Over the years, theFootball Managerseries has grown and expanded to the point where the manager has a multitude of tasks to oversee, from trainingto contractsto youth development. Consequently, there are a handful of important tasks that many people, especially those who are new to the series, overlook during a season, particularly coach recruitment and management.

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Coach recruitment and management aren’t tasks that should be neglected, as high-quality coaches are essential to ensuring players reach their potential and that training sessions are as good as can be. Thankfully,Football Manager 22has a selection of excellent coaches for attacking, defending, goalkeeping, possession, fitness, and more who will give players the best possible guidance.

Updated June 30, 2025, by Jack Pursey:Today, coaches and assistants are more important in the sport than ever before. In fact, the nameFootball Manageris somewhat outdated, as most teams now use the title “Head Coach” instead of “Manager” to better reflect their position in the team and to indirectly give credit to the many other staff members involved at top clubs today. To put it bluntly, failing to build a strong selection of coaching staffcan hamper a team’s chances before a ball has even been kicked. To highlight some more ofFootball Manager 22’s best coaches, we’ve expanded this list to include a few more options.

10Mario Monteiro – Fitness

Standout Stats:20 Fitness; 19 Adaptability; 18 Level of Discipline

Mário Monteiro is a perfect fitness coach option. His maxed-out Fitness stat and 19 Adaptability ensure that he can adjust to working with virtually any system.

Monteiro began his coaching career as the assistant manager of Famalicão in 1993, before working as a fitness and conditioning coach for a wide range of clubs. These clubs included Flamengo, Sporting CP, and Benfica, where he currently works.

9Kevin Ball - Motivation

Standout Stats:20 Working With Youngsters; 20 Determination; 19 Motivating

With all due respect to Sunderland, it’s fair to say that the third-tier of the English system isn’t where someone would expect to find one ofFootball Manager 22’s best coaches. However, Kevin Ball is the exception

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Ball fully deserves his spot on this list, as the Sunderland legend has a near-perfect range of stats for motivating youth players and ensuring that they’re mentally prepared for the pressure of first-team appearances. Kevin Ball starts the game as a Loan Manager, a role that many people overlook in the game, despite it saving them a ton of legwork.

8Neil Wood - Attacking

Standout Stats:18 Working With Youngsters; 17 Attacking; 16 Determination

Neil Wood is an excellent option for those in need of an attacking coach to develop and nurture young talent. Unfortunately, acquiring Neil Wood’s services will be easier said than done, as he is currently the Under 23’s manager atManchester United.

Interestingly, Wood spent seven years as a player at Manchester United, but never made a single senior appearance. He spent the majority of his time at the club on loan at teams such as Burnley and Blackpool.

7Adriano Bonaiuti - Goalkeeping

Standout Stats:19 GK Handling; 18 GK Distribution; 18 GK Shot Stopping

Italian goalkeeping coach Adriano Bonaiuti is the best option for maximizing a shot stopper’s performance. With 18 GK Distribution and GK Shot Stopping, along with a near-perfect 19 GK Handling stat, the invaluable Italian coachshould be signed at almost any cost.

Of all his impressive stats, it’s the 18 GK Distribution that will stand out to a lot of managers. Many managers today require their keepers to do far more distribution work than ever before, with the shot-stoppers now being an important part of building play from the back. Suffice to say, Bonaiuti is not only perfect for developing youth keepers into the first team but also well-equipped to help old-school keepers adapt to the modern game by working on their distribution.

6Rodolfo Borrell - Attacking

Standout Stats:20 Working With Youngsters; 18 Technical; 17 Attacking

Ever since Pep Guardiola took overManchester Cityin 2016, the English side has been one of the world’s best attacking teams, with nearly 500 goals scored in the Premier League since he joined as manager. It’s not just Pep Guardiola who deserves credit for the side’s offensive proficiency, of course, as along with his players, Pep’s coaching team also merit plaudits. One of City’s most notable coaches is Rodolfo Borrell, who, like Pep, joined The Citizens in 2016.

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Prizing Borrell away from Manchester City won’t be easy inFootball Manager 22, though it’s well worth the effort to try as Borrell is one of, if not the best attacking coaches in the game. This is especially the case for those looking to createnew attacking starsfrom their youth team, as Rodolfo Borrell has a maxed out 20 stat for Working With Youngsters and an 18 attribute for Judging Player Potential. Interestingly, Borrell was at City’s recent title rivals Liverpool as the Head of Youth Development before he moved to Machester — a switch that would likely stir up controversy if it were to happen today.

5Cristian Botta - Attacking

Standout Stats:19 Technical; 19 Attacking; 17 Determination

From one of the game’s best-attacking coaches to another, Juventus' (or Zebre, as the game calls them), Cristian Botta is a stand-out candidate for a new attacking coach, exemplified by his 19 Attacking and Technical attributes.

Unlike Manchester City, Juventus have been struggling to get the ball in the back of the net in real life recently, especially for their high standards. However, that shouldn’t deter people from trying to recruit Cristian Botta, as the Italian coach is still one of the best in the game, especially for those aiming to play apossession-based, pass-centric style of play.

4Michele Salzarulo - Possession

Standout Stats:17 Mental; 17 Tactical; 17 Motivating

Michele Salzarulo beginsFootball Manager 22working as the Head Performance Analyst at Italian side Roma, though the 37-year-old is also suited to being a Recruitment Analyst and, of course, a Coach.

Like Cristian Botta, Salzarulo is a great option for those looking to play a possession-based style of play. The Italian coach doesn’t have one stand-out stat in particular, though his 17 Mental, Tactical, Level of Discipline, and Motivating stats make him a well-rounded option.

3Giuseppe Baresi - Defensive

Standout Stats:19 Defending; 19 Working With Youngsters; 19 Motivating

Yet another quality Italian coach on this list is Giuseppe Baresi, a defensive coach at Inter Milan. Baresi beginsFootball Manager 22working as a scout for Inter Milan, though he previously worked as a coach and should easily be able to adapt to the change in role.

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Although Baresi has fantastic scouting attributes, it almost seems like a waste to not have the 63-year-old as a coach, as his 19 Defending, 18 Tactical, and 19 Working With Youngsters attributes make him invaluable onthe training ground.

2Mario Cecchi - Defensive

Standout Stats:19 Tactical; 19 Adaptability; 17 Defending

Impressively, Mario Cecchi is the third coach on this list from the reigning Serie A champion, Inter Milan. Cecchi recently joined Inter Milan as a coach from Lazio, where he also worked as a coach since 2016, following a short spell at Scandicci as manager.

The 51-year-old is one of the world’s best coaches at working toimplement a solid, tough-to-break-down defensive unit, with 19 Tactical, 17 Defending, and 19 Adaptability. Although Mario Cecchi likes the 5-3-2 formation that Conte predominantly used in his title-winning season with Inter Milan, his 19 Adaptability ensures that he can work wonders with any recognized formation.

1Holger Broich - Fitness

Standout Stats:19 Fitness; 19 Level of Discipline; 18 Determination

With the sharp rise ofhigh-intensity, gegenpressing styles of play, it’s vitally important to have quality fitness coaches in place. Not only is it important to have such coaches when trying to implement a gegenpressing style, but it’s also important for conservative teams to have quality fitness coaches, as they still need to keep up with their opposition’s intensity.

German coaches were pioneers of the gegenpressing style, making Bayern Munich’s Holger Broich a tantalizing option. With 19 Fitness and Level of Discipline, partnered with 18 Determination, Holger Broich will work tirelessly to improve the team’s fitness levels while also instilling a professional and resolute attitude into the players.

Football Manager 22is out now for PC, Xbox, and Mobile.