• Introduction
  
• Tactics and Strategies
  • Defending
    
  • Attacking
    
  • Set-Pieces
    • Corners
      
    • Throw-Ins
      
    • Free Kicks
  • Get To Know Your Players!
    
  • Condition/Form
    
  • The first transfer window
• Squad
  • Goalkeepers
    
  • Defenders
    
  • Midfielders
    
  • Forwards
• Formations
  • 4-4-2
    
  • 4-3-3
• Copywriting, Credits etc

Clicking on the links above will jump you straight to the relevant part in the guide. Clicking the 'Back to top' links in the guide will take you back here to the index. In each section of the guide, subsections are linked, and clicking 'Return' will take you to the start (and subsection index) of the section.

PES2008 has, if anything, made using the Default Master League Team harder. Trying to use this motley bunch can provide a real headache for even the most seasoned PES veteran due to the... how can I put this... crap-ness of the Default Master League Team. The purpose of this guide is to provide some formations, strategies, tactics and general useful pieces of advice to enable you to actually win with this group of assorted morons and half-wits.

This guide is aimed at players who already have a good knowledge of the game and its workings (I am not going to hold your hand through the guide and explain things like what special ability stars do, for example) and are perhaps playing on Professional or Top Player difficulties but having some trouble with beating the computer using this team.

The very first thing you must get into your head is that the Master League Default squad is unique due to its lack of quality. Without an in-depth knowledge of all of its players and their relative strengths and weaknesses it will be next to impossible to succeed. In a team typified by its weaknesses, you must draw on the areas in which certain individuals are at least adequet in order to win.
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In the default ML squad, you simply do not have enough quality to construct intricate passing manouvres in order to score goals unless you are a very gifted player. For most of us therefore, this means a fair share of the team's goals must come from direct play and specifically set-piece moves (much like teams in the lower leagues in real football). You need to adopt a slow, steady build-up to the game ensuring you retain possession since it is very hard to win the ball back with this group of players.

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• Defending
  
• Attacking
  
• Set-Pieces
  • Corners
    
  • Throw-Ins
    
  • Free Kicks
• Get To Know Your Players!
  
• Condition/Form
  
• The first transfer window

Defending:

Defending on PES2008, contrary to on PES6, is incredibly difficult on the top difficulty with these players. The AI will punish even the slightest error and you can't rely on Butterfingers Ivarov to get you out of trouble in most situations.

There are a few little tactics you can use to try and stop the flood of opposition goals going in though, but you must be aware that keeping a clean sheet with this bunch is a pretty admirable achievement against even the most modestly talented opposition teams.

Cursor settings: Defending is much, much easier if you have your cursor settings on either manual or the lowest semi-auto setting. One bonus of this is that you can intercept passes much, much more easily (press the pass button while your player is in line with the ball to make him stick his leg out to trap it) since you will not be forced to change player half way through. It also makes applying pressure with extra men a lot easier (see below).

The downside to it is that in some situations you cannot react quickly enough to change player (like when the ball is loose in the box, for example), and the opposition are handed an opportunity simply because you are controlling the wrong player.

For this reason, I tend to opt for the lowest setting in semi-auto.

The back pass: Don't be afraid to play it back to the goalie when you are under pressure from forwards. It might seem like very negative play, but it can often ensure that goals are not handed on a plate to the opposition.

Extra pressure: Use the shoot button to call for assistance from a teammate, particularly when you are on the wing or under sustained pressure.

There are a few ways you can use this tactic to your advantage, but the main way is by calling in the second man and then switching to him at the last moment when he is about to make contact with the opposition player.

Another advantage of calling for support from a second man is that your team are, on the whole, extremely weak. They therefore cannot shove opponents off the ball but can only slow them down and make them more likely to be tackled by your other players.

Set-pieces: Having a tall centre half like Libermann on the field is important for this, but another tactic you can use to defend opposition set-pieces is calling out your goalkeeper. Lothar in particular is very good at rushing out of his goal and punching the ball clear.

After a while you will be able to tell the style of corner that is being played in almost as soon as the opponent has kicked it, and you can decide in plenty of time whether or not to rush your goalie.

Counter-attacks: When you are pressing forward, you will often find that you are left very light at the back. Using a stand-off defensive style is vital in these situations, since one missed tackle or mistake and your opponent will be through on goal (and invariably score).

You can marshall players to the wings by keeping a healthy distance between you and them, all the while calling for reinforcements and changing you attack/defence settings down to ultra defensive (see the set-pieces section of this guide). This usually means all but the most fluid counter attacks become simply normal attacking opportunities which are much easier to defend.

Use a holding midfielder: Holding midfielders play a vital role in the default side. You should be using them anyway really, since your squad is so full of them, but they provide some steel in the middle of the park and make winning back possession infinitely easier.

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Attacking:

As I touched on in the defending section, attacking is much easier in PES2008 than defending is. You should be relying on your ability to score goals much more than your ability to prevent them in this game, and therefore there are some really vital hints in this section of the guide.

The set-pieces section below describes some very useful ways of getting goals from set plays, but this section will give some help about attacks from open play situations.

One-twos: One-two's (press the change player button as you pass) are a truly vital part of your attacking arsenal in the default team. The player's teamwork and aggression ratings are often very low so they will not push forward enough to provide support for one another. This means you have to force them forwards to build attacks. Bringing extra men forwards will eventually tell, since more people will be free to receive passes and attacking moves will not break down.

Be warned though, this will leave you vulnerable to opposition counter attacks.

Keep the bloody ball! As I mentioned in the introduction to this guide, keeping the ball is absolutely paramount when using the defaults. As the old football adage goes, if you do not have the ball you cannot score.

Never be afraid to pass the ball back if need be, and only really commit to long passes or tricky through balls when you are confident someone will get on the end of them.

Even using an in-game strategy command like centre attack can be very useful, since you will have plenty of players gathered in the middle to receive short, simple passes.

Wing-play: The crossing system in PES2008 has revolutionized wing play in this game, meaning it is a great way to get goals. If you have an opportunity to get the ball into the box from the wing (even from very deep), them take it. Players like Gutierrez, Hamsun and even Ordaz will thrive on this kind of service, and it should prove a very viable source of goals for your team.

Using trickery to get into space to deliver a cross will not work too well with the defaults (though Macco and Ximelez can sometimes pull off tricks), but neat one-twos with the full back most certainly will. It is often a great idea to play a pass with the winger back to the full back, and then return it as a long, lofted pass forwards for the winger to run onto.

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Set-Pieces:

When the ball goes out of play, you need to take full advantage of it. A good tactic is to increase you team's attack-mindedness when the ball is out of play. To do this:

Hold (L2) and press (R1) until the bars next to your player's name (shown in the picture below) turn red.

You can make the team more defensively minded by holding (L2) and pressing (R2).

Red = All out attack mindedness.
Orange = Attacking minded.
Yellow = Neutral attacking/defensive mindedness.
Green = Defensively minded.
Blue = All out defensive.

Unless you are a bit of a noob, you should either be playing with full manual attack and defence settings or at least paying very close attention to both your own and the CPU's. If the CPU is throwing caution to the wind and piling men forwards it is often advisable to go defensive, and vice versa.
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Corners: At corners, having a red attack/defence bar will mean plenty of players come up into the box. This can be a very effective method of scoring due to sheer weight of numbers. However, if your opponent possesses quick forwards it might not be such a good idea, since you are very, very vulnerable to counter attacks.

Ximelez is your best long passer in the side, but Minanda and Jaric are both also good choices to take your corners for you.

Setting players to come forwards (in the set piece part of the formations screen) is a good way of ensuring you have tall players in the box when you pump the ball in. Libermann and Stremer both do very well in the air at corners, so bringing them up is a worthwhile tactic if they are playing.

Throw-ins: Using all out attacking attack/defence settings at throw-ins can be a very useful tactic. It take very little effort from a throw-in for one of your players to put a ball into the box, or indeed cut inside. Having more people to pass to is a great asset in this situation.

Long throws are also a very good technique to use, and are often very underestimated. As you throw, you get a marker telling you approximately where the ball will land and you also get to assume control of the player you are aiming at. This means that you can throw into space and your player will almost always get there first for a flick on or be able to control the ball and set up an attack.

Free Kicks: Jaric is the best free kicker in your squad, and as such should be the one who takes these set-pieces. Having said that though, he is still not that good at them, so it is often better to simply pass the ball or lay it off (specifically to Espimas or Fouque who can use their deadly long range shots). Scoring freekicks is only a reliable method of getting goals if you are extremely proficient at them, so only the experts should really attempt shots on goal with this bunch!

Using the R2 button to deliver higher balls often reaps rewards, since it sets your players up nicely for headers.

Be very careful when you are taking short freekicks though, since giving away possession in this situation can often lead to devastating counter attacks for the opposition.
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Get to know your players!

This is a team typified by its weaknesses, so in order to win you must know what all of your players are good at (or at least not poor at!). Using the squad section in this very guide is an excellent way of doing this.

It is also paramount that you get to know who your key players are, and plan around them and make alternative tactics when they won't be available. Key players may vary between individual gamers (for example, I consider Libermann to have a vital role in my side, whereas a lot of people think he is a sack of the proverbial). You must plan ahead to accomodate absences due to fatigue by carefully analysing your calender. A games rest will restore a player to his full fitness, as will a week's break on the calender due to cup games and the like. Be sure to take this into account especially when vital games are coming up.
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Form/Condition:

It is of great note that a red form arrow for a player can turn him into a match winner while a blue or grey arrow can make him a liability. Therefore you should select your eleven based on their condition.


You can alter the form of the players by using the regulate condition screen in the ML. Using this option (found in the team alterations section of the ML screen) allows your players to improve their form arrows (though occasionally their form will get worse), and therefore their stats for the coming game at the expense of some fatigue (usually between 5 and 10 points).

A red arrow can turn an average player into a potential match-winner, so be sure to take form into account when selecting your side. In my opinion, the small increase in fatigue is a small price to pay for potentially having a half-decent team to use!

I tend to only regulate condition on players who have a green form arrow or worse. If the player already has a yellow arrow, it is not worth trying to improve it. It is also worth taking into account the amount of fatigue a player has accumulated prior to the regulate condition too, since this will impact on his stamina for the game.


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The first transfer window:

Buying the right players in the first transfer window is vital to your success with the defaults. You can usually pick up veterans with good stats for not much money, and there are ofcourse ML youths who appear in the newcomers section.

It is worth improving every area of your squad if you can. A centre back, a central midfielder, a winger and a striker are all needed. Buying multiple players in one area, for example the forward area, is not worthwhile since you can't actually get the ball to them with your dodgy midfielders! Bear this in mind when you are trying to bring players in.

It might seem like a great idea to bring in dozens of new faces during the mid-season negotiation period to replace your default boys, but be warned: New transfers take a while to settle into a squad, and as such, their teamwork will be greatly reduced until they have played roughly 8 or so matches. It is worth introducing your signings gradually, or using those new faces that are on the bench to replace ones on the pitch at half time.
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Goalkeepers   Defenders    Midfielders    Forwards

To jump to a player's section in the guide, simply click on his name above. Clicking the ‘return’ at the end of each section will return you to this part of the guide.

Below are some formations I personally find effective when using the Master League defaults. Players may wish to try several of these to find one that works for them and their own unique style of play.

These examples should be used merely as suggestions from which you can base your own tactics, but these ones do work well in my experience since they utilise players that the default team has in abundance (such as DMF's), and allow you to use some of the hints and tips from earlier in this guide quite easily.
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• 4-4-2
  
• 4-3-3

4-4-2:



Ivarov
El Moubarki - Libermann - Jaric - Ruskin
Stein
Macco - Minanda - Ximelez
Gutierrez
Castolo


Strengths: This formation offers a very balanced approach to the game. 4-4-2 is one of the simplest and most effective formations in the game, which suits this motley bunch perfectly. Minanda is the key player in this line-up, since most attacks will go through him. Use him to play through balls to the forwards and link up with the wingers to create crossing opportunities. An alternative to Castolo up front is the more rounded Ordaz, but it is up to you which of them you prefer.

The unsung heroes of this lineup are Libermann and Stein. Libermann is important for clearing long balls and set-pieces with his immense height, while Stein is the pivotal player when it comes to winning the ball back.

Weaknesses: Having only two down the middle like this can sometimes mean you are overwhelmed by certain formations and cannot play. If this is happening, it is often worth employing an in-game strategy command for centre attack, meaning your SMF's will move into the middle to support the holding midfielder and the playmaker.
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4-3-3:



Ivarov
Giersen - Libermann - Jaric - Ruskin
Dodo - Stein
Minanda
Macco - Gutierrez - Ximelez


Strengths: The formation is very effective for counter attacking, thanks to their being two DMF's with which to regain possession. When you have the ball, you will rely on your wingers to provide crosses to your lone forward, who will also require plenty of support from the AMF.

Defensively, this formation is solid, but if your wingers are marked out of the game it becomes impossible to use. However, should they be afforded space in which to run, you will reap the benefits.

Weaknesses: Using this lineup can often leave your front man very isolated, and make goals hard to come by. Teams in real life usually only get away with this formation if they have a very talented centre forward leading the line, but you will have to rely on having a solid defence and taking any counter attacking opportunities that do arise.

This guide be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal and private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.

This Guide is Copyright to: (c) TVI aka The Village Idiot aka Ziggy Bashmore 2006 All Rights Reserved.


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PES2008 - PS2 | Newcastle - NPML | Development Database | Neocastle SOMS | Neo FC 

Christ, this is good.

I see you've put your Photoshop skills to good use...

Wanker.

Shall mention this thread in the Portal at some point mate .

Good work TVI.

All I can say is that this lot are about as useful as a one legged cat trying to bury a turd in a frozen lake.

4-5-1 with 2 DMF's seems to work well though.

Cheers lads .

quote Derp

Shall mention this thread in the Portal at some point mate .

PES2008 - PS2 | Newcastle - NPML | Development Database | Neocastle SOMS | Neo FC 

Stunnin stuff TVI, genius. Even better than last years. Should be very useful.

That is the best post i have ever seen on Neo.

Brilliant stuff, TVI.

Great guide TVI

Gourgeous stuff mate, absolute class, is going to help me alot .

quote Toonami

You have a *bleep*ing sexy last name

quote Steve 23

That is the best post i have ever seen on Neo.

Brilliant stuff, TVI.

Great stuff !

brilliant work done by The Village Idiot

Holy good god you one smart village idiot

great work

Wow, this is some thread

Stunning stuff mate.

One thing you need to clarify though is the lack of left-sided/left-footed players from the start, so it's pretty important to get some cover their during the first transfer window. But that's my own opinion.

Awesome guide mate.

I'll definitely find this really useful.