As each and every one of us enjoy our respective home comforts throughout this unprecedented period of life, we are all hoping to stumble across that special something that will see us through our days of self-isolation/lockdown/quarantine - whatever phrase floats your boat!
Now, for the slightly more social creatures among us, the prospect of remaining home is a tough one to get your head around. What can I possibly do? How am I going to remain sane? Spending time with me, myself and I? No thanks.
Football Manager 2020. It's free to play. You have a week to get it until it goes back to paid access. What an excellent way to facilitate your self-isolation.
FREE PLAY EXTENSION
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) March 23, 2020
Football Manager 2020 remains completely free to play on Steam for one final week, sending you into extra time until 3PM (GMT) on April 1st across PC/Mac.
Continue your #FM20 journey...https://t.co/RizDu4Gz2p pic.twitter.com/gvjQ2Fps9A
And, while you stay at home, why not power up a new save with everyone's favourite second team, Leicester City? Here are a couple of ideas to try out at the Kind Power Stadium.
Bring the Title Back to the King Power
The biggest shock in the history of world football. Little did Leicester care, and we all remember how, under Claudio Ranieri's leadership, they stormed to the title in 2016.
Now, we can't avoid the fact
Re-Sign Kanté & Mahrez
It's not always wise to delve into one's past. To them we say: this is Football Manager, we can do what we want! And wouldn't it be fun to reassemble the band that orchestrated the 2016 title-winning feat?
First and foremost, deal with the N'Golo Kanté conundrum. Lodge a cheeky £50m bid, and get the diminutive Frenchman back into the centre of midfield. Imagine the scenes.
And, although he might have departed in slightly more acrimonious circumstances, there's no doubt that Riyad Mahrez's quality would be a welcome addition to your Leicester side. Tell Manchester City you want him back. And once your bullish transfer policy succeeds in doing just that, a bold message will emanate around England - the Foxes are a serious force to be reckoned with.
Never Sell an Asset Again
Leicester fans have grown accustomed to seeing the club sell their most-prized assets on an annual basis. Kanté went, Danny Drinkwater followed suit, as well as Mahrez, and more recently Harry Maguire.
Granted, the Foxes were able to secure some impressive sums for the players they had developed into supreme stars, but if you're serious about turning Leicester into the country's best, you simply can't sell your best players.
So resist the bids for James Maddison, even if it's £100m. Don't let Chelsea get their way with Ben Chilwell. Keep them around, and they'll repay your resistant resolve. Football Manager is just a game, but treat it like it's the real deal.
He's been banging them in for fun these past few years in the Premier League, but it's now time to bring Jamie Vardy to the pinnacle of European football. FM20 is the medium to do it.
Imagine it. Vardy's 50-goal season has earned him a place on the Ballon d'Or shortlist alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"And the winner is...ex-Fleetwood town, and future Ibiza party-rep Jamie Vardy!"
If I was able to do it with Danny Welbeck with Arsenal a few seasons back, you can certainly do it with Vardy at Leicester.
We all know that, prior to Leicester's title-winning campaign, the odds for them to win the league were sat at an extraordinary 5,000/1. Hopefully a couple of people made a tidy little fortune from that.
They may have been knocked out of the Champions League by Atlético Madrid in the subsequent campaign, but once you've constructed your own Leicester side, you can give a shot at European glory another go.
It might not happen first time round, but obviously the second FM season will come around soon enough once sufficient hours are put in. And, if you put the time in, you shall be rewarded!
Re-Sign Harry Maguire & Bench Him
It's got to be said that there isn't a huge need to make Maguire one of your primary transfer targets. Jonny Evans and Çaglar Söyüncü have filled the void more than adequately - so much so that the absence of the £80m man, the world's most expensive defender ever, is hardly felt.
However, have some fun in the current climate. Bring 'Slabhead' back to Leicester. Promise him he's going to have a sizeable role in your great, soon-to-be title-winning, Europe-conquering side.
And, once he's back - hopefully for slightly less than £80m - consign him to the bench. Or the Under-23s. He's not welcome, and you don't need him. That will teach anyone who thinks of leaving Leicester a lesson, that's for sure.
Only Sign Premier League Rivals' Stars
It might take some time to raise funds for this ambitious transfer policy. But it's time to establish Leicester as a buying club, not a selling one.
Manchester City got Mahrez. Your response? Take their star player - Kevin de Bruyne will do a job. United signed Maguire for £80m? Use that money to make a monumental bid for Marcus Rashford.
If there's one thing to take from this - it's that, on Football Manager, there's no room for messing about!
Source : 90min