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Advanced tactics, super cancel and training are the key to success in PES 2017.
PES is back, and it's the best it has ever been. Of the many new features in PES 2017, football fans will enjoy the improved artificial intelligence of the players, more fluid passing and messing around with Advanced Tactics.
Players will have to adjust to the changes as they relearn how to play PES, but we can help make the transition to the new game easier with our five top tips. As in real life, there are many different ways to play the beautiful game, and you may develop your own style over time, but follow these tips and you'll start winning matches.
1. Use Advanced Tactics
During one of the community days we attended, Konami stressed the importance of Advanced Tactics. Setting the style of play not only organises the players, but it gives you a clear idea of how to play, meaning you can go into a match with confidence.
For example, if you play as Manchester United, it's a good idea to play Zlatan as a lone striker, flanked by two very quick wingers. Then you can use the Target Man tactic, while also playing a deep line so that nothing can get behind your defence.
Of course, you won't be the only one setting up your team with Advanced Tactics, so it's important to have a back up plan. This can be set at the same time as the initial set of instructions and can be changed on the fly using L2 (PS4) and the directional buttons. This way, if your initial plan isn’t working, you can easily change the plan and find another way to win the match.
2. Use Super Cancel
Super Cancel is very useful. By pressing the two trigger buttons at the same time. you can cancel the action your player was about to perform, and even alter the direction of their run. This may seem like a way to cancel mistakes, but you can use this trick to gain control of your players and run where you want to rather than where the game has programmed players to move.
In football games, defenders can be programmed to chase after the ball, but it could more more advantageous to run into space to get a better angle to make a block.
Super Cancel is also really useful for cancelling a pass when you've pressed the button, but realise that it was the wrong ball to play. It is a really effective way of gaining advantages over AI and user-controlled teams. It really does make a big difference.
3. How to defend
Defending in PES 2017 is easy to pick up, but difficult to master. Learning how to defend well makes a big difference as you'll be punished for mistakes when playing at a higher difficulty level.
Many players are reliant on holding down X to chase the opposition and holding Square to call a second man, but this can drag your team out of shape and present huge holes for the other team to exploit.
These buttons can be useful, but knowing when to use them is key. Controlling the player manually is recommended as you'll be able to cut off the space, enabling you to make interceptions or force the opposition into making a mistake.
You'll still need to use X to tackle though! Pressing X at the right time (more on that soon) will enable your defender to make a crucial standing tackle and allow you to start your own attacks. However, get it wrong and it’s likely you’ll be left stranded and will have to swap to another player to clean up after you! However, this is probably better than making a sliding tackle with Circle.
Mistime a sliding tackle and you could easily get a red card. The referees in PES are not afraid to hand out a card or two and sliding tackles are punished if not well timed.
So how do you time a tackle perfectly? It's all about patience, backing up into space and waiting for the attackers to make a move before hitting X to put your foot in. Remember not to sprint too much when defending as it can cause your players to be off balance when making a tackle.
As for those sliding tackles, if you really need to make one, ensure you don’t need to gather too much ground before sliding in. Don't slide in if you're directly behind the attacker or if you don't have a clear view of the ball.
If you don’t feel like you're in the position to make a clear tackle, it is worth holding off and applying pressure by holding X to outmuscle the attacker or force a mishit pass, cross or shot.
4. Learn how to score in Training Mode
It is so easy to skip over tutorials and training modes in games these days as we are impatient to get stuck into the game! However, if you’re serious about playing PES and want to conquer the hardest settings and beat the toughest opposition, knowing the nuances of the game is vital.
It starts off nice and easy with basic passing, shooting, dribbling and tackling, but you'll move on to more advanced techniques like using the right stick to create space and perform tricks. You'll even get a chance to learn more shot types like a knuckleball.
It is also extremely useful for becoming proficient at set pieces. Take time to practise and try different angles as this will help you learn many different ways to score from a free kick.
5. Look beyond the OVR stats
It's easy to look at the OVR stats to judge the ability of a player over another. While the OVR gives you a guide to a player's overall ability, it could be that someone with a lower OVR is better at a specific job for your team. For example, say you have two centre-forwards who are rated at 80 and 83 – the player with 83 could have better abilities all round, but the striker with 80 could have a higher finishing stat, which, ultimately is more important in this role.
Studying individual stats will yield much better results than just sticking to OVR ratings. A good example is Manchester United's Anthony Martial – he is not listed as a winger in PES 2017, and has a low OVR when you play him out wide, but thanks to his balance and speed stats, he always performs well when you play him there.
Picking players with good individual stats and a tactical system which suits their abilities will give you a big chance of success in this year's game. Luisão is a very big and slow centre back, but if you play him in his natural position and use the deep defensive Advanced Tactic, he will thrive as there won't be any space in behind the defence, and he's big and strong enough to deal with any aerial threats. It sounds a bit boring to focus on individual stats but it makes a huge difference.
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