Set pieces can be a critical component to building a winning football team, and you have to look no further than the top of the Premier League and Champions League tables where Arsenal stand with set pieces as a key offensive tool in their bag. They can also be one of the easiest to put off or delegate when getting started due to the relatively high amount of work required to tweak what makes up a relatively small part of the action in a match.
When I began a save in the lower leagues, I left my set pieces to the side at first while coming to grips with my squad, knowing the set piece game was likely due for a tweak for Football Manager 26, and waiting to see what the community could determine about building successful tactics. With my team sitting first in the league in goals but yet to score from a set piece, I applied what I learned and watched them score a goal, hit the post twice, and earn a penalty off corners in just the first three games alone. Here’s what you need to know to get similar results.
What’s Going On With Set-Pieces In Football Manager 26
Set pieces were one of the most cheese-able aspects of Football Manager 24, with it widely known that there was a corner kick routine that would turn anyone with a good aerial game into a golden boot candidate on corners alone. When center backs are routinely bagging 15-goal seasons, it’s no surprise that changes were coming, and early response from the community is the feeling that corners were significantly nerfed in this year’s release. While it’s yet to be seen if a new dominant meta will emerge and be confirmed, these tips worked to improve my squad’s performance instantly and permanently.
How To Improve Your Set-Pieces, Step-By-Step
If you’re ready to get the goals flying in from your set pieces, here are the steps to take with your squad’s tactics:
- Get The Right Staff: A dedicated set-piece coach is not a unique thing for top sides anymore and if you have room in the budget for one, it’s important to hire wisely, as the effectiveness of your coaching will determine how well your players learn and execute your tactics on the pitch.
- Sort Out Your Defense: Keeping their free kicks out is just as important as knocking yours in, so take time to improve on the default defensive options, particularly in high-risk areas like corners. Use your defenders to zonally mark the three attacking areas and one of your smaller box players to mark the near post, while the rest of your players, save for an outlet and a player guarding the edge of the box, man-marking.
- Attack With Aerial Threats: Focus your offensive cross attacking on your best headers, sending attacking runs to both posts and a lurker doubling the back while a fourth player marks out the keeper. This creates potential threats to both areas, but drawing more attention to the far post, which can help to create spaces for your best header who attacks the near post alone.
- Bring the Short Corner Into Play: Add your remaining attacking players, minus a player left back for cover, to the areas outside the box. Use three to evenly spread your coverage across far, center and near, then bring your fourth player over for a short corner. This option will either bring an opposing player out of the box to mark the short man or allow you an uncontested opportunity to cross from closer and in a more dangerous position.
- Use Your Wall to Counter: Next, it’s time to move on to your shooting range free kick defense. This can be a challenging area as you may face both shooting and crossing threats. To counter both, leave your best counter player forward while sending your best six aerial defenders into the box. Use your remaining players in the wall and set to counter, allowing you to quickly spring a trap if you block a shot or intercept a cross.
- Mind Your Possession: Throw-ins can be easy to overlook until a misjudged one in a bad position leads to an easy goal for the opponents. Unless you are playing with a dominant and aggressive team, Retain Possession on defensive throws protects you against unneeded errors in dangerous territory.
As with any tactic in Football Manager, execution always relies on your players, so be sure to monitor and adjust. However, with these fundamental guides in place, you have a strong foundation for a dominant set-piece side.
