Many people find Football Manager 2010 to be a difficult game, and learning all the ins and outs of the vast tactical system can be a daunting task. Learning to score plenty of goals through 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 most ability to take corners as the one who will take your corner. In my experience it doesn’t much matter if it’s a right or left foot, this should work anyway. However, if you find that this is not the case, 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. Pick the best long shot player and order him to wait outside the penalty area.

4. Give orders to your strongest player (preferably also the tallest one) to cover the goalkeeper.

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 get a couple of players inside the penalty box to wreak havoc and confuse defenders. If you have too few offensive players, you can leave the computer with enough available defenders 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 shooter.

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 matches and set an all-time record for goals in the Premier League. A few seasons earlier I tried the same thing with 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!