The important thing to remember is all this is optional. Team analysis, player performance, comparisons - it's actually easy to get lost in just how deep the simulation is going. It can go as deep as needed, for example to see how strikers are performing in aerial battles compared to the rest of the league, there are easy to use buttons that bring up a raft of key information related to that, all with visual data that presents it in an easy-to-read format. Analysis of the player's team's shots on goal, xG tables and opposition insights all help in order to craft a winning side. The main use of the hub is to see the selection of key metrics that help the day-to-day work of a budding manager. It's fantastic to see the amount of work that has gone into bringing together a system that replicates much of the work being done in real-life clubs. Like many features added to the game each year, the hub ultimately acts as a neat way of condensing lots of useful information in one place. Yes, that's right, as if there wasn't enough there's even more data to devour in FM22. The other headline feature off the pitch is the new data hub introduced this year. Sports Interactive could really get the match engine to a very high standard, which would be pleasing after a few years when improvements were possibly a bit thinner on the ground. It'll be interesting to see how much this develops, both outside of the beta and in future iterations of the series. That said, the keepers are well balanced too, not suffering from the notorious errors they sometimes launched with. A striker one-on-one with a keeper and slotting the ball in the back of the net just feels brilliant now. There's a whole host of unique little touches that players have access to now, from passes they make, to movements of the ball when pressing the opposition.
![online football manager online football manager](https://en.onlinefootballmanager.com/img/screenshots/opt/screenshot06-xl.png)
Again, instead of taking control of the ball and going on a run up the wing before awkwardly turning on a dime, players will use their sense of motion, take the ball on the turn and actually twist their bodies when crossing a delicious ball for a striker to bury. The improvements are really noticeable when looking at the turning motion of players. The 'jankiness' of players receiving their ball from a pass is no more, instead the ball neatly cushions under their spell as they then pick out a pass and start an attack. It's the subtle things that really build together. Yes, this is indeed the best Football Manager has ever looked, but more than that, it is the best the game has felt. Well, 2D is no more prepare to enter the 3D engine. This possibly comes down to the sometimes imperfect state the 3D engine has turned out as for previous releases. Even in 2021 there are still some FM purists who still use the 2D screen and swear by the engine as the perfect representation of the beautiful game. So, what's new then? Well, the standout thing many will pick up on immediately are the changes to the 3D match engine experience. UI design generally has been perfected at this stage and the bread and butter of going through the menus, scouting players, buying new stars, setting up tactics and the plethora of other buttons and screens to press all look comfortingly similar to last year. Anyone familiar with the setup here will probably feel right at home.