Football Manager 2020 review: As difficult to put down as any before

It was one of two moments. It was either when I stood there over my laptop, shouting 'pull the ball back you f****** idiot' as a chance was wasted at 2-1 up.

Or it was an hour later when I sat there, head in my hands as the ball hit the back of the net, 23 shots in my favour and just five to them.

In reality, they both counted, as did every other moment in the hours I've put into it over the last few weeks. To channel Sylvio Dante doing Michael Corleone, just when I thought I was out, they dragged me back in.

It's that classic moment that hits you every autumn. When a new Football Manager drops, no matter how hard you try, you get sucked back in.

It will not surprise you to hear that FM 2020 is exactly as addictive as any other version that has crossed your path before.

There's the usual brilliance - wonderkids, working out your tactics, sorting out training, preparing for today, tomorrow and five years from now.

The match engine looks good, the new skin is easy to navigate and all the bells and whistles that you would expect from a new edition are there.

There's plenty more to note too. The club vision section gives you goals for five years into the future and means that from day one you'll already be looking for the next big thing, even if the current thing seems big enough for the task at hand.

It no longer feels like your backroom staff do not contribute much to the process either.

Yes, I am always going to select my own team but thanks to the new advice that is sent to you before every game, you may just remember to switch out that winger who has played the last seven games straight.

I'm also a huge fan of the player pathway system and how it can be used on a player-by-player basis.

Say you have a kid who will not trouble the first-team for the next few seasons but will be a star in five.

You can now lay out that he will be on loan this campaign, played in cups next and playing in the league the year after. Now your future star can be aware of the wait before it even begins.

Alternatively, you might have a goalkeeper in to fill the gaps and provide backup in a worst case scenario. They exist in real life and now can be told that is the case.

No longer will you have that awkward moment when your third choice wants to leave because he's had one Carabao Cup appearance in three years.

The updates to the scouting system are also good, and as mentioned before the game looks prettier when it actually comes to a match day.

Which might be why my left winger got that volley of abuse. And it might also be why it felt so bad when my brilliant side got pegged back and ended up drawing 1-1.

Alternatively, it might just be the usual. FM 2020 is as difficult to quit as any version that has come before.