retired_lprogers

First of all, I have been checking around on the forum to see if this already was covered, and I found nothing. So!

I have one re-ocurring scenario related to free kicks out of shooting range. In stead of crossing the ball into the center of the box, the free kick taker will in 95% of the situations play a short pass to the side, or even back. From there the play goes slowly cause almost all players are marked in the area, and the oppositions strikers are closing down on my player with the ball, so he makes another short pass back to the free kick taker.

Yes, you guessed right, opposition steals the ball, breaks and have a great counter opportunity, as the players involved in loosing the ball was my defenders...

So for my free kick settings: Both left and right are set to "cross centre". My free kick taker has a good foot and more then ok "decisions". Further, I have my fullbacks on stay back, my DC on stay back if need, and the same for DMC. I have 3 players on "go forward", one is "disrupting wall" and the last man is "marking keeper".

So my questions are simple:
1) Why do my free kick taker decide to play a short pass back to the defenders, instead of trying to put it into the box as I ask him to?

2) Do I have too many players set up for defensive tasks and therefore the free kick taker is left with few or no options and chooses to pass the ball back?

3) Has anybody else got this problem as well?

4) Any suggestion for how to solve my little scenario

That would be it for today. Thanx!

retired_rebebeccag

Do you have your team mentality on defensive?

What about the taker's individual mentality?

retired_canuckgirl

Same here.. I don't really understand what u said on the 3rd paragraph.. But for me my problem is i want the free kick taker to instead lob the ball to my players instead of attempting to shoot, but i don't know the free kick instructions. =S

retired_lprogers

Team mentality is 12 or 13.

My free kick taker has an even higher menality, 14, I believe.

Sorry for being a mess in describing...
In the team instructions, both free kicks from left side and right side are set to "cross centre", which I assume would mean that the taker would put the ball into the box, somewhere like the penalty spot. Maybe I am mistaken there?

The other descriptions are were I have my other players standing waiting for the free kick to be taken.

All clear?

retired_canuckgirl

^ ah.. i see i see. Sorry because english is my 3rd language.. hehehe ok.

retired_rebebeccag

With those mentalities then I can only honestly imagine that it'sbecause you have too many player still behind the ball.

I've noticed that if I reduce my team mentality (protecting a lead for example) then the free-kicks are more cautious, but with yours on 12, then that safely rules that out.

retired_lprogers

Ok, I will the try around with different settings on the free kicks.

Another thing is that the "go forward" is kindo of vague. It doesn't really say "go where" so forward could mean anything but "stay back".

Kristian, or anyone that doesn't experience my problems from free kicks: Could you post the positional settings on your players, to give me an idea how to work this out?

Thank you!

retired_rebebeccag

Tell you the truth mate, set pieces are extremely neglected on my tactics at the moment.

My set piece instructions are just the defaults for each position.

This pre-season's job is to work out set plays, now that I finally have some height in my team!

retired_danig6484

Well, I have to agree that the free kicks should have more options in FM07, like: "Try layoff around wall: no!", but I've gotten mine to work fairly well with these settings:

FBR: Stay Back
FBL: Stay Back
CDd: Stay Back
FCa: Mark Keeper
Everyone Else: Go forward

Free Kicks: Best Header

Still, they do try to pass it around, about 1/8th of the time.

retired_lprogers

The thing is that in my case it is not 1/8th of the time. Maybe there is a crossed corner one 8th of the time, and that is what baffles me.

Your set up looks almost the same as mine. I don't understand much of this right now. =(