Not in any Rush Comments Off
When I posted the Maldini screenshot last time, I was impressed by the quality of most of PES2008’s player likenesses. Only a few are either so vague or so grotesque that you cannot help thinking: eh? Ian Rush’s mugshot is one of the vague ones:
Eh? Let me get this straight. Iwam Russell is definitely Ian Rush, yes? No? Someone correct me if I’m wrong. I might be wrong. I’m often wrong.
Rushie has been a disappointment so far. It was only to be expected. 25 years old and coming out of the Unbelonging list, he’s had no development. He has no pace at all, and PES2008 is all about pace. Without pace, a striker needs a formidable array of other qualities to be a success in your team.
Schwarz is a prime example. He’s by no means quick, but his strength and shot power more than makes up for it. He got another hat-trick during a routine 6-0 thumping of Everton. (Thumping teams 6-0 is routine in PES2008. Hence the aura of disgruntlement that surrounds the game this year.) In several other League games it went all my way too.
The only really tough game of this period came against River Plate. They scored first, a tame goal from a corner, and I lost the plot. How dare the CPU score against me? I will NOT have it…
By half-time I was lucky not to be 0-3 down and down to 9 men.
I recovered my wits for the second half and started to play properly again. I got an equaliser. Then I got a penalty. Schwarz took it – and missed, sending the ball a long, long way over the bar.
Penalties in PES are rubbish. They have always been rubbish. They’re too random. There was no reason why Schwarz had suddenly decided to blast the ball over the bar. I wasn’t pressing up on the analogue stick. I had only tapped the shoot button.
Fortunately, I got a winner in open play a few minutes from the end.
Manchester United still haven’t lost a game all season – but they have drawn seven, and many of these have come during this period. I played them in a thrilling Championship six-pointer.
If only all matches in PES2008 were like this. Tension, skill, near-misses, last-ditch tackles, goal-line clearances – this match had everything. The only thing it lacked was a goal.
When Ronaldo burst past Guimaraes in the last minute and bore down on goal, I feared the worst, and prepared to sharpen my special Scripting pen. But the little Portugeezer flashed his shot wide of the post. The full-time whistle blew immediately. The final result was a fair 0-0.
I’m happy enough with the point. It keeps me three points clear at the top of the pile. That goal difference will come in handy if I inexplicably stop winning nearly every game. Looking at how far behind Chelsea are, it’s safe to say that the title is a two-horse race, and has been for some time.
I’ve scored 87 goals in 25 matches. There are 13 matches left. I’ll easily score 100 goals in the League this season, and then some. This is not a cause for satisfaction. Quite the opposite, in fact.
In the D1 Cup, I played Arsenal in the Quarter Final, and dispatched them with aplomb, 4-1 on aggregate. I’ll be up against Chelsea in the Semi Final.
In the European Cup, my Quarter Final opponents were Villarreal. The first leg was at my place, and I lost 0-1. They scored early. I had umpteen efforts on goal but couldn’t break through. I looked forward to the second leg with great excitement. Seriously – I was all aquiver… As expected, I overcame them comfortably, winning the tie 4-1 on aggregate. In the Semi Final, I will play Real Madrid.