Mastering Pro Evolution Soccer – an Ultimate soccer game, Defending in PES2008

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Introduction

PES 2008 is a world-wide known computer soccer simulator with many fans around the world. Tactics are an important part of Pro Evolution Soccer and different formations were covered in previous articles. This article gives a new perspective on the tactics in PES08 – concentrating on defense.

The Need

Simply put – you could have your forward line score several goals upfront, but having a bad defense could have you concede some more than what you have actually scored. To avoid that scenario in PES 2008, selecting players with the best attributes could be helpful. Defensive formation can prove vital in such cases as well.

General Principles

Which defensive formation should you choose to counter Pro Evolution Soccer offensive giants? Always to be safe, choose 4 defenders as a part of your game plan. two of them should be manning the wings, one of them should be a center back and one can be used as a fly-midfielder. The other strategy that can be used is a 3-4-2-1 combination. In this combination, you have three players forming the core defensive line, and four players manning the midfield.

The 3-4-2-1 formation

The 3-4-2-1 combination deserves a certain degree of explanation. By stuffing the midfield with good players, you more or less snuff out attacks at the midfield itself. Please note though that this ploy can work against teams who are playing a conservative 4-4-2 game. Teams who play the flamboyant 4-3-2-1 or 4-3-3 approach will do well to exploit chinks in your midfield.

Player Selection

As said before, choosing the right players is important. By this, we mean that you should be choosing a combination of tall players and swift tacklers. Ideally, your center-back should be a tall player because he would be critical to stopping a lot of the crosses that come through. Your wing defenders should be solid tacklers, and by solid tacklers we mean that they should not give away easy set-piece in front of the goal.

Summary

Focusing on the attributes of the players in the defensive line will do you a world of good for your team. Please note against weaker teams, you could have the odd slip up but stronger teams would make you pay dearly for any lapse in the defense. In this read, we have understood all that goes in the making of a good defense line. In the next read, we will understand some defending tips.

This post is part of the series: PES 2008 - Tactical tips

If you are a fan of Pro Evolution Soccer - or just a beginner in the PES 2008 version - you have to take advantage of this tactical advises, hints and tips to improve your game. Read and enjoy!

  1. PES 2008 Tactical Tips – An Overview of Formations
  2. PES 2008 Tactical Tips – Formations - Part I: The 4-3-3 Formation
  3. PES 2008 Tactical Tips – Formations - Part II: 4-4-2 and 4-5-1
  4. PES 2008 Tactical Tips – Changing Formations Throughout the Game
  5. PES 2008 Tactical Tips – Defensive Tactics
  6. PES 2008 Tactical Tips – Playing with Barcelona