Score More Goals in Football Manager 2024

Struggling to find the net in FM24? Use these 9 proven tips to score more goals and dominate every match.

Learn how to fix your finishing and create more chances in FM24 with practical, game-tested advice.

How to Score More Goals in Football Manager 2024: Tips That Actually Work

Let me be honest – there was a point in my FM24 save where I was ready to smash my laptop. I was managing Man United, had 65% possession every match, 20 shots per game... and still drew 0-0 against Luton. It wasn’t just one bad result. This was becoming a pattern. So I went on a mission: figure out why my team couldn’t score and how to fix it. What follows are the tips that turned my goal-shy United into a free-scoring monster. If you’re struggling to score in FM24, I’ve got you.

 

1. Understand Your Striker’s Strengths (Don’t Just Plug Them In)

One of my biggest mistakes early on? Slapping a Complete Forward role on every striker and hoping it worked. Spoiler: it didn’t. Your striker role has to match the player's attributes. Got a speedster with great Off the Ball and Composure? Advanced Forward is your friend. More of a big man with good Strength and Heading? Try Target Forward or even Deep-Lying Forward if he's got vision.

You can also tailor your tactic around their role – when I had Hojlund up front, I started feeding him through balls rather than crosses. It made all the difference.

 

2. Fix the Roles Around the Striker

Once your striker’s sorted, you need to look at what’s feeding him. Think of your attack like an ecosystem – it needs balance.

I found that when I had both wingers on Attack, they kept getting ahead of the striker and nobody was linking play. Switching one to Support made a huge difference. Try this setup:

• Inside Forward (Attack) on the left
  
• Winger (Support) on the right
  
• Attacking Midfielder (Support) behind the striker
  

This gave me a nice mix of width, directness and link-up play.

READ ALSO: Sir Alex Ferguson’s Legendary 2008 Manchester United Tactics in FM24

3. Stop the Long Shots, Start the Cutbacks

If you’re seeing lots of wild shots from 25 yards, your players are making poor decisions. I fixed this by adding "Work Ball into Box" in team instructions. You’d be surprised how much that alone changes the flow.

Also, add these traits to your players when appropriate:

• "Shoots Less Often" for midfielders with poor Long Shots
  
• "Looks for Pass Rather Than Attempting to Score" for deep-lying playmakers
  

You’re basically telling your players: be smart, not desperate.

4. Use Width to Stretch the Defence

When I was stuck in attack, I looked at my analysis – and saw all our attacks funnelling through the middle. It was too easy for the opposition to park the bus.

Switching to a wider attacking shape, adding Overlap Right and letting my fullbacks bomb forward opened up the pitch. Especially effective if you’ve got a winger who can whip in dangerous crosses.

Pro tip: Try "Focus Play Down Right/Left" if you spot a weakness in the opposition fullbacks. Exploiting the right spaces is half the battle.

 

5. Create Overloads with Intelligent Movement

One change that unlocked a lot of low-block teams for me was using Mezzalas and attacking fullbacks. Suddenly my wide players had support, overlaps started happening, and we overloaded their flanks.

Try this setup:

• Mezzala (Support) on the left CM
  
• Inverted Winger on Attack on the same side
  
• Fullback on Attack overlapping
  

You’ll create 3v2 situations against narrow defences – goals follow.

6. Mentality Matters More Than You Think

You don’t need to go "Very Attacking" to score. In fact, that usually leads to chaos. I started using a Positive mentality for most matches and only switched to Attacking in the final 20 minutes if I needed a goal.

Why? Because Positive gives you balance – your players still get forward, but they also think. And thinking players = better finishing.

READ ALSO: How to Make a Comeback in Football Manager

 

7. Nail Your Set-Piece Routines

You know what’s better than building the perfect goal? A free one from a corner.

I spent 10 minutes setting up my set-pieces and suddenly scored 3 in 5 games. Use a near-post routine, get your best header (with Jumping Reach + Heading 15+) to attack it, and make sure your taker has Corners 13+.

Bonus: use a short corner routine for variety – especially useful if the AI has marked your tall CB out of the game.

 

8. Analyse the Data Hub – It’s There for a Reason

After every few matches, I hop into the Data Hub and check:

• xG vs Goals Scored (am I underperforming?)
  
• Shot Map (are they from good areas?)
  
• Key Passes (who’s creating chances?)
  

One time, I found out that my left winger had 0 key passes in 5 games. Swapped him out – instant improvement. Don’t ignore the numbers.

 

9. Use Training to Sharpen Your Attack

You can have the best tactic in the world, but if your players aren’t drilled on movement and finishing, it’ll fall flat. I added the following sessions each week:

• Chance Creation
  
• Final Third
  
• Attacking Movement
  

And I assigned individual training to my striker on "Finishing" and "Composure". Small changes, big gains.

READ NEXT: How to Play Beautiful Football in FM: Delight Fans and Dominate the Board

Final Whistle: Don’t Panic – Tweak and Trust the Process

If you're struggling to score in FM24, don’t throw the tactic out the window. Most of the time, it just needs refinement. Start with your striker’s role, adjust the support around him, keep an eye on your data, and use training smartly.

Once I applied these tweaks, my Man United team started banging in 3+ goals a game. You can absolutely do the same. And hey – if you’ve got your own go-to scoring tricks, I’d love to hear them in the comments.

Happy scoring!