The Best Set-Piece Routines in Football Manager – Hacks, Exploits & Advice That Actually Work

Scoring from set-pieces in Football Manager is basically a cheat code. It’s the difference between a loss and a draw, or a draw and a win. Just ask Mikel Arteta how important they are in the modern game. But inside FM, it can often feel completely random. We don’t really know what works or how to squeeze the most out of our squad when it comes to set-pieces.

So, I did some digging. What’s the best strategy? What are the actual hacks? What advice can you trust? How can you make sure your set-piece setup wins you points rather than costs you titles? If you want your top scorer to be your 6’5” centre-back—this is the article for you.

90% of FM players just use the default routines and forget about them for the rest of the save. But if you want to be elite, you need to squeeze every drop of value out of each corner, throw-in, and free-kick.

The Best Routines

1. The Short Corner Exploit (a.k.a. “FM Cheese”)

• Setup: Assign your best corner-taker to take short corners. Have a fullback or midfielder come short and another player with high Technique and Crossing just outside the box.
• Execution: The short pass draws defenders out. The secondary player can then cross into a now less-crowded box.
• Why it works: The AI doesn’t reassign defenders quickly enough, so your players often get time and space to deliver the ball or work a better angle.
• Pro Tip: Use this when you have technical players but not strong aerial threats.

2. Near-Post Flick-On (FM Classic)

• Setup: One of your strongest headers + jumping reach players (usually a CB) lurks at the near post. Another aerial threat stays central or far post.
• Corner Instructions: Aim near post. Crowd the box with attackers.
• Why it works: The near-post player often wins the first header, and the AI is slow to react to flick-ons.
• Pro Tip: Still OP in many versions—especially effective in lower leagues where defenders are poor in the air.

3. Long Throw “Rory Delap” Routine

• Setup: Use a fullback or a great wide midfielder with high Long Throws.
• Player Roles: Place tall players (CBs or STs) to attack near and far posts, and one player on the edge of the box for second balls.
• Why it works: It’s essentially a corner from open play. Chaos ensues.
• Pro Tip: Lower leagues = total dominance with this. Especially with a packed box.

4. Outsmarting the AI with Mixed Routines

• Hack: Set up multiple corner routines for different sides and rotate between short, near-post, and edge-of-box.
• Why it works: The AI doesn’t adapt mid-game to varied routines. Keeps the opposition guessing.
• Tip: Assign routines randomly or based on whether you’re leading/chasing a goal.

5. Penalty Area Overload on Free Kicks

• Setup: Direct free kick taker + heavy overload on one side of the box (3-4 players).
• Why it works: When done correctly, it creates numerical superiority on one side and causes marking errors.
• Pro Tip: Use a “Taker goes for goal” setup if the player has high Free Kick Taking—otherwise, use “Cross to Far Post.”

Additional Hacks For Set-Pieces

A couple of these tips were found on FM Blog, a great place for Football Manager content and full of brilliant tactical analysis.

These come straight from FM Blog, which is packed with tactical breakdowns and underrated gems.

• For corners, assign your best header to attack the near post and use an in-swinging delivery. Obvious? Maybe. But you’d be surprised how often it’s forgotten.
• Put someone with 15+ Long Shots to lurk outside the area for rebounds. You’ll thank them when your centre-mid pings one top bins in the 90th.
• For indirect free-kicks, place your tallest player on the keeper. Disrupts their movement and opens up weird goals.

Short Corners Are Overpowered

If there’s one thing the FM community agrees on this year—it’s that short corners are broken.

One Reddit user shared this:

“There is one routine that I can’t for the life of me figure out what it’s called, but I’ve conceded some 15-20 goals in half a season against it. I tried everything but couldn’t replicate the set piece until I handed control to my Assman. Then suddenly my team started doing it too.

The routine is: Short corner, pass to unmarked player at corner of box, pass to unmarked player lurking on the edge of box centrally, shoot, score.”

And another:

“I haven’t done a great deal, but one thing I’ve found works well is a short corner.”

I’ve scored about 10 this season from the taker passing to the man short, who then crosses to the back post for my 18 jumping reach CBs.”

Oh—and the most downloaded set-piece routine for FM24? It’s based on—you guessed it—short corners.

They’re the glitch this year. Use them while they still work.

General Advice For Set-Pieces

ot everyone wants to spam exploits. Maybe you’re a purist. Maybe you want to create your own tactical magic. If so, here’s the core advice to build smart, effective set-pieces.

🎯 Roles Matter More Than You Think

• Attacking: Prioritise Heading, Jumping Reach, Bravery, and Anticipation.
• Defending: Go for Marking and Positioning.
• And seriously—don’t forget height. You want trees, not twigs.

Use Set-Piece Coaches

In FM24, coaching assignments now matter more than ever.

Assign someone with strong attributes in Tactical, Technical, and Set Pieces. You’ll see real improvements in training and match performance.

Assign Left/Right Footed Takers

• Right-footed takers on the left = in-swingers. Great for chaos.
• Left-footed takers on the left = out-swingers. Better for structure.
• Mix it up depending on your setup.

Test in Pre-Season

Want to know if your routines actually work?

Use friendlies to test.
Watch on Comprehensive Highlights.
Check that your runners are attacking space, and your deliveries are hitting the right targets—not the first defender’s knee.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this guide helps you become prime Tony Pulis in no time. There’s enough here to win you titles, or at the very least—turn your centre-back into your club’s top scorer.

But hey—if all this sounds like too much effort, you can always do what half the player base does…

Just download a set-piece routine off the internet.
They work. You’ll never think about corners again.