Player Review

So, Rui Costa.

Everyone rates this guy as 5 stars, which he can deserve.

Let me summarize it:

At the start of F18 he was AMAZING. So many longshots/goals/amazing passes/assists/the whole deal. He was totally worth it, the best 400k I ever dropped on a player.

EA then went on to absolutely nerf this guy to death, and now he is below average.

Then:

When I first got him, I played him in a 433(4) behind Diego Costa. Diego was my holding striker and Rui would bang the goals. I played him with a hawk because his finishing was average and needed improvement and because Diego isn't the fastest man on the field I thought that a pace boost would help Rui, which it did. His finesse shots were really good because he has 85 longshots and 86 curve.

I then tried the 4231(2) and I loved it, played him behind Mertens with Carrasco and Cuadrado. He didn't score as many goals because Mertens scored them all, but Rui got a ****load of assists. He still felt like the best CAM in game, because longshots were OP, and becayse defending was hard his 92 (!!!) ball control destroyed BPL defenders.

Now:

After the last patch, I noticed that Rui didn't get as many assists as before. He would still assist or score every game, but that was expected because he played as a CAM.

Longshots got nerfed, so his longshots were OK at best. Sometimes he hits top bins, but most of the time he misses by two feet. Where did his 86 curve go?

His 86 pace is good, but no where near blazing fast. Still good enough to outrun slow defenders.

Let me also say that I have tried every chem style (yes, every) for a least 10 games in fut champs. Hawk is best for him, but still doesn't get the job done.

Passing

Before, his passing was OK. He has amazing stats, but the passing system in fut is still broken, so my 77 rated right back passes just as good. His free kicks are still really really good, but that's not a legitimate reason to spend 500k on him. His passing now is absolutely terrible. He can't pass a ball to my striker even if he were to be 2 feet away. Maybe it's the patch, but that doesn't explain why my other CMs can still pass. It's so frustrating to see that a 90 rated icon can't even make a simple pass.

Strength + defending

His strength is still very good, he doesn't get pushed of the ball by bailly or boateng. His interceptions are also amazing good for a CAM, he can steal the ball from a CB and go on to score. His stamina is really good, he can run all game, if he decides to do that (see "workrates")

Dribbling

Still very good, nothing special here. Doesn't quite feel like 88 but you can still run through defenses with ease.

Shooting

He went from the best shooting cam to probably the worst. I tried every chem style and he still misses sitters. Finesse shots, longshots, one on ones, he just doesn't score them.

His 4 star weak foot looks OK on paper but feels like a 2 star in game. Shooting with his left is terrible, don't try it.

Workrates:

Yea this absolutely ***** the card. M/M is fine, but after the patch he just doesn't make the same runs as he did before. He just stands there at the edge of the box, but he doesn't get in behind or in a better position. He runs all the way to the edge of the box, and then he just doesn't move. Medium workrates for defending is nice, but I would rather have H/L than M/M. It feels like he just doesn't want to play anymore. Sometimes he scores 4, sometimes he doesn't get a goal or an assist. His consistency is all over the place.

Different positions

I tried to play him as a CM, striker, CF. As a striker and CF he did the same as a CAM. He scores goals and gets assists but just not every game. At CM he completely disappears.

Really really sad, because he used to be my favorite CAM this year but I am now seriously thinking about trading him in for another icon.

Get him if:

You are looking for a CAM that might eventually get really really good again or if you need someone who is amazing sometimes and garbage the next game.

Don't get him if:

You are looking for an icon that will carry you from bronze 3 to elite 1. He isn't a game changer. I can sub him off for Papu Gomez and Gomez will do more than Rui did all game.

CAMs that you should buy that do the same thing after the patch:

• Eriksen
• Papu Gomez
• Perisic
• Ozil