PES 2020 Master League: Top 5 Goalkeepers Under 21

Kevin Groves

Published: Dec 2, 2019 09:00 am

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“For a goalkeeper, there is no hiding place” – Brad Friedel

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Brad Friedel and his 600-plus career first team caps are absolutely right. The keepers between the posts are a spectator for a large portion of the match, but when their name is called there’s no more important player on the pitch. In eFootball PES 2020, a quality keeper can be the difference between gaining or missing out on three points. Keepers have come a long way in both real life and PES over the years.

Sweeper keepers such as Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer are all the rage with their ability to play from the back with their excellent passing skills and aggressive nature. Taking this all into account, it’s important that we discuss three variables that affect goalkeepers, and to a greater extent, all outfield players (more on them to come in future articles).

PES 2020 has embraced two distinctive goalkeeping “playing styles”:

Offensive Goalkeeper – A keeper playing a sweeper-type role who often comes out to cover the area behind the defense.
Defensive Goalkeeper – A solid goalkeeper who prefers to stay around the goal line.

Both playing styles have their pros and cons. Offensive goalkeepers tend to be more aggressive leaving their box, which can be quite beneficial when playing teams that play balls over the top and/or teams with a pacey striker who can get behind your defense with a well-timed run. Conversely, they’re also prone to more mistakes as leaving their box can result in an empty net or a sending off if they get it wrong.

Defensive goalkeepers will hold their line more, meaning that you’ll have to be quick to use the “call keeper out command” (triangle on both XB1 and PS4), but they’re usually good at getting their shot-stopping angles correct.

Additionally, there are also some important goalkeeper “playing skills” PES 2020 incorporates:

Penalty Save – Enables better goalkeeping reactions against penalty kicks.
GK Long Throw – Improves the range on throws by the goalkeeper.
GK Low Punt – Enables players to take long, accurate punts with a low trajectory.
GK High Punt – Enables goalkeepers to take long, high punt kicks that end up deep in opposition territory.

In a nutshell, the more playing skills your keeper has the better. Playing skills can be acquired through training, match minutes and by a manager who has certain attributes. Having the penalty save playing skills is a no-brainer, but for my style, I prefer the “GK low punt” as it really helps to punish opposing teams that are in danger of sending numbers forward. In PES 2020, I feel it’s a faster way of starting a counter than the “long throw” style of keeper. Target men (big strong strikers who excel with their back to goal like Chelsea’s/France’s Olivier Giroud) are always fun in PES, so if you want to hoof it up the field and play off a striker, the “GK high punt” is a desirable playing skill to have.

Lastly, but hugely important, is a new concept called Inspire, explained by Konami as:

Players may have the Inspire characteristic based on their abilities. When on the ball, they inspire a teammate behavior that complements their playing skills.

So for PES 2020, individual playing skills can unlock certain skills or actions when on the ball, but additionally their Inspire characteristics can influence how their/your teammates behave off the ball. A player like Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard, a renowned dribbler, has two-star Inspire traits for dribbling and low pass. When you’re on the ball with Hazard, your teammates will react like he’s going to dribble towards the goal. They will spread out to try and avoid bringing extra defenders near him, while also taking into account his two-star “low pass” Inspire trait by positioning themselves in more advantageous positions.

With no further explanation needed, let’s look at the top five keepers in PES 2020 under the age of 21.