A more advanced setup for corners and free kick routines (such as adding start and finish positions for players)

[lckyby]

Right now we can tell the kicker how to take corners or indirect free kicks, and we can tell our players whether to stay back, stay back if needed, stand with taker, come short, lurk outside area, attack from edge of area/posts, challenge keeper, stand on posts etc etc. 

Now I'll turn to two articles from The Athletic showing how set pieces can be set up.

 

https://theathletic.com/2913763/2021/10/26/fulhams-nba-style-corners-how-marco-silvas-controversial-tactic-has-brought-set-piece-success/ - This one if you can't read it, is about Fulham using NBA-style screens to block defenders at corners and free space for an attacker (Mitrovic). See below Mitrovic making a near-post run and Adarabioyo blocking Mitrovic's defender so that the striker has free space to attack the ball.

 

 

https://theathletic.com/2672681/2021/06/26/italys-secret-weapon-gianni-vio-the-banker-turned-set-piece-specialist-with-4830-routines/ – Then this, about Italian set piece specialist who has various innovative ways to set up at corners and free kicks. See some examples below where Italian players are: a) creating a blocking wall offside to distract the GK and confuse markers before running onside, b) making a wall of 8 before splitting at the last moment into a set play offering different options, and c) using two header threats to stand offside and fool defenders while targeting Pessina who makes a late run.

 

 

Of course we've also seen a number of teams use the tactic of 'lining up' at corners to confuse markers before spreading out and taking up their position as the corner is taken. Here's an example from Bochum in 2016.

 

 

Obviously these are more extreme examples of what you can do at set plays but still even in more basic set piece routines there is still a lot more that can be controlled than is possible in the game at the moment.

Maybe an idea would be to add starting positions and finishing positions for players in the set piece screens, so that they will try to make the movements to where they need to be, rather than just telling them where they are to stand as we currently do.

Edited November 29, 2021 by lckyby

[Michael Sant]

Thanks for raising this idea to us. It's in line with a number of other features raised about set pieces. This is something that may go on to be rejected, or could after further development become part of the FM series.