Defending corners (FM19)

[IbrahimAliMaher]

Last season I won the Bundesliga title and had the fifth best record for defending against corners. I used the exact same set up for defending corners, which was/is:

 

Since then in the season just finished I used the exact same set up. The only real differences in terms of personnel:

- I sold my best jumping CB (16) and loaned a guy from PSG (jumping 15)

- I brought in a LB who is better in the air than all of my CB (jumping + heading 16) who I started to switch with one of the weaker CBs when I noticed we were leaking so many goals

The overall results though were pretty alarming:

 

What gives? Is it just the AI susses out your set piece routines after a few seasons? I used pretty well the same tactics over the last 15 seasons but had some issues with conceding lots of goals from the near post a few seasons back, so I changed by men on the posts to mark zonally rather than just marking the posts and this seemed to work. Any obvious weaknesses in my set up?

Edited July 24, 2021 by IbrahimAliMaher

[smeagoltonez]

On 24/07/2021 at 13:55, IbrahimAliMaher said:

Last season I won the Bundesliga title and had the fifth best record for defending against corners. I used the exact same set up for defending corners, which was/is:

 

Since then in the season just finished I used the exact same set up. The only real differences in terms of personnel:

- I sold my best jumping CB (16) and loaned a guy from PSG (jumping 15)

- I brought in a LB who is better in the air than all of my CB (jumping + heading 16) who I started to switch with one of the weaker CBs when I noticed we were leaking so many goals

The overall results though were pretty alarming:

 

What gives? Is it just the AI susses out your set piece routines after a few seasons? I used pretty well the same tactics over the last 15 seasons but had some issues with conceding lots of goals from the near post a few seasons back, so I changed by men on the posts to mark zonally rather than just marking the posts and this seemed to work. Any obvious weaknesses in my set up?

Watch the replays & find out what's going wrong. Are the players who you expect to be first to the ball actually winning it? If not, check attributes such as aggression, determination & bravery & compare those to your last CB who you sold. Perhaps they aren't being outjumped but outfought in the air? How about positioning, concentration & anticipation? If they win the ball, are the team scoring from the second ball? If so, consider their heading attribute, if it's poor then they may be winning the ball but heading it straight back into danger.

Checking the replays will tell you if there's a pattern & what's going wrong. Also, check that you're not conceding more set pieces than you were previously. If your opponent is getting more set piece opportunities then the probability of them scoring also goes up.

[IbrahimAliMaher]

On 25/07/2021 at 17:13, smeagoltonez said:

Watch the replays & find out what's going wrong. Are the players who you expect to be first to the ball actually winning it? If not, check attributes such as aggression, determination & bravery & compare those to your last CB who you sold. Perhaps they aren't being outjumped but outfought in the air? How about positioning, concentration & anticipation? If they win the ball, are the team scoring from the second ball? If so, consider their heading attribute, if it's poor then they may be winning the ball but heading it straight back into danger.

Checking the replays will tell you if there's a pattern & what's going wrong. Also, check that you're not conceding more set pieces than you were previously. If your opponent is getting more set piece opportunities then the probability of them scoring also goes up.

This is the comparison for the player I sold (on the left) versus his replacement. He was an upgrade in most respects with stats that are comparable/better. French international with 80 caps too, my other defenders and keeper are all experienced internationals.

Will try and find a few examples in the replays but unlike the last time when it seemed we were getting done at the near post every time I don't remember any obvious patterns...