Arsenal. Chelsea. Man Utd. Liverpool. Yes, they are all clubs, but can you spot the similarities between these four big-name clubs? Yes, they are all English clubs! So to enjoy international management, imagine this: All the big stars from these clubs gather together to fight for bragging rights for their homeland; exciting isn't it! Lampard, Terry, Ferdinand, Rooney, Walcott; all gathered together on the same pitch for the epic battle against England's rivals. Now you have the chance to lead them! Yes, that's right, part 4 of my FM guide is on international management, feel the tension of carrying the hopes of millions of fans from the same country! Sit back and enjoy.

Making the Change

Most international managers start off from managing a club; and I'm pretty sure you are one of them. Normally your chance will come after a major international tournament, such as the FIFA World Cup, or any other tournaments. These tournaments are actually major stepping-stones for you to advance to country management, because after these tournaments the world will find out which managers failed, and in the end the board sack them. Now comes your golden opportunity; you know you want to click on the "Apply for Job" button, but think about it first; are you willing to leave your club? Or you can choose not to leave, but can you cope managing two teams and going into 2 different boardrooms? Think, and make your decision well. It concerns your career, but sometimes, clicking on that "Apply for Job" button won't harm much.

Waiting for the Call and Contract

You wait quietly in your office. You are waiting for perhaps the call of a lifetime. You look at the candidates: Arsene Wenger, not good. Jose Mourinho, not good either! Then your cellphone rings; your phone displays "Chairman of FA." You pick up the call, and they say, "You've got the job." You can't believe it. But believe it son, because it's a dream come true. But firstly you have to clean up the trash; whether to resign or not to resign from your current post is up to you, but consider whether you can bare to leave the club and if you can cope with the stress and pressure. Whichever you choose, I'm sure you want to sign the contract they gave you.

Making the Switch From Club to Country

Sometimes it's just not easy adjusting to life in football management. At first when you start off you have to bother calculating how much money you need to sign from the cheque book for a particular player. But now, you can throw away the cheque book! All finances will be handled by some other people, so you do not need to bother with this aspect of the game anymore. If you want anybody to represent their country (they must be a citizen of the country you are managing of course), just give them a call and they will be more than glad to do that. They feel honored, so it's a win-win situation. Another thing is that, you won't be that busy anymore. You have less matches to manage, so not that many things to care about. Friendlies are still being played, so basically like club management but less matches.

Your Assistant's Report, Again!

All this may sound familiar; your assistant comes to your office, giving you a brief report of the current squad. Now it's time again, to pick your squad, who's out and who stays. You can just ask your assistant to help you with selecting the team, but sometimes it may be better to handle it yourself. Most of the deciding factors of selecting a player are based on a few of these:

• Form - You wouldn't want a player who had just been criticized for his form to be the first name on your player list. Sometimes an out-of-form player can be dropped, and at the same time give an opportunity to other players who are also worthy and on-form.
• Fitness - If a player has just recovered from injury and hasn't played a match for a few months, you may consider dropping him until he's match-fit. And again, give other players who are very sharp in training a chance too.
• Injury - Injury and lacking match-fitness is very different. An injury is that the player can't even play, but for minor cases the player can go through the pain-barrier. Of course, you risk him making the injury worse and he will tire out more easily in the match. For major injuries, a replacement can be called instead.

Match Types

Matches as an international manager are less frequent and can thus be classified into categories easily. I normally classify them like this:

• Non-sanctioned Matches - They are basically friendlies, which are played just for match-fitness and testing of new tactics. Sometimes the managers of the players' club may give you a certain friendly-instruction, such as a player playing for only 45 minutes or not allowing him to play at all. It's up to you to decide if you want to follow their instructions, but sometimes making good relationships with other managers is good and beneficial.
• Qualification Matches - They are matches that are equally important as the latter stages of any tournaments, as you need to go through this round to go through the rest of the tournament. You may be pit against some weaker teams, but they can be a banana skin at times. Never underestimate your opponents, just look at what happened to England.
• Group Stages - Some tournaments have group stages. Again, as the big teams and the weaker teams are being seeded, you will probably face some weaker teams. Also essential for the latter stages.
• Knockout Stages - The exciting stages. Either you win or lose, and you go on to the next round or you get eliminated. All the teams who deserved to qualify are now pitted against one another in this stage.
• The Final! - If you made it this far, then congrats, but one more obstacle to face; remember, they qualified and went on to the next round, which means they are basically as good as your team!

"Scouting"

I added a pair of "" because it's not really scouting, it's just making your assistant or whomever finding anybody that is good in the country but are obscure in their country. Basically the staff that you sent on the mission will report back on suitable candidates for representing their country, and tell you if he thinks he is good enough to do so. Sometimes you will be in for a surprise.

Well that will be all. I know it's a little short for part 4, but its international management, where it's more relaxing and not so busy. I hope you have enjoyed my whole collection of the "How to Play FM" Guide, and hope it helped you. Watch-out, because I will be back with more guides and articles soon.