A Beautiful Game: The Starter's Guide to Soccer

[RaychelSnr]

You read the buzz regarding FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer (PES). Then you started to wake up early on Saturday mornings to check out English Premier League games. Slowly but surely the beautiful game dug its claws into you.

If that is the case for you, now is a great time to take advantage of sales and ply your trade on the pitch. But before you do that, it’s best to have a solid understanding of what will incur over the next 90 virtual minutes.

For simplicity's sake, I will separate this article into two areas:

• Before the match
• During the match

Read More - A Beautiful Game: The Starter's Guide to Soccer

[RayRay34]

Great read!

As someone who actually used soccer games to get into the sport years ago I say that the video game is a great way to understand the sport. I learned the basics from the games and then was able to understand matches more.

As for strategy I have one rebuttal. Use the tackle button.... Most soccer games (pes for sure) just require you to hold it down and you will automatically mark your man....great for newbies getting into the sport. Also not many fouls are called on PES so using the tackle button more frequently might make the matches more enjoyable for the beginning player. Then as you understand the sport more the tactics and flow will come. Crossing the ball, spreading the field, clearing.....

Honestly over the course of the last 6 years or so soccer has actually overtaken baseball and hockey as my 3rd favorite sport to watch besides US football and College Basketball

[Fraser G.]

Quote: Originally Posted by RayRay34

Great read! As someone who actually used soccer games to get into the sport years ago I say that the video game is a great way to understand the sport. I learned the basics from the games and then was able to understand matches more. As for strategy I have one rebuttal. Use the tackle button.... Most soccer games (pes for sure) just require you to hold it down and you will automatically mark your man....great for newbies getting into the sport. Also not many fouls are called on PES so using the tackle button more frequently might make the matches more enjoyable for the beginning player. Then as you understand the sport more the tactics and flow will come. Crossing the ball, spreading the field, clearing..... Honestly over the course of the last 6 years or so soccer has actually overtaken baseball and hockey as my 3rd favorite sport to watch besides US football and College Basketball

Just to pick up on your point even further, I'd say that you definitely want to use the tackle button, but there's a time and a place for it. Wildly sliding in, or even performing a standing tackle at the wrong time can open up gaps in your defence and leave you vulnerable. Established FIFA veterans will punish this every time, so it's got to be used sparingly like Kevin says.

PES is a little different in that you hold the button down as you say, which I feel is an outdated method of implementing defending mechanics, and hopefully they'll improve this in the future.

Really, it's all about getting practice in and learning how the game works.

[Matty Aqua]

Will give this article a read when I'm home!...

I definitely got into soccer through Fifa...

[vinaa23]

As someone who played soccer games for all his life, what I can tell you all is: don't rush things when you have ball possession. Turnovers are way more common than in football or basketball, but they can be equally deadly if your defense is open or if it happens in a dangerous zone (mainly: your side of the pitch). Build up, take your time, pass the ball around, wait for the holes to open up and then make a run for it. You may notice that in higher difficulties this is the way the CPU play and there's a reason for it.
Also, something that's true in soccer games but in real life matches don't happen all that often: lobs. Abuse the L1 + Triangle (LB + Y) command, mainly in PES. If you time it perfectly (and, after all, you're practicing for it, right?) you'll leave your striker in front of the goal with just the goalkeeper to beat and that's a scenario you really should look for.
That's it for me. Great read as usual.

[DBMcGee3]

Quote: Originally Posted by Fraser G.

Just to pick up on your point even further, I'd say that you definitely want to use the tackle button, but there's a time and a place for it. Wildly sliding in, or even performing a standing tackle at the wrong time can open up gaps in your defence and leave you vulnerable. Established FIFA veterans will punish this every time, so it's got to be used sparingly like Kevin says. PES is a little different in that you hold the button down as you say, which I feel is an outdated method of implementing defending mechanics, and hopefully they'll improve this in the future. Really, it's all about getting practice in and learning how the game works.

I rarely use the standard tackle in FIFA. It's just too slow and leaves you too exposed if you miss. I've had better success just trying to run my defender through the ball. I do occasionally use the slide tackle, but only to try and break up a pass, or if I have the dribbler pinned against the sideline.

In PES you can tackle all you want, they'll rarely call fouls and even more rarely will you see a card. I've still never seen a red in PES, not one.

[Fraser G.]

Quote: Originally Posted by DBMcGee3

I rarely use the standard tackle in FIFA. It's just too slow and leaves you too exposed if you miss. I've had better success just trying to run my defender through the ball. I do occasionally use the slide tackle, but only to try and break up a pass, or if I have the dribbler pinned against the sideline. In PES you can tackle all you want, they'll rarely call fouls and even more rarely will you see a card. I've still never seen a red in PES, not one.

I play exactly the same way. Standing tackles have never been effective for me, I anticipate the run and intercept the ball like you do. I use the slide tackle when I think there's at least an 80% chance of executing it successfully based on the situation I'm in. Either that, or I'll use it if I'm feeling particularly ambitious and I want to catch the opponent off guard when they think they've got time on the ball.

[KG]

Quote: Originally Posted by DBMcGee3

I rarely use the standard tackle in FIFA. It's just too slow and leaves you too exposed if you miss. I've had better success just trying to run my defender through the ball. I do occasionally use the slide tackle, but only to try and break up a pass, or if I have the dribbler pinned against the sideline. In PES you can tackle all you want, they'll rarely call fouls and even more rarely will you see a card. I've still never seen a red in PES, not one.

I wish they would change the standing tackles for that reason. The game shouldn't auto-tackle for you (or at least give us an assistance option). If you run through an opposing player it should be a foul. More strategy in tackling would go along way towards a more realistic defensive mindset.


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