Game Log PES2019 – 004 | Managing Master League Lineups
In my previous PES2019 Game Log entry, I talked about contract renewals. In this one, I'll share some tips for managing your Master League lineup and keeping your salary budget in check.
Prioritize Contract Renewals on Transfer Windows
What I've started doing during Transfer Windows is before even looking to make a new signing, I try and get contract renewals for my players whose contract's are expiring within a year or two. Some players who are already old, or have already peaked, or have a lot of love for the team will be looking to extend their contracts for longer than 2 years. This is almost always a good deal as it will save you a lot of money in the long run. I was able to secure 4-5 year contract renewals from role players using this approach. This frees me up from not having to worry about them in the future, which means I can then focus on keeping or getting star players. Most star players in my experience will only extend their contracts for up to 2 years using this approach. So for those players, you will just have to wait until they ask for contract renewals themselves when their contracts are about to expire.
Try to keep a good mix of old and new players in the team
New players, especially rising star youth players, will want bigger and bigger annual salaries on each renewal. This is because their stats and ratings are improving every year, so they will want to be paid more. If all you have in your lineup are young rising star players, you're doomed. You will not be able to keep all of them signed to your team as your salary budget will not be enough for all of them. So, to counter this, you want to mix in a bunch of veteran players who have modest requirements for their salaries. Players who are old, or players whose stats are on the way down are good candidates for this. These players will more than likely be willing to sign for longer years on their contracts and for less money. If anything, it is better to have more veteran players in your lineup, than to have more youth players in your lineup.
In my first Master League season, I replaced every player in my lineup with youth players. After a few years, it was time for my then superstar, Arcas, to renew his contract. Along with Arcas, I also had to renew contracts for my goalkeeper and other pretty good players. I had a salary budget of around 10 million. Arcas wanted 18 million. And the other players all wanted more for their annual salary. It was clear that it wasn't going to work and I didn't want to lose my players. I ended up restarting my Master League season, this time with a focus on trying to manage my player's contracts better.
Some examples of mixing young and old players:
- Arcas as I have mentioned is the superstar in my team. Since I run a 4-4-2 diamond formation, that means I have two strikers up front. Arcas is one of them. To keep my salary budget in check, I have avoided signing a superstar striker to pair with Arcas. So, Arcas continues to play with an aging Goios who has very modest annual salary demands. As long as I am still able to win with the two of them upfront, I'll maintain that partnership until I need to make a change.
- 3 of my 4 defenders can be considered young and rising star type of players. Their annual salary demands are getting bigger and bigger on each renewal, which is why I'm trying my best to hang on to my aging center-back who doesn't want that much money. Ideally, I want 2 of the 4 defenders to be veteran players with modest salary requirements.
- I have the same setup in midfield, with 3 of them being young and still developing and wanting more salary on each renewal. Again, ideally I want at most 2 young and developing players paired with 2 veteran players.
- Since most of the starters in my lineup are young and still developing, I know they will demand more salary on each contract renewal. To try and keep my salary budget in check, most of my reserve players are aging and have modest salary demands. My backup center-back for instance, Sasaki, was one of my first signings when I started my Master League season. I am hanging on to him even as his stats degrade because he is still effective in the field when he plays. My backup midfielder is a player at his peak, but signed for a lot more years than I expected, that was a good deal. My backup left-back is a new signing, but his stats are on the way down and so he didn't ask for a high annual salary.
Closing Remarks
To sum it up, the best way to manage your Master League lineup and keep your salary budget in check is to focus on retaining good players in your lineup. This means you want to always be thinking about contract renewals first. Only think about signing new players if you're letting go of another player. The tips I shared, prioritizing contract renewals, mixing old and new players, are all based on the idea that you are prioritizing the retention of good players in your lineup. Focus on that and your salary budget will always be enough.