Small Lone Striker

Here's the dilemma, I'm playing 4-5-1 with a pacey poacher up front flanked by two wingers. Problem is he has no aerial ability but bags of pace, so I want to have the team play passes along the ground and avoid aerial balls forward. If I choose him as the default target man and set default supply as to feet, is that to feet as in along the ground, or is that to feet as opposed to into space?

I play short passing with reasonable tempo and it's working brilliantly up until somebody dinks a ball over the top to the striker at which point he will never win it and we have to start over.

There are four choices. Mixed, To head, to feet and into space. You obviously want into space. It doesn't matter if the ball is high or low, he will be looking to run on to it and control it with his feet if it's being played into space. Only to head (and mixed) needs a tall player.

to feet needs someone with good control, strength and balance so they can trap it and turn, while into space needs pace / acceleration / anticipation.

edit: There's no way to have the ball played into space but always along the floor. Mostly because it's a nonsensical choice that no real manager would ask for.

If he is pacy then you should aim for him to run onto ball rather than pass to feet.

You'd probably want your crosing to be set to 'drill' as well, as (someone correct me if I'm wrong) I interpret that to be more along-the-floor than 'float'. That way crosses should be coming to your target man along the deck.

Two thoughts:

1) I'm playing as 4-5-1 too and my crosses from open play rarely end up towards striker. It's more likely from winger to winger (both of them are set to 'normal' wide play) and fairly successfully

2) Run onto ball order is a risky option. In addition to space your striker needs a very good off the ball rating to play it out successfully. Not all opponents don't leave huge space behind defensive line to exlpoit easily. Another thing you probably want to do is to set your GK distribution short. Otherwise he looks for your small striker with goal kick and again - unless opponents DL is way up, your striker just gets beaten in the air and possession lost.

I would use two options - run onto ball when playing against stronger opponent - they are attacking, DL up, you will have some counter attack options and enough space for running. And pass to feet when you are better team, holding a possession and whether distributing ball forward to wingers or turning around opponent DC-s and accelerating past them (needs good technique and dribbling, but is lethal, cause can happen even near opponent penalty box)