Player Review

89 - UCL LIVE

4.0

87 Rated Benzema

By mdlibrandi, 01-02-2019

I typically like to play with a bigger striker next to Griezmann and 87 Aspas at CAM. I've tried Suarez, Diego Costa and Gerard Moreno in this spot and none of them have been great, but I find Benzema to be the best solution. He combines the best qualities of all of those strikers into one I find.

Pace: While not spectacular, with a hawk on him he is surprisingly quick; fast enough to beat some CBs in behind.

Shooting: Honestly the shooting I find to be the weakest part of his card. Even with a hawk on him he only has 87 finishing, however the 99 positioning means that he often gets into solid positions. This, combined with a nice 4 star weak foot means he has been able to score a modest 62 goals in 83 games in rivals and weekend league. I am able to overlook this though because of the other stats, particularly those below.

Passing: If you're looking for a big man to pass up front, Benzema is as good as it can get. I like getting the ball into Benzema so he can either lay it off to Griezmann to get shots off, or play the ball in behind for Aspas to run forward onto from CAM (50 assists in 83 games). Rarely misses a short pass. Crossing is solid enough to swing in a decent ball, however you'd ideally want to keep him centrally (to win those headers).

Dribbling: I'm not a big dribbler normally, as I rely on short quick passes, however because I rely on Benzema to do a lot of this up front, he has to control the ball a lot. His combination of reactions, ball control, and dribbling make him feel pretty smooth on the ball, particularly for someone who's 6'1".

Defending: He has 99 heading, and I don't think I can recall him missing the target with any of his headers. Very good on corners, both offensively and defensively. His actual defending is quite solid too despite a low work rate; seems to intercept a lot of passes for a striker.

Physical: With a hawk he has 90 strength which is very solid for a striker, especially when you consider he also has 84 pace with a hawk. Although his heading is incredible if he wins the ball, the relatively low jumping and aggression means that he doesn't always win the balls like you may think, however I'd still say he wins 75% of his aerial duels. 76 stamina has never been an issue for me.

Hopefully with future upgrades, he will get a decent shooting boost to make him more clinical. Further boosts to his physicality will go a long way, particularly to jumping/aggression so he can win even more headers to put in the back of the net. Considering Real Madrid have Ajax in the next round, you would think they would be able to win that tie so he can get another upgrade, but considering their season thus far, you never know. I think with just that one more upgrade he will be elite. I got him for 150,000 and he is probably worth it at that price, but not sure about the 87 rated card for 190,000+ (like it is when I'm writing this). However, with an upgrade he could be worth more than that, so of course it is a gambling investment.

Heading

Short passing/link up with second ST and/or CAM

Strength

Positioning

Jumping/Aggression on headers

Finishing is not elite like other strikers

Formation: 5212

Position: ST

Games: 83

GPG: 0.75

APG: 0.60

4.0

Overall

3.0

Value

4.0

5.0

Stamina

Pace (7/10)

Shooting (7/10)

Passing (9/10)

Dribbling (8/10)

Defending (10/10)

Physicality (9/10)

See All reviews...

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