How to Dominate Football Manager 2020: A Complete Guide to Tactics and Transfers

Let’s be honest for a minute. We’ve all been there. You’ve spent hours crafting what you believe is the perfect tactic, you’ve identified a hidden gem in the Serbian second division, and you’re cruising toward a crucial cup final. Then, in the 89th minute, the AI referee awards a soft penalty against you, your goalkeeper parries it straight to their striker, and you lose. Your screen gets that familiar, hazy grey filter. The post-match interview pops up, and all you can think is, “I’m not gonna say much. You all saw the play. I don’t agree with the call. That’s the exact opposite of the right call.” Just like that dejected athlete, you’re left feeling robbed by a system you thought you understood. Football Manager 2020, for all its glorious depth, is a game of fine margins and, occasionally, brutal injustice. But here’s the secret: dominance isn’t about avoiding those moments; it’s about building a system so robust that they become mere footnotes in your relentless march to glory. After countless saves—some triumphant, many humbling—I’ve learned that sustainable success hinges on two pillars: a coherent, adaptable tactical framework and a razor-sharp, proactive transfer strategy. Forget plug-and-play downloads; this is about philosophy.

My first rule of thumb is to start with the defenders, not the strikers. It sounds counterintuitive in a game about scoring goals, but a stable base is everything. I aim for a defensive line that complements each other. I’m a huge advocate of a Ball-Playing Defender who’s comfortable on the ball, paired with a no-nonsense, aggressive central defender. In one of my most successful saves with Leeds United, I stuck with Liam Cooper but partnered him with a purchased player, a left-footed BPD from Portugal named David Carmo for around £12.5 million. That balance was crucial. In front of them, I almost always use a defensive midfielder as a single pivot. The Half-Back role is my personal favorite; it drops between the center-backs in possession, creating a back three and allowing my full-backs to bomb forward without leaving us exposed. This isn’t just a theory—it translated to us conceding only 31 goals in a Premier League season, the second-best record in the league. The midfield setup flows from this. I prefer a midfield three. Alongside the Half-Back, I deploy a roaming playmaker or a mezzala for progression, and a more advanced attacking midfielder, often as an advanced playmaker on support. This creates a dynamic, rotating triangle that’s incredibly hard to mark.

Now, the fun part: the attack. This is where your tactical identity truly sings. I’m personally biased toward a pressing system. Gegenpressing is famously effective in FM20, but you can’t just switch it on and hope. It requires specific player profiles. Your forwards need high work rate, aggression, and stamina—at least 14, ideally 15 or above. I learned this the hard way with a technically gifted but lazy striker who left my press full of holes. I sold him in January. My preferred front three involves two inside forwards cutting in from the wings (right-footed on the left, left-footed on the right) and a complete forward up top. The key instruction? Trigger press more often, and get stuck in. You will pick up cards, but you’ll also win the ball back in dangerous areas an astonishing amount. In my last season with Leeds, we led the league in tackles won in the final third with over 180. That’s not luck; that’s design.

Of course, tactics are nothing without the right players. This brings me to the second pillar: transfers. The scattergun approach is a budget killer. I operate on a simple principle: identify a tactical need first, then find the profile. Need a ball-winning midfielder who can also pass? Don’t just search for “central midfielder.” Use the player search filters ruthlessly: tackling (13+), passing (13+), work rate (15+). The scouting package is your best friend, but I also spend an inordinate amount of time trawling through international youth teams. My biggest coup was a 19-year-old Argentine regen named Franco Lopez, signed for a paltry £4.3 million from Boca Juniors. Three seasons later, he was worth over £80 million. You have to be a predator for value. Also, never underestimate the power of loans with future fees. It’s a way to trial a player for a season without commitment. I’ve built entire title-winning squads by making two or three of these loans permanent each summer, creating a constant, affordable refresh.

But here’s the real talk: the game will throw those “Tautuaa moments” at you. A dubious penalty, a 35-yard worldie against you, a key injury in a title decider. When that happens, it’s tempting to rage-quit or tear up your entire system. Don’t. Take a breath. Often, the issue isn’t your core tactic, but a slight adjustment. Is the opposition exploiting the space behind your attacking full-back? Drop his duty to support. Are they dominating the midfield? Change your pressing trigger or switch one of your midfielders to a ball-winning role for that game. The true mark of a dominant manager isn’t an unbeaten season—that’s often down to save-scumming, let’s be real—it’s the ability to bounce back from injustice and adapt. I keep a shortlist of players for every position, updated monthly, so when crisis hits, I’m not scrambling.

In the end, dominating Football Manager 2020 is about embracing both the chess match and the chaos. It’s about building a system with clear principles, from a solid defensive structure to a coordinated press, and then populating it with players who are scouted for purpose, not just reputation. You will have games where you feel everything is against you, where the call is “the exact opposite of the right call.” But with a deep squad built on a logical foundation, those moments become setbacks, not catastrophes. The satisfaction doesn’t come from a flawless simulation; it comes from seeing your philosophy, your signings, and your in-game adjustments coalesce into something that consistently wins, week after week, season after season. Now, go set that second transfer window to the first summer, and start building your dynasty. Just remember to check those player personalities—you don’t want a squad full of mercenaries when the going gets tough.