eFootball PES 2021 has definitely upped the ante when it comes to the releases of Iconic Moments. Since the Datapack 2.0 update, users can relive match-winning performances from many players of the game in coin packs where several clubs have their icons up for grab. However, some mainly focus on collecting Iconics from their favorite clubs. With eFootball 2022 update delayed up to Spring, IMs aren’t gonna slow down anytime soon. So, continuing this series, we shall review the Manchester City Iconic Moments in PES 2021 in this article.
We have previously reviewed the Iconic Moments players of the following clubs from PES 2020 and also the below clubs from PES 2021, so feel free to check those reviews out.
PES 2020 Iconic Moments
- Bayern Munich
- Barcelona
- Manchester United
- AS Roma
- AC Milan
- Inter Milan
- Atletico Madrid
- Juventus
- Real Madrid
- Arsenal
- Celtic
PES 2021 Iconic Moments
PES 2021: Manchester City Iconic Moments
We currently have two Manchester City Iconic Moments released in PES 2021 this year. One, Gareth Barry, then 31-year-old defensive midfielder from England, and the other is the Irish player Shay Given, who is the 33-year-old 87 rated goalkeeper. Both the cards have been given a rating of 87 and are free agents in PES 2021, with the maximum possible rank of 91.
Gareth Barry
Playing Style: Anchor Man
Looking back at the Iconic Match
It was on 22nd December 2012 when Manchester City played Reading FC, which was about to end with 90 undistinguished minutes until an English midfielder joined the party. Roberto Mancini‘s men secured all three points of the game courtesy of a stoppage-time winner from Gareth Barry ultimately reducing the gap at the top of the premier league to just three points. It was in the same year that took Roberto to lead Manchester City for the first top-flight league title in 44 years.
In injury-time, Gareth Barry jumps above the reading defenders to meet David Silva’s cross leading it to the back of the net. It was frustrating for Reading FC, but the display from Gareth showed his passion and never-give-up spirit. A true commander and midfield general, Gareth Barry’s stoppage-time goal went down the history books as one of the most iconic moments of the club history, thereby leading to the formation of the iconic moment card in the PES 2021 game.
Player Analysis
The Gareth Barry card is rated 87 while receiving and 91 when all levels are concluded, out of a total of 24 levels and club boost activates it to a level of 94 ratings. The card has an overall statistic of good Dribbling, Defending, Passing, and Physicality, each being 80 and above at average with all boosts activated. This makes him versatile and very much usable for someone who loves deep-lying defensive mids.
Barry is a perfect Anchorman being so good at many attributes. He is good both defensively and a creative outlet too, with the skills of heading One Touch Pass, Weighted Pass Man Marking, and Captaincy giving him a great advantage to be in the mix. Even though his stats are not the best, they are just a mere indication, and his performances are greatly good compared to what’s in the picture. His downside is his slow Speed attributes, which makes him vulnerable to counter-attacks from the opposition.
Formation Discussion
Can be a very good fit in holding mid positions, say a defensive 4-3-3, 4-3-1-2, etc as he reads the game well from deep-lying midfield positions.
Shay Given
Playing Style: Defensive Goalkeeper
Looking back at the Iconic Match
It was on 19th of January 2010 when Manchester City played their City rivals Manchester United in a Derby clash happening in the Carling Cup. Manchester City aged past their opponents by a margin of two goals to one and Shay Given played an integral role to keep his side into the fixture. Manchester United took the lead at the 17th minute via Ryan Giggs, but man City restored parity before halftime, courtesy of a penalty goal by Carlos Tevez. Tevez once again struck at the 65th minute to give the lead to Manchester City but the story doesn’t end here. Manchester United was furious and was ready to turn the tide towards their favor until the goalkeeping giant arrived for City’s rescue.
Giggs almost scored for the second time but Given was too strong to block his header at the near post. Rooney was the constant threat for Manchester City’s defense and was ready to get his name on the score sheet, but Shay Given had other plans. Even in stoppage time, Given made a humongous save to keep the game alive and the lead intact for Manchester City. The brilliant goalkeeping display by Shay given ensured that 13 shots taken by Manchester United could just lead to a single goal ultimately e leading Manchester City to the win. This is considered one of the greatest matches played by a Manchester City goalkeeper and thus gave the iconic moment for the iconic moment card in the game.
Player Analysis
Shay Given IM was first introduced in PES 21 in the latter part of the game season. His level 1 rating is 89 who can be trained up to level 23, with 91 and 93 ratings without and with boost. He is a defensive goalkeeper which makes him suitable for counter-attacking managers but one can still use him with possession game managers.
Shay Given’s biggest plus point is that he has 99 GK awareness thus his height (185cm) doesn’t affect his in-game performance that much but still, in Konami’s latest version of the Game new IM strikers like Rashford, Messi, etc can cause trouble since they have very high kicking power stats. Shay Given is a card that does follow a disadvantage which is his height is not optimal according to PES standards, but one cannot always depend on his Goalkeeper when playing a PvP or offline match.
Overall, Shay Given is a decent card that will give you 7/10 performances when in normal form, and in the blue or green form, he can give 8 or 9/10 performances. He is definitely among the best goalkeepers in the game as he maintains consistency throughout, even being not rated highly by many players.
Formation Discussion
A conservative 4-3-3 or even 5-2-3, 4-2-1-3, 4-3-1-2, etc. are all good formations for him, as he doesn’t step out of his line very much, being a defensive goalkeeper.
Which Manchester City Iconic Moments do you have in PES 2021 and what are your thoughts about them? So, let us know in the comment section below!
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