Player Review
87 - IF
I first bought 87 Inform Roberto Firminio the week he came out, and used him for almost two months into the game. I played him at the CAM role and was instantly surprised by the versatility that this player possesses. Yes, his 78 pace leaves a little to be desired, however a Maestro chemistry style boosts him to the ultimate attacking mid ( adding 89 shot, 87 passing, and a massive 94 dribbling). Firminio's distribution of the ball to outside midfielders and strikers is beautiful, placing touch-perfect passes that led him to an assist almost every game. When you decide to hold the ball on him and take a shot, he finds the back of the net almost every time when inside of the box, and is a wildcard in regards to long shots. The most surprising factor of this inform card is his height. At first look, a 5'11" player with only 83 jumping and 78 heading accuracy does not seem to be an aerial threat...this perception would be wrong. I can confidently report that Firminio is more than his aerial stats...he wins almost every header. In the box, off of a goal kick, you name it. I have seen Tiny Roberto jump over the likes of VVD or Ramos in order to score a goal or keep possession. I know, that sounds crazy...but play with him and you'll see. The one negative I find in this card is the lack of harmony between his work rate and defensive/physical stats. With a high attacking AND high defensive work rate, Firminio is constantly running from goal post to goal post (even when I set his custom tactic to "Stay Forward"). This constant sprinting does not mesh well with his subjectively low stamina and his lack luster defending stats. With this said, I still believe Firminio's inform is one of the best EPL CAMs for his price range (varying between 100k-120k). Place this beast on your team and you will not be dissapointed
- Distribution/Passing
- Shooting
- Decent Pace
- Aerial Ability
- High Defensive Work Rate
- Defending
- Aggression/Strength