Throw-ins are definitely one of the most underestimated parts of set pieces from all routines. No matter how much anyone talks about long throw-ins by Rory Delap or how much we are moaning about the same boring set-piece creator in the game with very limited options to create something new or original. Personally, I’m not a fan of long throw-ins. There is always a too big chance it will be cleared the same as a bad cross. I’m and always will be the biggest fan of the short throw-in routine. And the same as in the past, it was also the first routine I created in FM23.

SET PIECE CREATOR IN FM23

For someone it’s absolutely not important, for other people it’s one of the biggest disappointments of the FM23. I’m in the second group because I think the reworked set piece creator and also the set piece system itself is one of the last important parts of this puzzle to complete the game. At least in my eyes. But the only change to the set piece creator was increasing the size of the shirts on the pitch and some of the routines offer to add a third player to the Lurk Outside Area role.

That’s nice but watching the games, I’m currently not sure if it works as it should because we went back a couple of years and two of these three players are hanging hand in hand again instead of placing them in some regular distances between each other. It’s probably the most visible thing within corners as I tried it within the short corner kick routine and it’s absolutely the same as in the past. I still remember how I was pleased they tweaked it last year but I really didn’t even think about the possibility the developers will do absolutely the same thing again by adding a third Lurk Outside Area role/position…

I also hope the new bug will be resolved soon as it's (almost) impossible to select set piece routines delivery type after the latest update released on December 1, 2022.

When you click on players around the pitch, they are highlighted in green as always but if you click on the taker, nothing happens and the right side of the panel doesn't change so there is not a possibility to change the delivery type. It doesn't work with an already loaded routine but doesn't work even after creating a new one. It happens within all attacking set pieces...

See more in this thread.

SHORT THROW-IN SET-UP

But move on from the moaning mood. It’s still a good game, we just need to ignore a couple of things. It’s only a shame these things are too visible and important for someone like me.

I decided to create a very similar routine as in FM22 with a simple idea. I’m playing with two defensive midfielders and both of them are set to Lurk Outside Area because it’s the most natural place for both of them to start the defensive phase if we will lose the ball.

Both strikers are in the penalty area to receive and finish a possible cross from the side and both central defender and left or right defender (depending on what side we take the throw from) stay back.

The key players are those who are set to Come Short…

Like the inverted winger or inside forward

The biggest change I did in this FM is very simple. Those two players who offer the short option usually divide from each other and they are on the left and right side of the taker. Based on watching the highlights, nine from ten throw-ins go to the player who is set as the first one in the creator - MR in our example. And the second one is making some moves to receive the pass.

What did I usually do in the past? In most routines, I placed players with the best possible decisions to both come short roles. I decided to try it differently this year with left & right footed players on their inverted sides.

When the throw-in is taken from the right side, the second comes short role occupied by the player who has a left foot stronger. And vice versa. This leads to a simple thing like you would have the inverted winger or inside forward here as the player is able to shoot with his strong foot after he dribbled to the penalty area.

At the beginning of the save, during friendly matches, I scored a lot of these goals mainly from the left side of the pitch while right-footed players were at the end of the routine with a perfect finish. Mainly because I didn’t have good enough left-footed players except for the LB player.

I tried strikers in this position as well because I thought they can be useful thanks to their strong “goals-scoring-feeling-instinct” but it was not too successful. The most common thing when there was a player with the same foot/side was that he made a cross instead of moving to the penalty area.

I signed a young Czech midfielder Adam Karabec in the middle of the opening season for a loan until the end of the season and I place him in the Lurk Outside Area role within the routine from the right side of the pitch and he scored twice within his two opening competitive matches after this routine.

It really was a joy to watch at that moment because it was that typical situation when something that you wanted to work, on actually worked.

Thanks for reading.

Take care.