Now this is the story all about how
My save got flipped, turned upside down.
And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there,
I’ll tell you how short throw-ins made the opposition despair.

So sorry (not really) about butchering that classic. Anyway, you came here for FM22 stuff and not me reminiscing about old-time TV shows.

Long throws were all the rage last year. Like human slingshots, limited right and left backs hurled the ball into the penalty area, where the goalkeepers usually remained transfixed, allowing one of your players to score an easy goal. It’s not functioning very well this year, unfortunately. The short throw-in on the other hand works very well.

Shorts throws are a super effective setup right now. I know that because the AI did it to me. Look at the video below. Let that sink in for a bit.

That’s the kind of goal I like to score. Smooth movement, clinical finishing, overloading the opposition and confusing them with well-timed runs. Classic strikerless.

Replicating the setup seems simple enough. I have three players coming short, effectively overloading that zone. I have It appears that replicating the setup is simple enough. I’ve got three players coming in close, effectively overloading that zone. I have one player on the near post to keep the defence pinned back, allowing the short options to move into space. There are three players on the box’s edge who can recycle possession if necessary.

My best dribblers are the four short roles. I purposefully made the player who executed the throw-in a strong dribbler as well. He often will receive the ball back via a bounce pass. In that case, you want someone who is self-assured on the field. The player in the near post has a good aerial ability. The remaining players exist solely to recycle possession.

So let me show you an example of how it works.

Although not an exact replica of De Bruyne’s goal, it’s close enough, right?

That one above was fumbled by the goalkeeper. This one, on the other hand, is a little further out, but it still looks lovely.

In this example, they opt for a throw toward the lurker, who fumbles it, yet it goes in anyway.

In fifteen games so far, I’ve scored seven goals. That isn’t a bad score, but as I previously stated, we can do better. If you can’t be arsed manually replicating this setup, feel free to download it.

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Guido

Guido is the founding father of Strikerless and main nutjob running the show.