Wouldn’t it be strange to not have some set-piece post within the Football Manager save? Yes, it would be weird even considering the fact this area of the game is almost untouched for the new edition and we didn’t see some major changes. The routines from previous editions work in the same way as I tried them during the beta version. Some of them are more successful, some a little bit less successful.

Trying, tweaking and improving set-piece routines was always one of my favourite things. That’s why I decided to try to create some new routines or at least some different modifications with different roles.

Let’s start with the short throw-in routine, my favourite one.

The set-up

I wrote about the short throw-in routine back in FM20 when I played in Mexico and I was able to produce some great goals thanks to it. Unfortunately, one weird thing still remains in the game. It’s the situation when your striker is the main player who offers the short option despite he is set to attack the far post, or lurk outside the area or stay back… It’s strange in the same way as when you’re playing with three at the back and your wide central defenders take throw-ins at your own half despite you having different players set as the throw-in takers.

Never mind, I have to be used to it. Nothing is perfect.

My usual set-up was to limit the number of players who offer the short option to just one player. The best one in terms of decisions and off the ball movement. Strikers were usually set to attack near or far posts or lurk outside area based on their various attributes.

As I said already, I tried to create something different and shuffle some roles. The most visible change is that I’m now using two players who offer the short option (Come short). The WBL (or WBR if it’s from the opposite side of the pitch) is set to Go Forward, the same as one of my two strikers. Adam Zrelak, my main DLF(A) and probably the best player on the current squad in terms of being a set-piece target is set to Attack Far Post.

Two players are set to Lurk Outside Area and both central defenders Stay Back. My main half back, Michal Kopczynski, has perfect Passing, Anticipation and Decisions attributes for the come short role (13, 16 and 14) so he is really useful for this role.

If I would not use the so-called 2-3-3-2 formation and I would use something more common, for example, 4-3-3 DM Wide, the set-up would be probably very similar. I would only probably use AMR as one of the Come short option if it would be a throw-in from the right side in combination with the best possible midfielder. And the striker with AML would be in the box.

I’m not writing this to show you something that will give you 20+ goals per season. If I counted it right, I scored 5 goals in the opening 24 league matches before I started writing this post. My U18s team scored probably the same amount of goals in 22 matches in their youth league. It’s mainly about joy when it works how I wanted.

There are some things I would like to sort or try in the future of the save:

• Many crosses go to the WBL player at the far post where I would expect the striker with the attack far post role. The WBL is not good enough to finish the cross or pass it back to another player

  • The solution? 1) swap players or 2) don’t use this role, 3) try to move this player to Mark Keeper role

• Players who come short can’t cross/pass the ball or they pass it back to the offside position

  • The solution? Again, 1) swap players and use the ones who have better decisions/anticipation attributes and 2) give these players more options where to pass the ball

• What I would like to try? Move one player from lurk outside area to Attack Ball from Edge of Area.

• And combine this with players who will be set to Lurk at Far Post & Mark Keeper to allow back pass after a cross to the far post.

The simplicity in two examples. The video below shows three goals, one of them is from the U18s team when one of two players who offer a short option received the ball to the edge of the penalty area and decided to shoot instead of passing/crossing.

I think it’s the ideal solution and it also shows how the decisions attribute is important because these two players are the main ones who will decide how the routine will end. They are the ones who decide if it will succeed or not.

What next? Maybe… 👀

Thanks for reading, take care.