A Complete Guide to PES 2008 – The Ultimate Soccer Game - Heading the Ball

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Introduction

PES 2008 is a world-wide known computer soccer simulator with many fans around the world. Tactics are very important part of Pro Evolution Soccer and I have different formations covered in previous articles (including 4-3-3, 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 and formation changes). But you can’t win with tactics alone! In Pro Evolution Soccer, against teams that are strong in the air, heading the ball well is important. You could use this technique from a defensive, as well as an offensive, strategy. If the ball is floated around in your penalty area, then you must head the ball to save it from crossing the goal line. Conversely, heading the ball in the opposition penalty area could fetch you a goal from corners and set pieces.

Heading from Field Play

Your midfielders have done a decent job by playing the ball on to you, especially if you are playing from the forward line. Just one pass to the foremost attacker separates your team and a goal, but seeing a tall defender right in front of you could have you alter your plans drastically. You do not necessarily need to do that because you could float the ball around for the attacker to head the ball into the opposition’s goal.

With that note, we will discuss how we could head the ball from a field play situation. Simple – Press the shift key and keep pressing the space bar so that the player could jump up from the ground to meet the ball. Be careful, as you may not want the player to jump more than the height the ball has attained. In doing this key combination, your team player would be able to head the vertical ball.

Diving Headers

One of your midfielders or defense line players is marching ahead to the opposition goal and already the cross has been delivered. How could you have this player head the ball? Remember, the opposition is least expecting this player to score, because he is not one of the attackers. Press the shift and the spacebar key, and then press the left arrow key. In doing this key combination, you could have the player sweeping forward in the air to head the ball. This diving header can be really deadly if your player’s abilities are good.

Summary

Heading is important in any game of soccer, and while most players would wish they could head the ball, only few of them have achieved a certain degree of expertise in this. In PES2008, with this skill a part of your team’s armory, you could now look at scoring more goals.

This post is part of the series: PES 2008 - Practical tips and hints

If you are a fan of Pro Evolution Soccer - or just a beginner in the PES 2008 version - in this series you will find interesting and useful tips to improve your scoring record in the PES08 game. Read and enjoy!

  1. PES 2008 Practical Tips – Crossing
  2. PES 2008 Practical Tips – Heading the Ball
  3. PES 2008 Practical Tips - Overpowering Opponent Players
  4. PES 2008 Practical Tips – The Long Range Shot
  5. PES 2008 Tactical Tips – Stopping the Header
  6. PES 2008 Practical Tips – Penalty kicks
  7. PES 2008 Practical Tips - Free kicks – Part I
  8. PES 2008 Practical Tips – Free kicks – Part II - Layoff free kicks