PES Chronicles

Season 2009 got underway with a big game against Lazio, one of Division 2’s toughest teams.

Lazio always give me a good game. I don’t recall ever having an easy time against them. Truth be told, there aren’t many games where I have a really easy time against anyone. It’s not just because most of my players are only above-average. My House Rules dictate that I keep the size of my squad to 25 players and that at least 5 of them have to be original Default players. Consequently I struggle to field a decent, fit team. Usually about half my players are missing several notches from their green stamina bars.

The only times when this does not apply are at the start of the season and just after the mid-season negotiations. So, actually, right now is the best possible time to play Lazio. I approached the game as if it was a very early championship six-pointer…

Singers FC 1-0 Lazio

…and it didn’t disappoint. This was one of the hardest games to get a result from that I have ever played on PES2008.

From start to finish it was as if I was fighting with the controller to get my players to do what I wanted them to do. I don’t think it was scripting. I never felt that my players were suspiciously below-par.

It was the Lazio players. They were superb, always chasing me down, intercepting passes, stringing together dangerous moves. My new defensive pairing of Jackson and Kompany (Jackson & Ko., I might start calling them) had their work cut out stopping the trademark Italian passing triangles on the edge of my box. Mathieu played deeper in this game than he probably will for the rest of the season. He was a true DMF, making numerous last-ditch tackles and generally just getting in the opposition’s way. Akinfeev was heroic at times in goal.

Then I had Kompany sent off. It was in the middle of the second half and I was starting to get complacent, thinking I had the defensive game sussed. I mistimed a sliding tackle and that was that: red card. Looks like I picked the wrong season to give up playing dirty…

But yet again, having 10 men seemed to give me a new lease of life. This happens so often in PES2008 that I have to say I believe it must be hard-coded into the game that a human player enjoys a wee bonus with 10 men. I kept the ball better. I passed better. My aerial through-balls started penetrating the Lazio back line. Near the end, I forced a corner…

The goal was a Lazio own-goal. I’ll take it.

Sampdoria 1-0 Singers FC

This game was everything that the Lazio game wasn’t. I enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, keeping Sampdoria down to one half-chance for most of the game, and pounding their goal with shot after shot (after shot) seemingly at will. Surely it was only a matter of time before I broke through?

But no. Their keeper saved everything. In three consecutive attacks I hit the post, the bar, and then the other post. I had that sinking feeling…

On a breakaway attack by Sampdoria, it happened. Their striker broke through clean on goal. El Moubarki was nearby. I did it again. I deliberately fouled the striker, from behind, 25 yards out. A red card and a free kick followed.

They scored from it. I’ve started to remove my defensive wall before most CPU free kicks (L2+down on the D-pad, repeatedly, until it’s done). Doing this moves your keeper back towards the middle of the goal, making it easier for him to save direct shots from the free kick. My goals conceded from free kicks have gone down by about 75% since I started doing this.

Akinfeev saved this free kick—but only deflected it onto the bar. Naturally the ball rebounded back into play and bounced through a penalty box packed with my players straight to the lone Sampdoria player. He tucked it away.

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So, I start season 2009 with a victory and a defeat. Not too bad really. Could have been better. I’ve yet to score a proper goal. I’ve really missed Altintop. Caracciolo is good, but Altintop was very good and well on his way to becoming great. I’m sure I would have got at least one goal with him in these games.

When you play nothing but Master League, after a few games of a season you just know how it’s going to go. You can instinctively take the measure of your team. It’s too early to tell right now. I’ll know after playing a few more games and seeing how my new players bed down into the team. If Kompany, Cassano, and Mathieu turn out to be good buys—and if the likes of Camacho and Caracciolo continue their solid progress—I’m convinced I could not only win promotion but win the D2 Championship as well.