Top Player ML with Average or Poor Team

[Sminky]

Every year upon PES's release I pick an average to Poor team and set out on Top player, most years I actually finish around 3 or 4th in the league and although challenging, its just not challenging enough.

Well, this is year is different! Started a ML as Stoke City on Top Player. My stats read after 6 games

Won: ZERO
Drawn: One
Lost: FIVE
Conceded: 10
Scored: 5

How are other people getting on? It can't just be me which is seeing such a harsh change in fortune. I played Man Utd and twice battled back to equalise and yet on each occasion of equalising Man Utd flew through the gears to find another goal. I was tearing my hair out!

 

[simononestop]

i started with villa and original players

played 7
Lost 7

I havnt even scored yet!!!!!
im getting pretty pissed off!!!

last game 28 shots 15 on target no goals!!!!!

plus some blinding tackles where i get the ball and it goes off the direction i kick it eg opposite to player yellow card!!! WTF

 

[Sminky]

Through ball hell!

i started with villa and original players

played 7
Lost 7

I havnt even scored yet!!!!!
im getting pretty pissed off!!!

last game 28 shots 15 on target no goals!!!!!

plus some blinding tackles where i get the ball and it goes off the direction i kick it eg opposite to player yellow card!!! WTF

I'm finding scoring ok, when put through on goal, its creating the chances I find hard!

My biggest frustration is the perfection of every through pass by the AI on top player, Jose Enrique (Yes, the Newcastle LEFT BACK!) played the pass of the season so far against me, outside of his left boot, carved my defence apart for Gutierrez to score. These passes are almost undefendable.

I'm picking up yellow cards for hacking players just to avoid the dreaded through ball!

 

[simononestop]

im getting hacked off with players just stopping shoulder to shoulder on goal my player just stoppes.

Also corners are a lottery only way they score against me or my defender missing a clearance kick.

the biggest anoyance at the mo is this free passing!!!

its only free when i dont want it to!! then my player just doesent get to it every time. or it goes out??

 

[Sminky]

Yeah, the responsiveness of defenders combined with the responsiveness of the cursor change make defending through balls with average players tougher than I could have expected. Sometimes a CPU controlled Defender on your team becomes locked into a reaching for an interception animation no where near the ball meaning any nearby player can pretty much stroll through and score. Whenever I take the lead in a game I'm guaranteed to lose, I just can't find a strategy that keeps me defensively sound.

I'm loading the new WENB file back onto my PS3, once done I'm going to start a new ML on Top Player with Stoke. I'm going to keep a diary on here of how many games I'm beaten by the dreaded through ball. The only game I lost to a goal other than a through ball was a header from a corner!

 

[Danny1234567]

Playing with the defaults, it's fine for the first half. However, go into the second half with a lead and the CPU just steps it up into 6th gear and it's panic stations for the remainder of the game. Especially in the last 15 mins as 75% of my team will be exhausted, I end up just pumping it long again and again.

Only thing I really despise is the automatic slide tackles, I've conceeded 3 freekicks because the CPU decided to chop down a player for me outside the box.

 

[Sminky]

As bad as the automatic slide tackles are, there are times when they have saved me from a certain through ball being played in. To be honest I'm getting loads of free kicks awarded against me because I'm finding defending such a challenge. Getting the timing right on the shoulder barging, block tackles etc.

You're spot on about the AI racing through the gears, I don't know how to counter it when I'm using players like Salif Diao and Danny Higginbottom!

I'm conceding so many late goals in each half. In my first three games I've conceded goals in the 45th and 90th minute, even tweaking my game style doesn't seem to stop this.

 

[simononestop]

OMG i scored!! well awsome play and strike saved as usual by the goalie actually after 8 games bounced to my other striker to put in an empty net!! and against AJAX? just before i hit the top corner bar and post with a superbe volley.

one thing that does nark me is i make a great interception my player takes 1 touch to intercept. then the compute nicks the ball happens all the time. i just nick a touch off the player and then they take it??

 

[Sminky]

OMG i scored!! well awsome play and strike saved as usual by the goalie actually after 8 games bounced to my other striker to put in an empty net!! and against AJAX? just before i hit the top corner bar and post with a superbe volley.

one thing that does nark me is i make a great interception my player takes 1 touch to intercept. then the compute nicks the ball happens all the time. i just nick a touch off the player and then they take it??

Nice one son! For all its flaws scoring on PES is almost orgasmic (Perhaps I need help!) When Kenwyne Jones scored my first equalizer against Man Utd I did a little celebratory dance!

When it comes to defending using a weaker team I've come to realise you just have to leather the ball up pitch, playing out of defence with certain teams isn't always too effective. If in doubt, smack it out of play!

 

[Sminky]

By the way, if you want to add me on PSN, key Sminky_Pinky, I'm more of an off-line player but I will play others if requested.

 

[Hunter]

I'm experiencing the opposite I'm afraid. The last few PES games I'd genuinely struggle when starting the ML, like yourselves, and I'd often finish midtable in my first season in Division 2. On PES 2011 though, it doesn't seem to be the case, but I hope this is purely down to the strength of the opposition as opposed to the game being too easy.

I've created my team (La Rochelle) and I'm playing with the good ole Ordaz, Minanda etc, although I've made one or two signings, mostly average young players and brought through two youth players also. I'm currently 2nd in the league with WE United above me by 3 points. I've won 13, drew 6 and lost 3. I've only scored 20 goals however and conceded 7 while WE United above me by an extra 3 points have scored 45 but conceded 18. My top goalscorer is currently Ordaz with 6 with Minanda being my assist leader with 5.

I find scoring difficult as you can tell, but the AI can be so poor at times that some of the goals come through their mistakes as much as through my play. I'm genuinely somewhat disappointed I'm doing well as realistically I'd rather struggle for at least a season, even more before finding my feet and being promoted as it prolongs the ML. I just chose the PES League (I think) as the Division 2 and Ligue 1 as the first division since my created team is French.

If my data such as my team emblem and created chest logo sponsors get wiped though when downloading Daymos' Xbox 360 option file these next days then I'll probably just start again, but with another custom team with an English sounding team name since I'll opt for the Coca-Cola Championship and Premier League as the ML divisions of course.

 

[simononestop]

cool nice on me too i play mainly off line. but will add you.
i need to get on the pes gaming community do you know the settings.

2 more anoying things that stupid view when you kick off i keep passing to the opposition i can see if the player has already kicked off.

and how do you not put a pass as a through ball it keeps doing it with X when i just want to pass straight to my player!! if it a power thing man thats hard to get to grips with it seems random

 

[Sminky]

I'm experiencing the opposite I'm afraid. The last few PES games I'd genuinely struggle when starting the ML, like yourselves, and I'd often finish midtable in my first season in Division 2. On PES 2011 though, it doesn't seem to be the case, but I hope this is purely down to the strength of the opposition as opposed to the game being too easy.

I've created my team (La Rochelle) and I'm playing with the good ole Ordaz, Minanda etc, although I've made one or two signings, mostly average young players and brought through two youth players also. I'm currently 2nd in the league with WE United above me by 3 points. I've won 13, drew 6 and lost 3. I've only scored 20 goals however and conceded 7 while WE United above me by an extra 3 points have scored 45 but conceded 18. My top goalscorer is currently Ordaz with 6 with Minanda being my assist leader with 5.

I find scoring difficult as you can tell, but the AI can be so poor at times that some of the goals come through their mistakes as much as through my play. I'm genuinely somewhat disappointed I'm doing well as realistically I'd rather struggle for at least a season, even more before finding my feet and being promoted as it prolongs the ML. I just chose the PES League (I think) as the Division 2 and Ligue 1 as the first division since my created team is French.

If my data such as my team emblem and created chest logo sponsors get wiped though when downloading Daymos' Xbox 360 option file these next days then I'll probably just start again, but with another custom team with an English sounding team name since I'll opt for the Coca-Cola Championship and Premier League as the ML divisions of course.

There's a good chance the official konami patch will obliterate the fan made option files so its a case of getting my ML started again prior to the download so I can at least enjoy the ML with the old data.

I've started straight out in the prem as being stoke I didn't fancy a season of sparring with Wondergine and the likes but despite dominating matches possession wise, I'm getting slaughtered by teams. I was drawing 1-1 with Man City, absolutely battering them, had two chances to score but couldn't put either away thanks to poor passing and lo and behold Man City score two late goals (Adebayor got a hat-trick). It felt like daylight robbery, I'd knocked on the door all game and got robbed. I know thats how it works sometime in Football but the 3rd goal was a joke my defender got locked into the ball clearing animation and Adebayor just waltzed in to score.

Maybe its my style of play, it might not be compatible with the team style but I have genuinely struggled to get the best of my Stoke team. I drew 0-0 against Birmingham with Stoke City the other night in an aborted ML (new option file became available) but that was thanks to using Italy's 4-5-1 formation, I flooded midfield and nullified their threat yet Phillips still had two gilt edged chances thanks to the wizard through balls the AI can muster. I don't mind losing, but its losing to the same through ball every time thats frustrating.

 

[Sminky]

cool nice on me too i play mainly off line. but will add you.
i need to get on the pes gaming community do you know the settings.

2 more anoying things that stupid view when you kick off i keep passing to the opposition i can see if the player has already kicked off.

and how do you not put a pass as a through ball it keeps doing it with X when i just want to pass straight to my player!! if it a power thing man thats hard to get to grips with it seems random

Sorry mate, I'm not sure about the settings I'm still a relative newbie to this lark, there may be a thread on it though.

Kick off is a bit odd on this version, I don't know about you, but sometimes I'll let the game load up and will leave the room to get a drink or something and will return to find not only has the game kicked off but I've got the ball in the back of my net! Why did Konami change that for? There was no need.

I can't get the blasted lofted passes right, the amount of times I scoop them onto the oppositions head instead of into the path of my striker is getting silly now.

I'm hoping that after a full season of ML I might start to find my feet a little better. I'm just concerned I'm probably going to get relegated!

 

[Makavelian]

By miles the worst ever start by me in a master league playing pes.

My results playing in la liga as Real Zaragoza using Master League default players

Hércules 5 - 1 R Zaragoza

Seville 2 - 0 R Zaragoza

Real Madrid 2 - 1 R Zaragoza

R Zaragoza 1 - 2 Barcelona

(Copa Del Rey) R.C.D Mallorca 0 - 4 R Zaragoza

R Zaragoza 1 - 2 Valencia

Athletic Club 0 - 2 R Zaragoza

Villareal 2 - 0 R Zaragoza

(Copa Del Rey) R Zaragoza 1 - 3 R.C.D Mallorca

R Zaragoza 2 - 0 Athleco Madrid

Some of these losses i've really been punked by the shady cheating a.i.
Conceding way to many freekicks ,from corners, about 3 own goals already and don't even mention the shocking goalkeeping.
I seem to be playing better now though im using different formation.
Heres my line up--


----------------------- Guteirrez -----------------------

------------------------------Macheda(Loaned)-------

---------------Minanda---------------------------------
----------------------------------------------Macco----
----------------------------------Espinas--------------
------------------------Iouga---------------------------


---Jaric-----------------------------------El Moubark--
-----------------Ceciu-------Valeny--------------------

-------------------------Ivarov-------------------------

 

[Sminky]

I'm struggling with Stoke's actual players, god knows how much worse it would have been with the PES players! I'm just about to restart my ML with Stoke, going 4-5-1 defensive and long ball larry style. Watch this space.

 

[Sminky]

God its been dross so far, two home games, lost 1-0 to Aston Villa and drew 0-0 with Liverpool. I've noticed about the through passes by the AI that the annoying pass and move feature of PES2009 has returned. An attacking player will pass the ball and then steam on forwards and any defenders around him just let him run past. Carew Did it for the Aston Villa game, my left back just let him run right past. The through ball sliced my defence in half and he was able to score with little problem. Now PES2010 wasn't great but they got rid of that ridiculous 1-2 bug where a player would hammer on towards goal and not get picked up by a defender!

I drew my second game 0-0 with Liverpool but I should have won it, Robbie Keane (one of 4 signings I made from Spurs, Jenas, Krancjar and O'Hara the others - seems a bit disappointing in some ways how easy it was to sign them though) lost all composure in front of goal.

My biggest gripes are how appalling my Stoke players passing is, manual or not they play like they are booting bags of cement to each other ... its truly painful and annoying. I've already managed to break a controller out of sheer frustration, so cheers konami, that freedom tagline is cobblers, I'm £40 out of pocket because of that ... and mostly because I'm a sore loser ...

Right, I know I've read about how goalkeepers are improved on PES2011, well thats just not the case if you have Thomas Sorensen, he has been responsible for some horrific mistakes, constantly parrying the ball to another CPU player just like it used to be in 2009. I'm getting a little disappointed with PES2011. It makes using an average team totally unenjoyable.

 

[dannybezza]

I have strated my master league as Blackpool with the Blackpool players and expected a really tight and hard games start with as i had Man City and Spurs at home. Won both games 3-0 with ease and never looked like conceding a goal.
Up to then i have found it hard score but hit a cracker with Taylor-Fletcher from outside the box into the top corner. Before that they would fly over (with the likes of Gerrard and J.Cole at Liverpool)

I am playing it on top player mode so not like its on amateur. They were both home games so ill see if it gets harder away from home.
I have signed Michael Owen but only just got him so he hasn't played in either game.

 

[filobeto]

Come on The Pool
...

 

[BigstickRic]

Ive Lost most of my opening games so I decided to have fiddle with the strategies. Ive adopted playing my defence really deep but putting the player support tab up to max. It hasnt worked wonders but it has certainly helped. The AI cannot counter as effectively with your defence sitting so deep but youll be able to attack as well as defending with the player support tab.