tevez is your quintisential deep lying forward or trequartista if you feel ambitious while Adebayor is the complete forward or poacher (against weak teams) or target man. If you plan to use Adebayor as a target man, make sure he isn't too far out as he won't have anyone to head the ball too. I'd rather recommend Tevez as the target man, however, as when he gets the ball he makes good use of it. Adebayor will always get to head the ball in once or twice every game and he'll definitely score. Another great thing with Tevez is that he is your ideal free kick taker. FM10 makes scoring from free kicks quite easy and so he'll definitely bag 5-10 goals per season through free kicks alone. But the confidence boost that he gets from scoring a free kick will spur him on to play even better for the rest of the game which is superb. If it's just outside the penalty box, then you should sit back and allow yourself a chuckle. Another great thing about Tevez is that he learns any preferred moves fast and he is very consistent. +
Recommendations
I think that the squad lacks decent fullbacks that will do their defensive duties properly. Also, the squad needs a good creative central midfielder who can spray the ball around for the wingers and for the forwards to pounce upon. I bought Fabregas for 50m but he didn't live up to the billing.
If you aren't happy with the backup forwards, I'd recommend selling Bellamy off (or loaning him away) and buying a good forward. But don't waste your money needlessly on a high quality forward but instead you should purchase one who will punish weak teams efficiently allowing Tevez & Abe to have their rest in preparation for their big games. I highly recommend Nistelrooy for this as his stats are excellent, he's available for just abotu 1.5m and he will fade after 1 or 2 years allowing you to buy another forward then as you will undoubtedly want to.
In the midfield, I think you should loan away or sell Ireland, Johnson, Kompany. I sincerely think that a top 3 finish is within reach with the squad that you have inherited. Buying a new team is not necessary. A good goalkeeper worth buying (if you're not happy with Given) is Rene Adler. A great backup is Vincent Enyeama (buy him at the start of the season or else you'll lose him). There are many good loan possibilities out there such as Giovanni Dos Santos, Gabriel Milito if all you're looking for is decent backups for your players.
Staff
The scouts are good but most of the coaching staff sucks. Ask for a mutual termination to get rid of them cheaply. I'd recommend signing most of the worldclass free coaches out there. The assistant manager Mark Bowen is decent and worth keeping.
Tactics
A plain 4-4-2 will do just fine (check out the tz1 tactic). High quality defenders and Richards running amok allows you to play an offside trap easily. Attack from the get-go against weak teams and play Counter against strong teams. Avoid the temptation to shield a lead by shifting mentalities suddenly.
Since the City of Manchester stadium is very wide, you can play games exploting the flanks and allowing SWP and Robinho to do their jobs. Against Man Utd, make sure you overload them in the first 15 minutes as that's when they're most likely to concede. Also, give out bullish comments before the match to psych up your team. Against Liverpool, mark Stevie G properly and single out Kuyt as the dangerman as he succumbs to pressure easily. Against Arsenal, you just have to outmuscle them and so be aggresive (buying Fabregas definitely weakens them a great deal). Against weaker teams, Tevez is probably your best bet but don't play him if his form is dipping. Be sure to cycle through your forwards and to avoid any injuries to your team as the second string squad is still good enough to demolish the weak teams. Your biggest rivals should be Tottenham, Everton & Aston Villa so beating them is a must and don't be disheartened if you don't get a result against the big 4.
Goals
Winning the Premier League is possible (with a transfer budget of about 79m, it should be easy if you spend wisely and on the right people). A more realistic goal would be getting a 3rd place. A lack of European competitions means that you'll have lesser injuries to worry about. In your second year, though, you should definitely aim for the title.
