Many people find Football Manager 2010 a difficult game, and it can be a daunting effort to learn all the ins and outs of the vast tactical system. Learning to score lots of goals via corner kicks can provide that extra boost you need to win games while fine-tuning your tactics to perfection.
So how do you do it?
1. Set the starting player with the highest ability to take corners as the one to take your corner. In my experience it doesn’t matter much if it’s a right or left foot, this should work anyway. However, if you find that it isn’t, simply adjust it so that a left-handed player takes the corners on the left side and vice versa.
2. Go to “Advanced”, and select the option that makes the corner taker aim corner kicks at the edge of the penalty area.
3. Choose the best player in long shots and give him the order to wait outside the penalty area.
4. Give orders to your strongest player (preferably also the tallest one) to cover the goalie.
5. Position the rest of the players according to your own mentality. If you want to keep it more conservative, you can keep three or four players on your own defensive end. I usually put a couple of players inside the penalty area to wreak havoc and confuse defenders. If you have very few offensive players, you can leave the computer with enough defenders available to run out and cover your long range shots.
In my experience, this will lead to at least one goal per game, and can lead to much more than that if you have a really solid gunner.
Make sure the shooter scores high on all attributes that involve receiving the ball and shooting from distance. Technique, ball control and other attributes are essential.
Of course, it is preferable to have a well-rounded player who is talented in all aspects of the game, to further increase your chances of success. With this corner tactic, I played for Manchester United and I had Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who excels in all aspects of the game, targeting me. The result? He scored 53 goals in 32 games and set an all-time Premier League goalscoring record. A few seasons before, I tried the same thing with the young Swede Linus Hallenius at Örebro SK in the Swedish Premier League, and his scoring record ended at 45 goals in 26 games.
As you can see, it can be a real tactical advantage!
