PES 13 Master League Thread

[Jimmy G-Force]

Actually I might quit this ML and start a new one as Spurs. I've never done a ML in the English League before so it might be fun with Daymos' option file looking so good these days. It also offers a lot of editing opportunities which would be fun, like altering the kit from season to season, having them move to a new stadium after a season etc.

Sounds kind of fun...

Why not take a Championship team bud ? I swear by that option. It's handy, in a way, that my home team is actually in the Championship, but striving to get to the Premiership is always the most fun for me in ML. Then a UEFA spot if I'm lucky.

Even playing in the F.A. Cup against the EPL teams is a blast, I once got to the Semi-Finals before losing to Liverpool. In the very same season, I lost out on Promotion by a point on the very last day. A typical Boro season. Or so I thought.

Imagine my suprise when I checked the following years calender, to find that I'd secured a spot in the UEFA cup with my F.A. Cup run, due to the fact the other 3 teams in the Semi's had all qualified via their respective EPL standings. That was arguably, the most memorable moment in any PES ML I have ever had.

Those European nights at the Riverside were incredible, and although we got knocked out in the first round proper after the groups, to get that far with a division 2 team was a victory in itself.

On a different note, myself and my son continued our 2-player ML campaign last night, we had mixed results, but enjoyed every single second of every game. We have just reached the January transfer window and signed 4 players to bolster our squad and hopefully, somehow, get us into the top 3. We are lying 13th at present. We got battered in our last game against league leaders Hull, 4-1, but did take Sheffield Wednesday to the cleaners with a brilliant 5-0 drubbing.

Ledesma hit an absolute rocket from range, it almost hit the net before the keeper could fully react. There was also a beautiful 'Early Cross' pass that I swung right into the penalty spot danger-zone, tapping R2 after really slowed the ball up, and my son buried the loose ball. Class.

Playing PES with my son on two-player, is as close to having two versions of myself playing. I love it.

YouTube - Boro 5-0 Sheffield Wednesday

 

[Jimmy G-Force]

Here is another beautiful goal from our 2-Player ML campaign. The perfect counter attack from Boro is finished in emphatic fashion from the surging run and first time strike from stand-in captain, Leadbitter. Sometimes, the captains armband can have a really influential effect.

YouTube - The Perfect Counter Attack

I'm loving the new and improved long-range R2 curling controlled shots. Just to be able to pick this type of shot is beautiful in itself. A couple of R2 drag's and turns buys the space, then shot power at 3/4 then R2 produces the magical finish. ( A very dubious 'not interfering with play' call by the ref also. )

YouTube - The long range R2 Curler

 

[radha1]

I'm glad to see, or at least I'm hoping that, the dust has settled about the pre and post patch argument and everyone has now got their game straight (as much as that is possible) with their options file, etc....and we can move on to our ML campaigns. I hope this thread can start to get active...remember 2011's thread?

Great to hear about the Boro campaign with your son, Jimmy. And Suuuuupertalk, I know how much we love suffering with the defaults, but I would also recommend playing with a team of real players this year. After all, without sentimental favorites like Castolo and Minanda, you are basically going to spend the first two years getting rid of all but a few, core players whose names you can pronounce. I don't see the point---the game is hard enough already. Those youth team players you mentioned do show up when you start with a real team...

Well, I am nearing the end of my second season with Newcastle. We are 4 points back of the last Europa League spot with 6 games to play. Of course, the four teams ahead of me and the two teams below me are the 6 teams I have to play. Thank you, Konami, for making this as hard as possible! Unfortunately, my best midfielder, picked up in the offseason, Algadov (with the Long Ranger card and tremendous dribble precision--when in doubt, pass it to Algadov for safe-keeping) is out for the rest of the season. (side note: I keep the doctor at the second lowest tier to get some interesting and authentic injuries; next year, I may reduce that further).

We were crushed by Liverpool in the second round of the League Cup, rather embarrassingly actually, 3-0. But since then the team has really been motivated and we have two players in the top ten in scoring and one in assists. For the season, we have 5 clean sheets.

Aside from Algadov, I have signed two prospects at CB to replace the aging Coliccini (still a fine player though with decreasing statistics, mainly in speed and stamina--I won't sell him though, I think he will make a good substitute when we have the lead, especially considering his teamwork and mentality stats as well has his 7 for condition). The two new players are Ogbanna and Dragovic. If just one of them pans out to take the starting role, I'll be happy.

I was pleased to check my List of Targets after a recent game--Reto Zeigler was added. He's a great offensive minded LB with the Early Cross and CMF with the Long Ranger. He's been transfer listed and other teams are interested. Luckily I've got two empty slots on my roster, so I have begun negotiations. The other candidate is Schurrle who can play both wings and in the hole, and he is still very young.

Two odd notes: I finally made use of the Long Throw attribute by launching it to Cisse deep in the box, but instead of heading it to goal, I R2ed short pass which made him (amazingly) back-heel volley to Cabaye who poked it home. The other thing is that the Early Cross can be launched very, very early under certain circumstances. And frankly, the late cross is ineffective this year (thankfully) as the keepers always intervene. I think I've scored three times as much from early crosses as late crosses.

And finally--sorry this is so long, I've got insommnia and it's very early--I usually play a conservative 4-2-3-1 but when the stars align and Demba Ba and any two of Obertan, Ben Arfa, or Marveaux are in good form, I've played a weird 4-1-2-3. I set it up with a deep-lying DMF and two CMF in the circle, then put Ba as low as possible without making him a AMF and push the two WF as high as possible and slightly pinched. Then I play a kind of long-ball tactic. I've won 4 or 5 games with this formation. Basically, I do two things. I put on the Opposite Side tactic and I launch balls to Ba who is so low as to be in the hole between the cpu defensive line and their midfielders. He holds up play momentarily and sends it to the wingers (who have stuck to their sides because of the Opposite Side tactic) and I initiate the play's development from the wing. It's great when my sideback overlaps and then I have 2 v 1 on the wing. The other move is to have Ba hold up play and with the defense spread out to cover the wingers who are staying wide, he lays off to an onrushing CMF for a long-range blast. And for variation, if you remove the Opposite Side tactic, when Ba receives the ball, he often turns into a nominal AMF with two wingers cutting into the box. However, I don't score as much this way because my wingers aren't great shooters.

In short, for those playing with wingers, don't forget the Opposite Side tactic. It spreads the defense out for great effect.


--Good day!

 

[Suuuuupertalk]

Why not take a Championship team bud ?

I thought about that, but instead I've opted to restart my ML with my trusty ole' Benfica. I never finished my ML in PES2012 and never quite took them to European glory, so this time I intend to follow the job through!

I'm taking the ultra-tough option. Master League default players, zero passing assists and Superstar level. Gonna be a long road ahead....

Anyways I have the full licenced Portuguese League with teams and kits etc on my OF, Benfica look lovely with their official licences and stadium (even the ad-boards in the Estadio Da Luz are officially sponsored for some reason). I then edited the Div 2 teams to the relevant Portuguese Second Division, complete with Boavista, once giants who have fallen due to money woes.

Thanks to the Spanish stadium DLC I've assigned all teams from both divisions a varied and realistic number of stadiums, not including the most famous ones of course, so now the game looks better and more varied on away days too.

Anyways, I'm taking the scenario that Benfica are now fallen giants, out of the running for European glory for decades and now financial troubles have left them rattling around in an empty giant, state of the art stadium, in the second division, low crowds, and a team full of youth players and free transfers from the lower leagues (that's where the ML default players come in, hehe).

So, I've taken over, sold a couple of players for nearly £500,000 which is a good start. Promoted from the youth team are keepers Augustin and Kitzmaard, both very highly rated. In defence I now have a youth team CB pairing of Fighejlani rated 70, and Nouhei, again, who is a beast at 81. Nouhei is now my club captain at just 19.

In addition to these I have promoted CM Carlington, AMF Niellendner, and highly-rated striker Wroughllen.

Anyways, on to the beginning of the season, and my pre-season friendly ended on an absolute humiliation, losing 0-5 at the hands of Fenerbache. Perhaps I'm not quite at that level yet

First match of the season came away to Covilha, and though I was marginally the better side I ran out losing 2-0, a goal from a set piece and then a breakaway goal after I'd been reduced to ten men for a professional foul in the second half saw Benfica run out losers on the opening day. In fact I racked up three yellow cards and a red, not bad for one match

Second match, in the mist and rain, saw another away outing this time at Atletico CP. Benfica surpassed all early expectations to come away with a smash and grab away win by a massive 4-1 margin. Setting up my regular, reasonably attacking tactics, I then set my team line to just one bar and hit them on the break. Castolis bagged Benfica's first goal of the season with an absolute pearler, hit first time with no spin on the ball, and it flew into the net. Minutes later, Gellazca went one better with another rare attack and hit an absolute beauty, using R2, that curled away from the keeper and into the far corner. Atletic pulled one back before the break with slack marking from a through ball, before Minandinho then calmly slotted home midway through the second half to settle Benfica's nerves. Atletic were by that point banging their heads against a brick wall and ran out of steam, with the match finishing easily as Benfica held possession, and they duly notched a fourth goal. A free kick into the box from deep was met by CB Nouhei, up from the back, who nodded the ball across the face of goal and Neillendner emphatically volleyed home.

YouTube - PES2013

The ML defaults don't actually feel that bad now, either it's that or the other Div 2 teams are just as awful, but so far playing on Superstar with no assists at all isn't as tough going as I thought it would be!

 

[Suuuuupertalk]

Here is another beautiful goal from our 2-Player ML campaign. The perfect counter attack from Boro is finished in emphatic fashion from the surging run and first time strike from stand-in captain, Leadbitter. Sometimes, the captains armband can have a really influential effect.

YouTube - The Perfect Counter Attack

I'm loving the new and improved long-range R2 curling controlled shots. Just to be able to pick this type of shot is beautiful in itself. A couple of R2 drag's and turns buys the space, then shot power at 3/4 then R2 produces the magical finish. ( A very dubious 'not interfering with play' call by the ref also. )

YouTube - The long range R2 Curler

Nice goals Jimmy, R2 is amazing in this game. As I just showed in my last post, it seems even shitty ML default players like it too!

 

[Suuuuupertalk]

Well I just halted a terrible run of defeats at last, I must have lost around five in a row by absolute thumpings each time. This is hard.

Suddenly, I changed formation to the default Spurs formation, changed the team settings from my own custom ones to 'Possession' and I turned the form book around with a 5-1 drubbing away at Belenenses.

I don't really understand what's going on in this year's ML. I've played seven matches, I'm currently sitting in 14th place with two wins and five defeats, but I've scored 14 and conceded 16. Almost all of my matches have been crazy goal fests. 4-1, 3-1, 5-1, 2-2, 3-2 etc.

But a quick look around the rest of the league table is strange to say the least. No team apart from mine has scored more than 6 goals in 7 games, not even the league leaders. And virtually every team has conceded between 1 and 6 goals. Almost no-one else is scoring or conceding. Apart from me, where every game is a crazy goal fest.

Not sure what's going on with that.

 

[Me!TheRaven]

Oh yes, that. Let me just put it this way: it made me stop playing the atl. mineiro ml i had after 14 games. Best league scorer was my Jô with six goals, the 2nd had 5. Checked (do it) other leagues scorers, and left the ML in dismal,since... r-i-d-iculous...

 

[Jimmy G-Force]

I thought about that, but instead I've opted to restart my ML with my trusty ole' Benfica. I never finished my ML in PES2012 and never quite took them to European glory, so this time I intend to follow the job through!

I'm taking the ultra-tough option. Master League default players, zero passing assists and Superstar level. Gonna be a long road ahead....

Anyways I have the full licenced Portuguese League with teams and kits etc on my OF, Benfica look lovely with their official licences and stadium (even the ad-boards in the Estadio Da Luz are officially sponsored for some reason). I then edited the Div 2 teams to the relevant Portuguese Second Division, complete with Boavista, once giants who have fallen due to money woes.

Thanks to the Spanish stadium DLC I've assigned all teams from both divisions a varied and realistic number of stadiums, not including the most famous ones of course, so now the game looks better and more varied on away days too.

Anyways, I'm taking the scenario that Benfica are now fallen giants, out of the running for European glory for decades and now financial troubles have left them rattling around in an empty giant, state of the art stadium, in the second division, low crowds, and a team full of youth players and free transfers from the lower leagues (that's where the ML default players come in, hehe).

So, I've taken over, sold a couple of players for nearly £500,000 which is a good start. Promoted from the youth team are keepers Augustin and Kitzmaard, both very highly rated. In defence I now have a youth team CB pairing of Fighejlani rated 70, and Nouhei, again, who is a beast at 81. Nouhei is now my club captain at just 19.

In addition to these I have promoted CM Carlington, AMF Niellendner, and highly-rated striker Wroughllen.

Anyways, on to the beginning of the season, and my pre-season friendly ended on an absolute humiliation, losing 0-5 at the hands of Fenerbache. Perhaps I'm not quite at that level yet

First match of the season came away to Covilha, and though I was marginally the better side I ran out losing 2-0, a goal from a set piece and then a breakaway goal after I'd been reduced to ten men for a professional foul in the second half saw Benfica run out losers on the opening day. In fact I racked up three yellow cards and a red, not bad for one match

Second match, in the mist and rain, saw another away outing this time at Atletico CP. Benfica surpassed all early expectations to come away with a smash and grab away win by a massive 4-1 margin. Setting up my regular, reasonably attacking tactics, I then set my team line to just one bar and hit them on the break. Castolis bagged Benfica's first goal of the season with an absolute pearler, hit first time with no spin on the ball, and it flew into the net. Minutes later, Gellazca went one better with another rare attack and hit an absolute beauty, using R2, that curled away from the keeper and into the far corner. Atletic pulled one back before the break with slack marking from a through ball, before Minandinho then calmly slotted home midway through the second half to settle Benfica's nerves. Atletic were by that point banging their heads against a brick wall and ran out of steam, with the match finishing easily as Benfica held possession, and they duly notched a fourth goal. A free kick into the box from deep was met by CB Nouhei, up from the back, who nodded the ball across the face of goal and Neillendner emphatically volleyed home.

YouTube - PES2013

The ML defaults don't actually feel that bad now, either it's that or the other Div 2 teams are just as awful, but so far playing on Superstar with no assists at all isn't as tough going as I thought it would be!

Awesome result and some beautifully taken goals there buddy.

 

[xPJRx]

some choice goals from my first 2 ML seasons as my made up Milton keynes team
YouTube - MKFC PES 2013 ML Goals Pt1

 

[Suuuuupertalk]

Awesome result and some beautifully taken goals there buddy.

Cheers Jimmy

This is so difficult, Superstar, zero assists and default ML players is impossible. I'm currently losing nearly every game 3-0. I'm third from bottom, with three wins, one draw, eight defeats, with 27 goals conceded. My defenders just don't mark players. In fact I'm constantly struggling to stop them from running the other way when they should be marking in the penalty area when a cross is about to come in.

I can't even improve the squad, every single attempt at a transfer for anyone remotely better than what I already have gets rejected straight away.

Dunno what to do to improve it really. I'm sticking with my settings as I'm now determined to beat the game, but there's no light at the end of the tunnel so far!

 

[klashman69]

I've been doing some dubbed down master leagues, or makeshift league modes with a few teams, enjoyable but i think an update could be needed in terms of AI selection.

The AI too highly strung up on form. You will always play against a team of players on usually orange arrows or green with one or two values, even if they are key players, they leave them out if on a blue.

When people talk of 'scripting' and cheating its all the arrows, it adds a lot to PES, i feel Konami really still should consider tweaking the sliders so they will look to play their stronger teams a little more frequently.

Haven't started a proper master league yet, i did a nice one with WE United, which was fun, all int he fake world. I might even do a patch, but, nobody seems to use those teams,they just patch over them lol.

 

[Suuuuupertalk]

Well my default players on Superstar with zero assists is a complete joke. I love the game on these settings with regular teams but this ML so far has been the worst experience I've had yet. 14 games played, nearly 40 goals conceded. I've lost six in a row by three goals or more, the last match and possibly the final straw came with a 5-0 drubbing with three of the five goals coming in ludicrous, comedy fashion. I'm talking defenders running away and dispersing from their own six-yard box in all directions just as a cross comes in, back passes to the keeper that travel a few inches for no good reason with the guy doing the pass then running away and leaving the striker to collect the ball and score. My default players can't even seem to change direction when running without stumbling or tripping over the ball.

I've never seen anything like it. Why Konami have changed the default players and made it so that they can't function on the pitch is beyond me. Three or four goals a game are conceded made because I can't stop the CPU from forcing my off the ball players from running away in multiple directions just as a through ball or cross is played in.

Last six games, I think I've lost six, scored one, conceded twenty.

 

[Suuuuupertalk]

Now on a ten match losing streak, took the lead in the second minute only to find myself 4-1 down at half time, the CPU plays a pass into my box which I anticipate and block off, only to find the ball just passes through my defender and finds its target anyways....

Next match, I alter my formation to 3-5-2 which works wonders in plugging up my defence, I have the better of the game and restrict the CPU to zero efforts on goal by about The 75th minute. Then the CPU decides to thrash home a Roberto Carlos-style free kick from 35 yards out. 1-0, out of nothing.

I push forwards in search of an equaliser I clearly deserved, and then in the 85th minute, up steps the CPU to thrash home ANOTHER 35-yard free kick. 2-0. Ten defeats on the spin, now 42 goals conceded in 16 matches.

This is borderline unplayable. I'm sure someone will say drop the difficulty or play without ML defaults but I really want to turn this around.

 

[gomito#10]

Yeah mate I'm playing one with real sociedad and its hard as shit! Even if you sign good players there teamwork stat is shit. I started another one with bayern Munich and I'm kicking ass. In one sense it is realistic, real sociedad will fight for survival in la liga and bayern will be at the top of bundles liga in real life... But it does take some of the fun out, tonight I'm going to have a brewsky and start a new ML with lazio or Napoli and yairs patch....

 

[klashman69]

Now on a ten match losing streak, took the lead in the second minute only to find myself 4-1 down at half time, the CPU plays a pass into my box which I anticipate and block off, only to find the ball just passes through my defender and finds its target anyways....

Next match, I alter my formation to 3-5-2 which works wonders in plugging up my defence, I have the better of the game and restrict the CPU to zero efforts on goal by about The 75th minute. Then the CPU decides to thrash home a Roberto Carlos-style free kick from 35 yards out. 1-0, out of nothing.

I push forwards in search of an equaliser I clearly deserved, and then in the 85th minute, up steps the CPU to thrash home ANOTHER 35-yard free kick. 2-0. Ten defeats on the spin, now 42 goals conceded in 16 matches.

This is borderline unplayable. I'm sure someone will say drop the difficulty or play without ML defaults but I really want to turn this around.

Master league is really, really hard this year for anything other than a big team. The Arrows are playing far too much of a role in the gameplay, the CPU have an obsession of ONLY picking players with decent form, regardless of talent.

If you feel the AI has too much advantage, not at all, it's just the arrows, i thrashed Lyon 4-0 with Fulham's second team. purely because i had 4 attacking players and a center back on red arrows. Karagounis Scored a hat trick, great hat trick and all.

 

[gomito#10]

I wonder if the patchers can make all from arrows green... I started my ml with lazio using mikelummy tactics for serie a, yair mod with pjp patch and Jenkeys gameplay dll off, -2 speed, 0 assistance, and using psd stats, top player. Won first game 3-1 vs Atlanta. Great game the lazio teamwork stat is pretty high, klose makes darting runs into space that shitty forwards don't make, it really Is such a difference...

 

[Jimmy G-Force]

some choice goals from my first 2 ML seasons as my made up Milton keynes team
YouTube - MKFC PES 2013 ML Goals Pt1

Nice goals mate, enjoyed that. I spotted the attempted Sombrero on 0.22 seconds. Or at least it looked like what happens, when the player can't do the Sombrero. Instead he flicks it up forward, it can set up some great goals to be fair.

I can't agree on the all Green Arrows though, I love the difference, good or bad. You need that Form option within a football simulation in my opinion.

Also LT, when you play with fire, you have to expect to get burnt from time to time. And to be honest mate, with those settings, your dead slap back in the middle of a firestorm.

 

[Suuuuupertalk]

Also LT, when you play with fire, you have to expect to get burnt from time to time. And to be honest mate, with those settings, your dead slap back in the middle of a firestorm.

LOL very true. I'm very much aware that I'm the one choosing to do this, and I'm gonna persist. I'm of the mindset that I really wanna turn this thing around. If I do manage to build a team that can compete with these settings then the sense of achievement would be great.

 

[xPJRx]

Cheers Jimmy - the 0.22 goal was simply an R3 flick just before my CF received the ball as i anticipated being closed down quickly, it wasn't a sombrero attempt, which i have pulled off a couple of times only to have had the ball intercepted by the CPU.

Suuuupertalk - are you LTFC in disguise?!!? the Luton badge gives it away, there surely can only be one of you ;-)
those are some harsh settings mate - good luck!!!

 

[Jimmy G-Force]

Cheers Jimmy - the 0.22 goal was simply an R3 flick just before my CF received the ball as i anticipated being closed down quickly, it wasn't a sombrero attempt, which i have pulled off a couple of times only to have had the ball intercepted by the CPU.

Suuuupertalk - are you LTFC in disguise?!!? the Luton badge gives it away, there surely can only be one of you ;-)
those are some harsh settings mate - good luck!!!

Yeah I thought it was R3, and LT and ST are one of the same.

 

[Suuuuupertalk]

Cheers Jimmy - the 0.22 goal was simply an R3 flick just before my CF received the ball as i anticipated being closed down quickly, it wasn't a sombrero attempt, which i have pulled off a couple of times only to have had the ball intercepted by the CPU.

Suuuupertalk - are you LTFC in disguise?!!? the Luton badge gives it away, there surely can only be one of you ;-)
those are some harsh settings mate - good luck!!!

Yep that's me mate!

Cheers, I must be a masochist in this difficulty. I'm beginning to think winning on these settings with the ML defaults is impossible. How I won three of my first six matches I'll never know, the game's gone into overdrive against me.

I'm now a the halfway stage of the season, on a huge losing streak. My last eight matches reads P8 W0 D0 L8. Scored 3, conceded 28.

It's virtually impossible.

I'm signing LB Gilnica, RMF Sropca and CF Lawan in the transfer window, and gonna try and improve the midfield, it's non-existent. I might even go with the tactic of playing Wroughllen and Lawan up front, going long ball and bypassing the midfield altogether. Not my style at all but I need to do something. I try passing the ball to a team mate and he'll actively look to run away from the pass whereas the CPU homes in on the ball like a laser.

 

[Suuuuupertalk]

Well, the January window opened and I made a host of signings, spending the £800,000 I had in the bank in the process. In came Gilnica at LB, RM Sropca and AMC Fellype Gabriel from Brazilian side Botafogo. Up front, I introduced new signing Lawan, signed from Nordsjaelland. I also signed SW Djaumorac and DMF Mircolan from the youth team.

Out of the side went star youth prospect Nouhei, as I realised that his teamwork stats need drastic overhauls or he'll never make it for Benfica. I realised that a number of my players, especially at the back, had teamwork stats of 40-50. I've swapped some defenders with lesser stats but better teamwork, and it seems to have worked.

First game after the signings, and I won 4-1 to end a huge run of losses. Fellype Gabriel ran the show, finishing off a top debut by rounding the keeper to score late on. Lawan also netted on his debut.

Next up, I very harshly lost 3-0, but the next game away at Oliveirense, I came from behind to win 2-1, with Lawan equalising and then new star player Fellype Gabriel hammering home from the edge of the box to seal an away win.

That has seen me now fourth from bottom, but I have now extended my gap over the bottom club to ten points.

I've noticed though that some of my players recently signed have their teamwork stats dramatically lower than before I signed them. There doesn't seem to be any sign of teamwork increasing, yet there seems to be no training to specifically improve it like last year. Does anyone know how to improve it? Playing the same players each week doesn't seem to be doing anything.

 

[radha1]

Well, the January window opened and I made a host of signings, spending the £800,000 I had in the bank in the process. In came Gilnica at LB, RM Sropca and AMC Fellype Gabriel from Brazilian side Botafogo. Up front, I introduced new signing Lawan, signed from Nordsjaelland. I also signed SW Djaumorac and DMF Mircolan from the youth team.

Out of the side went star youth prospect Nouhei, as I realised that his teamwork stats need drastic overhauls or he'll never make it for Benfica. I realised that a number of my players, especially at the back, had teamwork stats of 40-50. I've swapped some defenders with lesser stats but better teamwork, and it seems to have worked.

First game after the signings, and I won 4-1 to end a huge run of losses. Fellype Gabriel ran the show, finishing off a top debut by rounding the keeper to score late on. Lawan also netted on his debut.

Next up, I very harshly lost 3-0, but the next game away at Oliveirense, I came from behind to win 2-1, with Lawan equalising and then new star player Fellype Gabriel hammering home from the edge of the box to seal an away win.

That has seen me now fourth from bottom, but I have now extended my gap over the bottom club to ten points.

I've noticed though that some of my players recently signed have their teamwork stats dramatically lower than before I signed them. There doesn't seem to be any sign of teamwork increasing, yet there seems to be no training to specifically improve it like last year. Does anyone know how to improve it? Playing the same players each week doesn't seem to be doing anything.

I picked up a very average LB on the cheap in the first transfer window with Schalke and his teamwork stat dropped down to 42. I'm three games into my second year and he has just now reached 46. He plays almost every game. The magic number seems to be 56 or 58. Once a player reaches that level he seems to achieve tactical awareness. There's a reason my top-scoring striker has a teamwork stat of 78. He just seems to know where to stand but he's not the most highly rated striker on the team. The teamwork stat is very unforgiving this year. Even my Youth Team players arrive with reduced stats, but mostly they are above that 56 number. That's what makes Nouhei and that Welsh striker a kind of fools gold. On my ML both arrived with teamwork stats in the 40s. Both were released. It is the indispensable stat...

 

[Suuuuupertalk]

That's what makes Nouhei and that Welsh striker a kind of fools gold. On my ML both arrived with teamwork stats in the 40s. Both were released. It is the indispensable stat...

Certainly seems to be that way, yeah Nouhei has been jettisoned from the side altogether even though his overall rating is now 83. His tackling is brilliant, but that does him no good whatsoever when a cross comes in and he's five yards the wrong side of the attacker.

My two CBs had teamwork ratings in their 40s which must explain how poor my defensive record has been. Since replacing them with 60 rated CBs with teamwork in the 60s, it's been miles better.

But there must be a way of improving teamwork stats, I signed a guy from the youth team with teamwork of 75 and he's immediately dropped down to 45, with nothing seemingly able to improve it.

 

[radha1]

Certainly seems to be that way, yeah Nouhei has been jettisoned from the side altogether even though his overall rating is now 83. His tackling is brilliant, but that does him no good whatsoever when a cross comes in and he's five yards the wrong side of the attacker.

My two CBs had teamwork ratings in their 40s which must explain how poor my defensive record has been. Since replacing them with 60 rated CBs with teamwork in the 60s, it's been miles better.

But there must be a way of improving teamwork stats, I signed a guy from the youth team with teamwork of 75 and he's immediately dropped down to 45, with nothing seemingly able to improve it.

Well, I've been tracking the training options. You know in your squad list you can see each players speed of development per stat. Those grey bars filling up. So, in my training I have my very young team almost maxed out on stamina training and the others (shooting, passing, defense, dribbling, speed and power) on just one or two bars. And in my squad list after a few weeks, I do see that stamina is increasing more quickly than other stats. You know how 'speed' helps with Responsiveness, Top Speed, etc. I thought maybe 'passing' would increase Teamwork. After maxing passing out and reducing all others to one or two bars, I notice no increase in the rate for teamwork. Damn if I figure this out. Playing them often does not help. My LB is in the starting eleven. He still hasn't reached 49.

 

[gomito#10]

Yeah I think team work is really key this year... More then any other year... But it might be fucked up and not increasing...

 

[EvolutionSwede]

What I've noticed through my three different ML campaigns so far is that sometime after the second season is when the team starts to click, teamwork wise. The first season is usually horrible and with the new signings that the second season brings, that will be a tough one too. But by the third year they start making runs and understand each other on the pitch.

 

[Suuuuupertalk]

I had a look at the teamwork stats of the ML default players when you first start the game, and with the exception of three players, over half a season later and their teamwork stats are completely unchanged. Three of my players have increased by just one point in that area.

This is really, really dumb. I sign a player from Brazil, and while he has been pretty good for me, his teamwork stat remains at 51 when it was 70 before I signed him.

Now, in PES2012 this was fine because if that player got settled into the side with regular games, his teamwork would quickly shoot back up to his regular number again. This was a nice feature, meaning players had to have a bedding-in period after signing.

But this doesn't happen in PES2013. Their teamwork stats plummet by over 20 points when they sign for you, and it seems like from my game that it takes 15-20 consecutive first team starts just to increase that total by just one point. By the time my new signing gets back up to teamwork of 70 it'll be time for him to retire, or I'd have sold him on by then.

This must be a bug. There are no teamwork related training options unlike last year, and there aren't even any teamwork related items you can buy in the shop. Playing players regularly doesn't do anything to change their stats, so what do you do? What's the point of signing a new player if his teamwork, which is so vital in this game, plummets and never goes back to normal?

 

[gomito#10]

I agree WTF has Konami done here

 

[Suuuuupertalk]

Yeah there are other people on other forums asking the same question. WTF have Konami done here. It's pathetic quite frankly. According to Konami, it takes a new player 4-5 seasons, playing week in, week out to 'bed-in' to their new side. It must be bugged.

I'm on the verge of quitting my ML now, there are so many issues I'm finding with the game now that it's rendering it un-enjoyable to play, at least with ML defaults. I can be strolling with the ball at my feet, and the player will just disconnect from the ball and run past it. Occasionally, I'll try and perform a simple pass and my ML defaults will firstly wait ages before actually performing the action, but they'll then tread on the ball and fall over, leaving the CPU to gather the ball. I keep conceding goals where I'm being tackled in defence because the defenders are slow to perform actions. With the defaults there is noticeable button lag and instances where the power bar remains charged but the player just doesn't do anything until he gets tackled in front of his own goal.

I was getting thrashed every match in my ML, then I signed some players and marginally improved the squad, became more aware of how vital the teamwork stats are, and now the game has shifted from just plain old thrashing me to catching me on the counter attack and scoring with however many efforts on target it can muster. I've counted that in my last five ML matches, I've had a grand total of 38 shots on target, scoring 3 goals. The CPU has had a total of 12 shots on target, scoring 11 goals. W. T. F.

Possibly the final straw was losing a game 1-0 when I totally dominated the game, then conceded a pathetic goal where the clear button refused to do anything what must have been around 10 times I pressed it. That, and the ball defied the laws of physics. I'm gonna post the video in the other thread.

The game frankly cheats when you use ML defaults. I want to play the game with Benfica, in the Portuguese Leauge, and I want to build a new team from scratch with the small funds it allows. I'm being left with the option of starting with the regular Benfica team which is better than virtually all the other teams before you even start, AND with the club having tons of money to improve trainers, buy new players etc. There's no challenge there.

Combine that with the realisation that building a team from scratch is virtually impossible because teamwork stats are totally fucked, and I can't see any point in playing it to be honest. What a waste. The regular game with decent teams is awesome.