How to score & defend corners in Football Manager 2024: Best set piece tactics

Nailing your set-piece strategy in Football Manager 2024 is crucial. Free kicks and corners are an excellent way to grab goals but it’s also important to defend them properly. So here is a guide on scoring and defending set-pieces in FM24.

Football Manager 2024 is the latest management sim from Sports Interactive. The game brings with it some great new features alongside an updated database of players. FM24 offers a ton of liberty to managers and lets them set their teams’ tactics, recruit players, hire coaches, and much more.

The game also lets managers go hands-on with their sides’ organization for set pieces. Few things are as challenging in Football Manager as scoring and defending corners. So here is a comprehensive guide to help you make corners your new ace in the hole in Football Manager 2024.

• FM24: How to score & defend corners successfully
• FM24: Best set-piece tactic in defending scenarios
• FM24: Best set-piece tactic in attacking scenarios

FM24: How to score & defend corners successfully

To use corners as a new weapon in Football Manager 2024, you need to consider several details. First, you should know about your players’ attributes, and having good headers is crucial. You can select each player and check their attributes, paying attention to Jump, Strength, Marking, and Concentration ratings.

Secondly, you should use the best Set-Piece tactics. To do this, go to the Tactics section and find the Set Pieces tab. There, you can create the best strategies for both attacking and defending corners to make them a valuable tool for your team.

Once here, the Assistant Manager will ask you some preference questions, such as how many players you want to leave for the counter-attack, when defenders should stand on the posts, and so on. Here’s a list of our suggestions.

• Defensive marking strategy: Balanced
• Which post needs to be marked: Both Posts
• Leave players forward when defending: Balanced
• Ball delivering from attacking set pieces: Near Post
• Leave players back when attacking: Balanced
• Set pieces delivering into penalty area: Inswinger

Check out below the best offensive and defensive corner tactics in Football Manager 2024.

FM24: Best set-piece tactic in defending scenarios

In the Defending Scenarios tab, you can choose the position and instructions for each player in defending corners. Here you have two options: either select the position for each player one by one or choose the Assistant Manager’s suggestion, which will be prioritized based on player statistics.

We recommend using the second option as it has good judgment and will save you a lot of time. Here’s a list of the roles we suggest for defending corners with a hybrid defense that combines zonal marking and man-to-man marking.

• Aerial Defenders
  • A1: Mark Near Post
  • A2: Player Mark
  • A3: Zonal Mark Six Yard Box (Near Post)
  • A4: Zonal Mark Six Yard Box (Far Post)
  • A5: Zonal Mark Six Yard Box (Centre)
  • A6: Mark Far Post
• Trackers
  • B1: Edge of Area
  • B2: Go Back
• Counter Attackers
  • C1: Stay Forward (Centre)
  • C2: Edge of Area

This is how your defensive set-piece setup will look in Football Manager 2024.

Sports Interactive

FM24: Best set-piece tactic in attacking scenarios

Finally, here are our role recommendations to help you take full advantage of offensive corners in Football Manager 2024:

• Aerial Threats
  • A1: Attack Near Post
  • A2: Attack Near Post
  • A3: Lurk at Far Post
• Creators:
  • C1: Lurk Outside Area (Near Side)
  • C2: Lurk Outside Area (Far Side)
• Recovery Defenders
  • D1: Stay Back
  • D2: Stay Back
  • D3: Stay Back if needed (If not needed: Go Forward)
  • D4: Stay Back if needed (If not needed: Go Forward)

Sports Interactive

So that’s it! Now you know the two best strategies to not only defend against the opponent’s corners more effectively but also to master them and turn them into your goal-scoring weapon in Football Manager 2024.

However, if you’re more of an EA FC 24 fan, check out our related guides.

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