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The 5 best formations to use in PES 2019
All the formations you need to guide your team to glory, complete with tactical tips.
Pro Evolution Soccer has long been cited as a franchise that focuses heavily on tactics, with a multitude of ways to customise how your team plays. All of these options make a big difference to your players’ performance levels, from setting specific tactical instructions, to making small position changes on the pitch.
Of course, some formations and tactical instructions work better than others. You’ll need to combine the best of both worlds to achieve success in Master League and beyond, so here are some top tips to help you along the way.
3-2-4-1
Hold X/A to manually move your wide midfielders when necessary
© Sports Interactive
The 3-2-4-1, which also serves as England’s default tactic in PES 2019, offers a great deal of balance in the midfield.
England adopt a less attacking version of the 3-2-4-1 – pushing the wide midfielders slightly further back – which we suggest opting for, too. This allows quick and defensively proficient players to assist in quelling opposition attacks, whilst still providing regular attacking support.
Due to the lack of defensive width, it’s worth assigning tight marking instructions to any particularly lethal opposition wingers. It’s also a good idea to set defensive containment area instructions to ‘middle’, forcing the other team to attack more centrally.
Pros:
- Excellent depth in midfield
- Overwhelms the opposition in central areas
Cons:
- Easily countered with pacy wingers
- Wide midfielders require high stamina
4-1-2-3
You should score plenty of goals with this tactic
© Konami
This formation is a variant of the 4-3-3, and can be particularly effective when chasing late goals due to its attacking nature.
Expect to create plenty of goalscoring chances via the two AMFs and wingers supporting your striker up front. This allows your CF to excel with the ‘false no. 9’ advanced instruction, holding up the play as the rest of your attack surges forward.
The obvious weakness is in central midfield, with just one DMF supporting the last line of defence. It’s worth equipping an ‘all-out defence’ style as a result, encouraging your players to fall back when out of possession.
Pros:
- Superb choice for attack-minded players
- Creates plenty of goalscoring chances
Cons:
- Can be overrun in the midfield
- Requires a highly-competent DMF
4-2-3-1
Two defensive midfielders are employed in this formation
© Konami
The 4-2-3-1 presents a similar structure to the aforementioned 4-1-2-3, but with a less attacking emphasis for the most part.
This time, the two wingers are converted into wide midfielders, and an AMF is sacrificed to accommodate a defensive midfielder. This favours building from the back, using the ‘short pass’ instruction with ‘wide’ build-up to create attacking chances.
Despite the slightly reduced focus in attack, you can always fit the ‘attacking’ or ‘false full backs’ advanced instructions to increase your numbers going forward. This is another formation that adapts well to the ‘false no. 9’ instruction, particularly when using a physical centre forward.
Pros:
- Works well with short passing
- Benefits from additional DMF support
Cons:
- Tendency to leave gaps in central midfield
- Relies heavily on your AMF
4-2-2-2
The 4-2-2-2 (shown here with Inter) uses a second striker behind the CF
© Konami
If you're looking for a formation that prioritises a balanced approach, this variant of the 4-4-2 is an effective choice.
The idea is to play off your wide midfielders, getting the ball out wide and spraying crosses into the box. As a result, equipping the ‘centring targets’ advanced instruction can aid your team’s aerial threat going forward.
The 4-2-2-2 is somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades formation, so playing a patient, possession-based game can work well. This approach can be equipped in the attacking style section of the instructions menu, and it’s also worth setting your attacking area to ‘wide’.
Pros:
- A highly-balanced formation
- Suits teams with skilled wide players
Cons:
- Needs star CMs to work effectively
- Doesn’t excel in any one area of the pitch
5-2-2-1
The 5-2-2-1 requires pacy wide players for launching counter-attacks
© Sports Interactive
If you're in need of a defensive-minded formation with counter-attacking potential, the 5-2-2-1 is particularly efficient.
The idea behind this formation is to soak up opposition pressure. You’re afforded few numbers in attack, so fitting your wide midfielder slots with fast, skilled attackers is crucial. You’ll want to adopt a ‘counter attack’ attacking style when pushing to score, too.
Defensively, the goal is to get as many bodies behind the ball as possible. This suits an ‘all out defence’ style, complete with conservative pressuring. However, when in need of goals, utilise the ‘attacking full backs’ advanced instruction to assist in breaking forward.
Pros:
- Perfect for soaking up pressure
- Can surprise opponents on the counter-attack
Cons:
- Offers relatively little going forward
- Requires a patient approach
