Return of the Record Breakers. An interesting promo with an even more intriguing card design… on a side note I swear you pay almost 100k for the design alone. But back to what matters, the cards. Many people would argue that this card better represents what Sancho should have been rated in the first place. It is without question that Sancho has sparked a ton of hype during his time at Dortmund and it felt like he set a record number of connections to various clubs this past transfer window. Heading into this review I was hoping that Sancho’s new and improved card could better replicate the problems that he causes defenders week in and week out. I immediately jumped at the chance to add the HUNTER chemistry style to bolster the already increased Pace with this card and started Sancho alongside Butragueño as a ST in my 4-4-2 formation. However, sometimes a squad just doesn’t work according to plans and this weekend was definitely the case. The first issue was the fact that Sancho did not feel right at the start of the review. He generally felt a bit stiff and I was struggling to get him into the areas to really hurt my opponents. With that in mind, I switched to the FINISHER chemistry style and immediately had improved results, but something still wasn’t right. It was at this point that I started playing Sancho in the RM position and it was then that I really started to see the quality in this card shine through. Sancho was the wide width wizard all weekend in the following squad:
Another review where a card feels like there is a lot moving in the right direction, but minor issues and “if only’s” lead to a slightly lower rating. Sancho certainly checks a lot of the boxes for a winger in FIFA 21; Pace, Dribbling, Shooting and adequate work rates. Yet, when compared to the likes of Sadio Mane or Allan Saint-Maximin I found Sancho to be lacking in that “it” factor to really impact and take over a match from the wide areas.
Main Statistic - Dribbling
Dribbling Rating: 9.5/10
Skills: * * * * *
After applying the FINISHER chemistry style it felt as though the dribbling with this card was further accentuated and became increasingly effective. The mixture of 90 ACCELERATION, 99 AGILITY, 95 BALANCE and 5* SKILLS can really cause defenders issues as you enter the edge of the box and was key to the 9 assists that Sancho contributed to the Weekend League struggle. On one hand, 9 assists is not a blow you away number, but for me, this is a quality return from my wingers and it felt like Sancho was benefiting from his 98 POSITIONING throughout the weekend. However, it is not enough to be in the right positions, Sancho’s dribbling was key to utilizing his good positioning and hurting my opponents who lost track of him in attack.
Truth be told I was expecting Sancho to struggle in the goal scoring department. The stigma behind a 3* WEAK FOOT is extensive at this point and can turn a lot of FUT Managers away from otherwise quality options. In the end, 11 goals from the wide positions is again a fantastic return and generally speaking I did not notice too many issues with Sancho’s finishing. 99 FINISHING, 89 SHOT POWER, the combination of outside foot and finesse shot traits, along with the aforementioned weak foot resulted in a quality option in front of goal. Could Sancho be more clinical? Absolutely. If the match fell on Sancho’s left foot would I have confidence he takes it? 50/50. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had prepared for and the finesse trait was quite effective on the right side.
Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad
Value/Coins Rating: 4.5/5
Good vs Bad Rating: 4/5
300k. Previously I had purposely brought up Mane and Saint-Maximin on the wing to discuss them in this section again. Within the 300 - 500k range there are certainly a handful of cards that I would rather take than RB Sancho on the wing. However, there are zero RW, RM options that I would rather have. Playing a card on 7 chemistry has minimal effects in the end and so I would normally opt for one of the other options I mentioned. However, it is noteworthy that Sancho is currently one of the best RM options until you start being able to afford Messi at 500k.
While the Pace didn’t exactly blow me or defenders away, Sancho’s speed was adequate out on the wing and I really appreciated his speed off of the ball, especially on the defensive side of things. Again, the Shooting and Dribbling are both adequate and really start to form a strong and steady card. But, there are a couple of bigger issues to discuss. One, the passing with this card is not at the level you would hope for a winger. Whether whipping in a violent cross, finding the cutting through ball or threading the needle with a perfect pass; it is important that your wingers are able to work their magic in wide areas, before finding the goal scoring talents in your striker’s feet. Sancho just doesn’t have any of those traits and his passing could be downright frustrating at times. Additionally, the Physical side of Sancho is not the best either and 68 STRENGTH is simply not enough to be jousting with defenders for position in attack. Then on a final note, the 78 STAMINA was not quite enough to keep the good times rolling for 90 minutes and I often subbed Sancho around the 70th-minute mark as he really started to tire and underperform.
Closing Words
If only this card had more quickness in Pace, If only Sancho had more responsive Dribbling without a chemistry style to then use an alternative for other areas, If only this card had a 4? WEAK FOOT to improve on the Shooting… and the list goes on. However, it goes without saying that with some of these improvements we are then working with a 500k card and an entirely different discussion. In the end, the card is what it is… “a usable RM option that can provide excellent connections to Premier League hybrids.” In closing, I won’t go as far as a recommendation for this card, but I do believe Sancho is capable of contributing against the best that Weekend League has to offer, but the need to surround him with quality finishing is key if you really want to reap the rewards of what Sancho can deliver. Cheers for reading.
Luckily, I got Sancho out of a 2X 81+ Upgrade, otherwise, I wouldn't have purchased him.
Anyways, Sancho was slow to get going. With only 2 Goals and 2 Assists in 4 games(As a ST), I wasn't enjoying him. But, after around 10 games, when you get used to his playstyle, he is an absolutely phenomenal player. He leads the line perfectly, and is an all round perfect striker. If you enjoyed RTTF Quincy Promes, you will enjoy Sancho even more. His incredible dribbling makes it so easy to glide in and out of defenders, with the 5 star skills just being the icing on the cake. If you are a player that enjoys Tiki-Taka Football, or skilling, you will most certainly fall in love with this card.
-Dribbling - Especially Agility and Balance, they're absolutely phenomenal.
-Finishing - This was surprisingly good, he managed to finish most chances that he got.
-Passing - As a ST his passing was nice, didn't misplace passes, which was certainly a good thing.
-Pace - He's not absolutely lightning fast, but it certainly does the job.
-Skill Moves - 5* Skill moves is all you could ask for.
-3* Week foot - I didn't really struggle with this, but I know it will be a big negative for some people.
-Stamina - He quite often ran out of stamina and disappeared towards the ends of games. This was most prominent in the 1 game I used him in as a CAM.
-Strength and Aggression - I didn't go in expecting Sancho to be strong, and he wasn't. It wasn't really noticeable, because very rarely would I get into a physical battle between him and another player anyway.
-Cost - At around 340K on all platforms at the writing of this review, Sancho is pricey.
-Links - I had to use 2 icons to get him into a squad, so bear that in mind when purchasing Sancho.
Finally Ea released a Sancho that has almost the stats he deserves(except for pace and passing), it was 350k, and Salah is almost 300 so I sold him and tried to prove Sancho. (All the ratings I put are with Hunter)
Pace 9.5/10
He deserves more Pace but idk why EA put him that pace, still it’s not bad at all, specially with hunter, he has an average body, but good balance and agility, so good start.
Shooting 9/10
When I say shooting 9/10 I’m talking about finishing because he has 99 with hunter, he has bad long shots so that’s why I put him at ST and not CAM, but then if I’m talking about finishing, why not 10/10? Shot power is also a problem even when he is close, the good thing is that he will always be near the goal so you will not need to shoot long, as he has amazing positioning. And maybe it’s just me, but it didn’t feel the 3* wf, or only a few times, as Salah he felt good with boot feet
Passing 8.5/10
He has 82 passing bit as shooting his stats look like more, 88 vision and 89 short passes and as a Striker he doesn’t need so much long passing so he makes good passes
Dribbling 9/10
He has amazing agility and balance and really good dribbling, and even better 5* skills, It’s definitely his best stat, and that’s why I bought him, it feels so fun to play with him
Defending/ Heading 4/10
Just no...
Phisicality 6.5/10
His physicality isn’t the best and his stamina isn’t good too. I would rather him having less strength but more stamina, but at stay forward he doesn’t get tire so much, but he isn’t Kante.
We have decided to add comments to facilitate communication and interaction between FUTBIN users. We believe and hope that we can build a stable community in FUTBIN and that comments will be a part of it. We have created a guideline, which will help you to understand how to use our comments system.
Do's:
Comment your opinion on things, and/or add valuable information
Reply to other comments in a respectful manner
Report comments which are offensive
Don'ts
Use any racism
Attack or threat other users. It's ok to disagree with others, but keep the comments polite and respectful
Spam or post spam content
Link other websites
Violation of the above rules can lead to account closure.