PES2013
PES2013
Pro Evolution Soccer
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PES 2013 formations and tactics

Use Game Plan to keep several tactical options available: a balanced shape, a route to protect a lead, and an attacking alternative. The examples below come from a PES 2013 community tactics page; the formation table explains the structural trade-offs.

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Formation comparison

Shapes you can build in Game Plan. Strengths and risks describe the football structure.
ShapeLinesStrengthRiskStatus
4-2-3-1 Back four; double pivot; attacking three; lone striker Central control and counter-attack protection Lone striker can be isolated without runners 2 sources
4-3-3 Back four; three midfielders; two wingers and a striker Wide overloads and pressing angles Full-backs exposed when wingers stay high 1 source
4-4-2 Back four; flat four in midfield; two strikers Simple shape, two strikers, easy pressing triggers Outnumbered in central midfield against a 4-3-3 1 source
3-5-2 Back three; five midfielders including wing-backs; two strikers Midfield numbers and two strikers Space behind the wing-backs 1 source

Pick the formation around the players you have. A lone striker needs nearby passing options; wide attackers need support behind them; a three-player back line needs width elsewhere. Those are structural choices, not a universal ranking of which formation wins PES 2013.

PES 2013 community examples

1 PES 2013-specific source for these examples: pes13erigers.blogspot.com. These are the author’s recommendations, not measured win rates.
Team / shapeCommunity planWhy it fitsTrade-off / status
Barcelona 4-3-3Three CMFs, passing and switching positionsUses the technical midfield and width1 source · requires accurate defending
Real Madrid 4-4-1-1Quick Counter, pace from wide areasRonaldo on the wing; a forward supported by a second line1 source · author preference
Leverkusen 4-4-1-1Quick Counter, DMF plus CMF and wide midfieldersExtra midfield presence with support for the defence1 source · author warns of late fatigue

The Leverkusen example keeps the wingers classified as midfielders, adds a DMF for defensive help and uses a CMF to connect play. Its author recommends changing tired players late in the match. For protecting a score, the same article suggests changing the forward to SS; that is a community suggestion rather than a guaranteed defensive improvement.

The Barcelona example uses three central midfielders to circulate possession, while the Real Madrid example places more emphasis on speed and Quick Counter. Treat those as distinct starting ideas. Swapping the formation without changing the available passing routes can leave a striker isolated or the flanks exposed.

Build and adjust your plan

  1. Open Game Plan and choose a starting formation suited to the squad. Check that each role has an appropriate player.
  2. Use the four preset slots described by the PES Mastery Master League guide to keep alternatives available.
  3. Keep a midfield screen when committing wide players forward; use the formation table to identify where coverage is lost.
  4. When an opponent closes the middle, vary the route through the wings, a return pass or a different striker role instead of repeating the same pass.
PES 2013 Game Plan and formation walkthrough. Press to load the video.

PES Mastery’s general tactics tutorial now describes later PES menus, including possession and counter-attack settings. Its page is useful series context, but those later labels and numerical settings are not copied into a PES 2013 slider recipe here. A season or gameplay mod may also alter how a familiar shape behaves.

Original illustration of a football tactics board beside a pitch
Original formation illustration; the community examples above have their own named source.

Questions

What is the best formation in PES 2013?

The checked sources do not establish one winner. Choose a shape the squad can fill, then keep alternatives in Game Plan for chasing a goal or protecting a lead.

What does the Barcelona example use?

The PES 2013 community tactics page recommends a 4-3-3 with three CMFs and frequent passing and movement. That recipe has one PES 2013-specific source.

Are there verified tiki-taka slider values?

No matching PES 2013-specific numerical calibration was established. The page offers a formation and passing plan rather than fabricated slider numbers.

Master LeagueBuild a squad around the planPlayersCompare the 2012 ratingsControlsPassing, runs and defendingPatchesSeparate roster and gameplay changes

Sources