Top Ten Tips for Top Eleven 2016 - Beginners to Experts
Sponsored feature: skilful strategy straight from the game's producer
1. Getting started on any platform
So you’ve decided to join the world’s greatest online football management game. You’ve made the right decision, but where to begin? Let’s start with the basics. You can download the app from iTunes, the Google Play Store or from Facebook – and of course, you can play your game across all devices.
Once you’re set up, get yourself organised and pick your team name, the city from which your team is from, your stadium, and the design of your kit and logo. These will all truly express your unique managerial personality!
2. Get in formation
As any football manager worth their salt knows, tactics are the key to victory! Through the Squad page, you can view your players, set-up your first team line-up and choose the formation for the game. A good starting formation is the trusty 4-4-2, but make sure you analyse the players in your squad, their strengths and weaknesses, and fit them to a system that suits.
Also bear in mind that you are able to set each player’s individual mentality – more attacking or defensive – so be sure to keep a good balance.
3. Manage your team, live!
Top Eleven’s live matches are hugely exciting events, pitting your wits and your players against another manager somewhere in the world!
Your decisions and changes affect the match as it’s played, so be sure to keep an eye on your players’ form and their fitness condition as the game progresses. Once their condition starts to show as orange, it means they are getting tired. They then start to play below their normal levels and even become more prone to every manager’s worst nightmare – injuries.
Similarly, you can judge players’ performance based on their match rating – anything below a 6 is normally considered poor, so keep a keen eye open to gauge who and when to make your subs.
4. Train, train, train
Most players have weaknesses in one area or another. Training is where you make bad players better, and make good players the best – and make sure you keep all of them fit.
You will need some strategy about your training though – there’s no point having your goalies practising their shooting all day! There’s a range of training activities available that all have different effects on your team as a whole, or individual players, so take some time to trial various combinations.
Generally, we’d recommend starting with a warm-up as this is a great place to start to boost team fitness and provide a great platform to build on with further team training.
5. Make some money
There are a number of ways to improve your team but one surefire way is to earn the in-game currency called Tokens, as well as in-game money.
You can earn tokens by completing certain offers throughout the game, such as signing TV contract deals and transferring players to other managers. You can earn money by signing sponsorship contracts, selling players and attracting fans to your home games! For beginners, we’d recommend selling TV rights and sponsorship as a quick and easy way to start earning, fast!
You’ll find the options in the Finance pages, with a range of deals that provide different levels of remuneration based on how you want to play.
1. Become a coaching pro
In the words of José Mourinho, "Training your team is the most important part of being a successful football manager – it is the difference between winning leagues and failing." Beyond a basic level, you will need to balance training with rest to ensure your players aren’t too tired to perform. Keep an eye on the intensity of your training and reduce it when your players are particularly exhausted.
Finally, remember that the younger your players are, the more they gain from training – so be sure not to neglect your youth!
2. Be a wheeler-dealer
Getting the right players on your team is critical to success. One of the neat features in Top Eleven is the ability to compete in live auctions for players. To do this, you need to go to the Transfers menu and search for players you’d like to have on your team.
When bidding, try and time your offers as close to the end of the auction as you can. A little brinksmanship increases your chances of securing your chosen player significantly!
Also, once you’re a little way into the game, you will be able to buy some players directly through the Transfers screen, but remember other players can do the same thing too.
3. Team infrastructure
Unlike the real world, Top Eleven allows players to manage the physical infrastructure around their teams, including the quality of the pitch and their stadium.
There are financial benefits to be realised from infrastructure upgrades – a nicer stadium means more fans and therefore more money. Higher attendances also improve team morale during games, and can help your players perform better on the day. You can update facilities around your stadium via the Stadium Screen.
4. Keep your bank manager happy
While splashing the cash on new signings and stadium upgrades as if you’ve just been bought by an oil tycoon is fun, it’s also not a good long-term strategy. Make sure you keep your bank manager happy and keep some cash in reserve as going into minus figures will not bode well for your team’s chances of success.
5. You’ll never walk alone
Finally, while being a football manager in the real world can be a lonely job, remember that you’re never alone in Top Eleven. For in-depth tips and tricks, and real-life stories, take a look at the Top Eleven forum, our blog and our social media channels where a vast community of managers just like you are waiting to help.
Similarly, Top Eleven's amazing player support is always there to answer your every question. Lastly, invite your friends to the game via the Invite button. Not only will you get free Tokens, have them support you and give your team a boost during important matches – it might just well make the difference between a crushing defeat and a smash and grab win!