Football Manager 2020 is expected to release in November and you’re probably wondering what team to go on the beta. In this PL Teams to Manage in FM20 guide, I will cover youth players and key players for each team. Will it be the newly promoted teams like Aston Villa, or European champions Liverpool, you might even try Chelsea under a transfer embargo? This guide should help you pick a Premier League Team to manage.

In part one I will cover – Arsenal, Aston Villa, AFC Bournemouth, Brighton and Hove Albion, Burnley, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Leicester City and Liverpool.

Arsenal

Arsenal are first in my PL Teams to Manage in FM20 guide. A Europa League spot is secured for the Gunners. A save in which you have the right resources at your disposal, but it’s about creating a balance and getting results. Finding the right system that accommodates Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and record signing Nicolas Pépé will be one of the many tasks on hand.

Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson, and Matteo Guendouzi are wonderkids ready to be used to your disposal. Whilst Joe Willock and Bukayo Saka (under 18’s) look like players that are ready to break through in to the team.

With Henrikh Mkhitaryan out on loan and joining Roma at the end of the season, trying to get players in or develop the youngsters may be the step in the right direction so the transitional phase is smoother. Another area you might want to improve is the right back position. With Hector Bellerin injured for 3 to 4 months and a lack of youth prospects it would be beneficial to try and sign another right back, if funds allow it.

Aston Villa

Newly promoted Aston Villa have spent £130 million in the summer with improvements all over the pitch, adding great depth and versatility. New signing Mahmoud Hassan (Trezeguet) looks to be a deal that could be crucial in the long term. An incredible 15 players were signed in the summer window, will you look to add to this?

It will always be hard with a newly promoted team to get the team gelling with so many new signings. However, with a mix of experience and youth, you can perfect the balance and try to survive. Club captain and key player Jack Grealish will likely be your catalyst unless you cash in on him. But players like John McGinn, Wesley and Douglaz Luiz can cement their position in the team.

Ezri Konsa, James Bree and Jack Clarke look like players who can develop well or sold for profit. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy is on loan at Tranmere, but could be a really successful poacher using his pace in late games to try and grind results out.

AFC Bournemouth

Finishing 14th last year wasn’t bad for Bournemouth, but you’d want to establish the club in the Premier League and try to break in to the Top 10. New signings Arnaut Danjuma, Philip Billing and loan signing Harry Wilson look set to help improve the clubs league position. Callum Wilson could be pivotal in this team with incredible pace and finishing. He could link up a lot with Ryan Fraser, whilst Jefferson Lerma could Dictate the Game in midfield.

One area that could be improved is left back. Summer signing Lloyd Kelly looks very good, however Brad Smith is out on loan and Diego Rico doesn’t look good enough to challenge Kelly for the starting spot. I would even go as far as saying a key centre back could be signed, even a loan signing, just to tighten the defence up.

Bournemouth have a nice balance of youth and experience, but six players are older than 30. On the contrary the younger players are playing first team football. The likes of Chris Mepham, Dominic Solanke, David Brooks and Lewis Cook are ready.

Brighton and Hove Albion

Narrowly avoiding the drop, The Seagulls look set for another tough Premier League campaign. However, a big summer window may help your chances at Premier League survival. Adam Webster, Neal Maupay and Leandro Trossard are the latest arrivals to Brighton in a window that also seen Aaron Mooy join on loan.

Brighton seem to have a flurry of players out on loan including Alexis Mac Allister, Billy Arce and Ben White. All three look like players who could break in to the first team. Other notable prospects are Jan Mlakar, Peter Gwargis and Steven Alzate.

The team has some fantastic individuals like Davy Pröpper, Lewis Dunk, Pascal Groß and José Izquierdo. But getting them working together, consistently will be tough. If you do manage Brighton in FM20 you have a serious challenge on your hands.The biggest issue is goals – Glenn Murray is a pivotal player in this team. However, he’s coming towards the end of his career and shouldn’t be heavily relied upon. Do you cash in on one of your stars for more players or try and compete with what you’ve got?

Burnley

A summer which didn’t see too much movement in terms of signings could mean financial trouble, or lack of proper targets. A team that’s not blessed with the most exciting youth prospects or fancy footballers, can you keep Burnely above the drop?

The transfer window did see Danny Drinkwater sign on loan. Depending on if you enable the first transfer window you can look to add to the squad, if funds are available. The squad is mainly made up of British based players, which comes as no surprise to any reader. Maybe looking at youth prospects will help the chances of staying up.

Dwight McNeil, Adam Phillips are the only two senior players aged 21 or under. They both have very good attributes to compete for a spot in your squad. Bailey Peacock-Farrell is an excellent goal keeper for the future and should be kept an eye out for. Jimmy Dunne is the other notable prospect, however, he is on loan at Fleetwood.

If this save is for the long term, there are a lot of players who are currently in their prime with very little youth prospects that look set to shine. In particular two right backs at the age of 30 and 33, this could be an area that could be improved. Burnley could be your team in this PL teams to manage in FM20 guide.

Chelsea

Chelsea are next in the PL teams to manage in FM20 guide. Transfer embargo. Limited squad. Youth prospects. That’s how I would summarise it, a team that needs no introduction with a very young squad. Chelsea have four players at the age of 30 or above and have a whole host of young exciting players.

Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James all have the media description of a wonderkid, but the talent doesn’t stop there. Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori are three players in and around the first team. Myles Peart-Harris will be a surprise listing, but I believe he will become a fantastic footballer. You could really develop an incredible young team with what you have available at Chelsea.

Looking further into the future and the current squad, there are some fantastic experienced players like N’Golo Kanté and summer signing Mateo Kovacic who you can build a team around. The beauty of the Chelsea team is there is strength in depth and an under 23’s and under 18’s squad that have the capability of adding players to the first team. With the Champions League in mind it is important to keep the team fresh and not burn players out.

Crystal Palace

The Eagles, a team that are on the verge of breaking in to the top 10, but can’t quite do it. Aaron Wan-Bissaka left for a club record fee of £45m and the club didn’t spend much in the summer. With Wilfried Zaha staying at the club, this season will be crucial in keeping him happy. The window also seen James McCarthy, Jordan Ayew, Gary Cahill and Víctor Camarasa join the club. I wonder who else you can try and sign.

Focusing on the younger generation of talent, it’s important to remember Maximilian Meyer is still only 23 and would fit in to most Premier League teams. Looking even younger then that, we have Jairo Riedewald and Kian Flanagan, both players who I think can naturally break in to the Crystal Palace team. Jairo was named on the bench a lot last year and I think this year will be his breakthrough. Kian is still a long way from being ready to play first team football for Palace, but a loan spell could help develop him.

If you are trying to improve Crystal Palace, I would be focusing on strengthening their depth in wide positions. There are a few players who can play out wide, but that’s not their natural position, which wouldn’t be utilising them effectively. A few transfers would definitely improve the strength in the final third and become less reliant on Wilfried Zaha. A striker would also be a very good position to focus on. Benteke is currently injured until around December and if you want to break in to the top 10, you will need more fire power. Are Crystal palace your team to go in this PL Teams to Manage in FM20 guide?

Everton

Another summer of enormous signings happens at Everton and with two consecutive 8 spot finishes, it’s time for these signings to make an impact. The key players within the team create a balanced core but it’s getting them to work in a system which will be hardest. The likes of Lucas Digne, Gylfi Sigurðsson, Richarlison and Andre Gomes will likely be your core players. Creating a system which utilises each players strength will be crucial in the success or downfall of The Toffees.

After winning Premier League 2 last year, it’s no surprise Everton have a flurry of exciting young talent ready to be developed. Summer signing, Wonderkid, Moise Kean is definitely a player that surprised everyone when he joined in the summer. Can he be the leader in taking Everton to Europe? Tom Davies is a player in and out of the first team and could be an important player for the future. Beni Baningime, Lewis Gibson and João Virgínia are the pick of the bunch in terms of players who can make it. Beni already has first team appearances under his belt and could benefit with a loan spell. Gibson will likely be called upon when Baines retires, so making the most of his development will be crucial. Virgínia is a player who can progressively develop and compete for the number 1 spot.

Having more depth in the central defender role should be a priority. Mina and Keane are good enough, but if there is an injury the only good back up is Mason Holgate. A big name centre back signing will sturdy up the defence and push you on. There is also a lot of deadwood that could do with being sold and the money being reinvested.

Leicester City

Next up we have Leicester in our PL teams to manage in FM20 guide. A team you can’t really put your finger on as to their performances, sometimes they are brilliant and others they aren’t. With a big summer behind them, spending £86m and receiving £81m, Leicester look like a good team to be in this years game. Adding depth and strength in the summer has been done well, and with Harry Maguire leaving for Manchester United it was important.

Jamie Vardy is of course the clubs poster boy, but he is now 32 and might not have enough in him to consistently perform for years to come. Not to worry, there are several younger players who can ‘carry’ the team. Players such as James Maddison, Wilfred Ndidi, Youri Tielemans and Ben Chilwell make a good core of 22 year old’s who have incredible futures ahead of them. Younger players such as Harvey Barnes, James Justin, Hamza Choudhury and Filip Benkovic are all first team ready and can add to the fire power. Mitch Clark and Sidnei Tavares are two youth players who could turn out wonderfully.

Focusing more on the first team, there is a great balance of youth and experience. The likes of Ricardo Pereira, Dennis Praet, Çaglar Söyüncü and Kasper Schmeichel have experience and wisdom which will definitely help the younger players develop and settle. I think with Vardy at his age; it’s best to look at the future, and see what other players can play in the striking role such as Kelechi Iheanacho or another recognised performer.

Liverpool

Premier League runners up, Liverpool are next. It’s hard to pinpoint where to start with the Champions League winners. So, let’s start with the resources they currently have. Blessed with an incredible strike force, a fantastic defence and strength in depth in midfield. Let’s start with just a few of the players that keep Liverpool ticking. Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino are the obvious ones. However, there are players like Georginio Wijnaldum and Fabinho who ensure the midfield is solid.

Liverpool have produced some fantastic youth players over the years, players like Trent Alexander-Arnold who has just been nominated for the Ballon D’or award. There are also other players like Rhian Brewster, Joe Gomez and Herbie Kane who could make their breakthrough season with you as manager. Looking at the youth squads Ovie Ejaria, Ben Woodburn and Kamil Grabara are in the under 23’s and look really exciting. Focusing on the under 18’s Harvey Elliott, Ki-Jana Hoever and Leighton Clarkson look like they could be players who could slowly make their way in to the first team.

In terms of improvement, there isn’t too much to do, perhaps a back up left back for when Milner retires as well as another one or two players who can slot into the front three. This would add more depth and with the sheer amount of games being played, would vary attacks up. I would even move on some of the goalkeepers as there is 11 goalkeepers at the club – this might hinder development.

Summary of PL Teams to Manage in FM20 – Part One

Part two will be released in the coming days. A direct link will be available to check the second part which contains the remaining teams.

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