I probably finish more than half of my matches with 10 men. Because it’s PES2015, it’s Superstar, and I’m defending most of the time in a furiously violent fashion, like a possessed demon. That’s right: like a demon who’s been possessed by a demon.

I’m going for my very first title on PES2015. This is a pretty big deal. It’s going to be June next week. Space-year 2016 is shimmering into view. Can you see it, out there on the horizon? I can.

I want to get to some kind of conclusion with a bit of time to spare. And this is the hardest-ever PES.

It’s the hardest-ever PES for me. Other perspectives are always available.

I won the big crunch 6-pointer encounter with Manchester United. The kind of fixture that, in real life, Sky Sports would trumpet for weeks in the build-up, with dramatic operatic music pumping in the background. Carmina Burana never gets old.

I won the Big Match by two goals to nil, and it was quite easy in the end. Almost anti-climactic. But I played with 100% focus and was duly rewarded. Considering I was playing away from home against the then-runaway league leaders, it was a great result and performance to match.

PES2015 has a few characteristic little moments. There’s the big dipper-style volleys that come along occasionally. And there are also the delicate directed headers that come along occasionally. Here’s Robben scoring my opener against Manchester United in the Big Game, directing a delicate one past the ageing De Gea:

This was Man Utd’s starting XI and bench:

Bergkamp is the only Classic player in this ML world whose name I have edited. I edited him before understanding that if I did any more I’d have to do all of them. That seemed a whole lot of work and so I never bothered. With the limited chunks of time available, I’d rather just play the game.

Here is the table with 7 matches remaining in the season:

5 points clear with a comparable goal-difference to my nearest challengers. Going 4-3-3 has paid off in that sense. But boy, do you have to work hard defensively.

Manchester United have fallen back a touch after my defeat of them at their place. Liverpool. the current reigning champions, have emerged as the likeliest challengers.

After the Big Match I suffered a baffling home defeat against Crystal Palace.

0-1 down from almost the first minute, my frustrations mounted. I was down to 9 men by half-time. I’ve mentioned before that I actually relish playing football games under such conditions. Quite a few times in my footy gaming life, I have pulled off miracle results with 10 or 9 or even 8 men.

Alas, this wasn’t one of those times and I suffered a terrible 0-3 defeat. That’s one of PES2015’s hallmarks too. It punishes you more severely than previous editions.

I continue to see bookings rain down on my team like confetti. I’m easily the dirtiest team in the league, with greyed-out players permanently filling the bottom of my squad list.

I’ve defended with a lot more finesse in other football games. In this football game, stopping the AI is paramount.

But needs must. On Monday, it’ll be June. Traditionally the time when thoughts turn to the other end of summer and the imminence of a new football gaming year.

Me, I’m still firmly rooted in the present, and focusing all my time and attention on PES2015. I want that title this season.

And I want that Treble next season.

While last week’s two special posts were going on, season 10 was wending to a close. Season 10 has now come to an end, and with it has ended a whole era of how I approach this game we call PES2015. I will come to that later.

I almost did something special at the end of season 10. I almost won the title. I should have won the title.

With just nine matches to go, this was the top 4 of the Premier League:

At this stage I genuinely thought I was going to win the title. Put it this way: I can’t recall being in that kind of position in any Master League and not winning the title.

But a few too many costly draws put paid to my hopes. Here’s what the actual final table looked like at season’s end:

I was disappointed to miss out on the title, but in a strange way even more disappointed to end up finishing outside the Champions League spots as well. This game punishes slip-ups more thoroughly than any other PES I can remember.

I scored one noteworthy goal during the run-in. This one comes courtesy of D CONTI, a journeyman DMF who has quietly been one of the stars of this PES for me. Whisper it, but I’d take D CONTI over A PIRLO any day of the week, I’ve not seen Pirlo do anything like this:

I know, I know, Different strokes and all that. One man’s meat is another man’s poison and the rest of it.

The goal was a highlight in an arduous sequence of matches where I struggled to make anything happen. I deserved my whimpering finish to the season.

Most insultingly of all, the post-season Club Rankings show that I’ve barely shifted at all from last season’s dismal ranking of 64:

At least this year I’m within sniffing distance of one other Premier League team.

The final tale of the tape:

13 draws did me in. It just isn’t good enough. And here’s where we get to my change of heart in how I approach PES2015.

Staring at the table and the Season Record just above, I started to understand what’s holding me back. Fannying about with 4-5-1 formations. ‘Respecting the game.’ These and other elements of caution and fear are holding me back.

I’ve got a great crop of players. There are not many better in this whole ML world than the likes of Friedel, Heinze, Pirlo, Carrick, Forlan, Drogba, Robben, and Crouch. Pound for pound, this is one of the best squads I’ve had in any ML.

I need to start cutting teams’ throats out there on the pitch, I need to bluff and bluster and bully my way to getting the precious wins needed to win trophies.

You can survive in PES2015 using the safety-first, softly-softly approach, as I have discovered over the past 10 seasons. You can even win the odd trophy. I bet you could even win the title using the method.

But Trebles would be hard to come by playing tippy-tappy, cautious football. I want to win THE LOT, and soon, and there’s only one thing for it.

It’s time for a change of attitude. This is the change:

For season 11 I’m going to play some version of 4-3-3, from start to finish, and see what happens. No more nip and tuck. I’m going for it in season 11. All out, no nonsense, balls to the wall. Let’s see what happens.