Player Review
97 - TOTS
To start, I was just hoping for TOTY Mane to drop so i could pick him up and use him this weekend league. When the team came out, I saw Salah 97 had similar stats to Mane, and personally I get more satisfaction out of left footed players. I was lucky enough to pick him up for 1.4 mil at the start, and after only 10 games, I dont see myself taking the money on him (at the time of writing, he is about 1.6). I am an elite player, have finished elite 3, 2, and 1 most recently, and he is incredible. I used the basic chemstyle to max his pace, dribbling, get the shot power up since his finishing is already 99, and also boost the strength and passing. I used other versions of him, but obviously nothing compares to this. I play him at ST in a 4231 narrow with 1POTM Messi behind him at CAM, and Salah outshines him by a mile. After the 10 games he has 17 goals and about 7 assists, and I wouldnt say he is better than Mane, but he is still an endgame card. There are several pros and only a few cons, but several of my boys roast me since they would never consider using him due to his standout con, which Ill get to.
His pace is nastyyyy. Feels so fast, I guarantee he will run past your Sergio Ramos on 7 chem if the through ball is timed just right. His shooting is deadly, both finesse and power. He has the finesse shot trait and outside the foot shot trait, so he will adjust to whatever angle you are positioned in. He also has the chip shot trait, but I havent tried that out really. His dribbling is lights out, his L1 dribbling on PS feels like Messi/Maradona, and his acceleration after opening up space is unstoppable. His passing is unquestionably good, havent had an issue with it. He also feels surprisingly physical, and he does feel decently strong when running, doing the fake shot cut in, and shielding the ball. Due to his high reactions as well, he always is first to the ball and can maintain possession, this is the stat I believe contributes most to the 'sticky' feeling. I played him at ST but he can play anywhere across the attack. I recommend ST or RAM, for the finesse shots far post.
The only con I can think of really is his 3* weakfoot, which you are probably thinking of. This can make him somewhat predictable, but because he is so good at dribbling and he is rapid, opening up space on the left foot hasn't really been a problem. I use 91 Son, and although he is quality and has the weakfoot, getting into shooting positions is easier with Salah. With the outside the foot shot trait, even when most players would line up to shoot on their right, he hits it with the left still, which is his saving grace. Also another con is that he doesnt have 5* skills, so he cant scoop turn, but if you rely on scoop turn to win, you should reevaluate yourself.