I use the default settings (assisted crossing?). Here are a few tricks I've learned:
Offense: You have to coordinate the positions of your crosser and target man. Ideally you want to cross the ball before your target man gets there, so that he's running into it. Do this by varying the speed of your winger (not always easy if he's defended). Get him to the ideal position (not too deep) about 5-10 yards ahead of your striker. If you do it right your striker will run to meet it in the air, not standing waiting to head it in. While both types of crosses can score, it is harder to defend a rushing target man than a stationary one.
The other important thing is power. You need to choose the exact right amount of power for the position of your striker (near post - 1/3 power, far post - 2/3 power, etc.). This is surprisingly sensitive, even on assisted.
Defense: Switch defender control early or very very late. If you switch while the ball is in the air the defender will stop for a split second and that usually leaves the man open. If you anticipate a cross, switch to a central defender before the cross comes in and get in front of the target man. If the cross takes you by surprise, wait until your defender has stopped moving before you switch.
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