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7 PES 2020 tips to dominate Master League
Want to lead your club to glory in Pro Evolution Soccer 2020’s career mode? Then you'd better read on...
Master League is an essential part of any Konami football sim. Beloved by PES fans the world over, this career mode is frequently the first port of call for many. It’s easy to understand why as it gives you the chance to lead your club to glory, both domestically and in Europe. Want to see Norwich YG snag the top European prize? Go for it. Dreams can come true.
Although, if that is your goal, know it will be tough. However, you’ve come to the right place if you want to start off strong. We’ve got seven tips to aid you on your quest to dominate the opposition in Master League, so follow our advice and perhaps the Canaries can indeed dethrone Liverpool R.
1. Don’t waste time on cutscenes
Skip the corporate nonsense by ploughing through cutscenes with abandon
© Konami
This year’s PES introduced more interactions between manager and media, but, in truth, you can whizz past these exchanges. While you’re fielding questions about the upcoming match you’ll be presented with a number of different dialogue options, however, these don’t have any discernible impact on your team or your relationship with the board. You can just pick whatever responses you want. We think the best course of action is to just skip them and get back to the football. That’s what you’re here for anyway!
2. Focus on playing styles
Focus your players to get the best from them
© Konami
Targeted play styles are far better than balanced ones, so head into your training settings and tinker with that straight away. Have a look at the areas where individual players flourish and develop those skills with a corresponding playing style. For instance, getting Messi to work on being an Orchestrator is counter intuitive as that’s a role better suited to a DMF or CMF; you want to have the Argentine set to something like a Creative Playmaker or a Roaming Flank to get the best out of him.
3. Utilise 'Team Role effects'
Team role effects can offer up a powerful benefit to the whole squad
© Konami
Certain members of your squad will likely have Team Role effects, which will benefit them in some way, and can often assist the team too. If you have a Playmaker on your starting XI, then your overall Team Spirit will increase; if you give them the captain’s armband your side’s chemistry will jump up further. If you’ve got a General in your ranks, and they’re made captain, your team will be less fatigued; a Fighter that’s given the captaincy will see teammates earn more experience points; play a Bandiera and everyone around him will master skills more quickly. You get the idea. Play around with what works best for you.
4. Make note of how players 'Inspire' your team
Some players can inspire those around them
© Konami
New to PES 2020, some of your lads on the pitch will be able to 'Inspire' those around them. This is a new skill attributed to certain players that impacts the behaviour of those around them. If you’ve got an attacking midfielder that has the Dribble Through Inspire type, then his teammates will spread out, giving the player with the ball some room to get forward. Similarly, if the man in possession has the Low Pass Inspire type, then players will find space to receive the ball. Always have a look to see who are the inspirational figures on the pitch to get the most of your attacks.
5. Don’t forget about your youth team
Youth players can find themselves breaking into the main team
© Konami
Whitney always said she believed children were our future; while she may not have been directly referencing the youth team set-up in PES 2020, her words still ring true. You can quite easily find a teenager that’s worth your time in your own academy. As is the case with your first team, focus their playing style in training to get the best out of them. You can nurture these starlings further by giving them game time in the senior squad.
6. Tinker with budget settings
Look after the pennies and the pennies will look after you, or something
© Konami
PES 2020 gives you full control over your incomings -- gate receipts, merch sales, that type of thing -- which is great if you want to focus all your monetary efforts on increasing the salary budget at your club. On the other hand, if you’re failing to match the asking price of a prospective player, you can top up your transfer budget with ticket and shirt sales, if you so wish. This can be changed on the fly, meaning you can bump up your transfer budget going into a window and then adjust it when February comes.
7. Try to keep your best players
It sounds obvious, but losing your good players is a killer problem
© Konami
Release fees can be used to your advantage, but that also means other clubs can swoop in and take your better players, too, if they have the funds. While there’s little you can do to combat that, you can at least dissuade interested parties by setting the transfer policy of players you want to keep to Refuse All. Do that and you don’t have to keep rejecting bids for your superstars and only have to concern yourself with offers for those you’re open to offloading.
On the subject of the transfer market, it’s worthwhile to take a look at players who are north of 30. Valuations drop exponentially once a player hits the big three-oh, so you’ll frequently find world class players who can give you a couple of good seasons for a fraction of the price.
