Player Review
88 - TOTY Honourable Ment
Reference: Div 3/2, gold 3/2. My internet has been fairly poor recently, so it's fair to assume he'd be more effective with better connection.
Playing a 3-5-2, I much prefer using natural wingers with a fair amount of defensive ability and a bag of pace and passing. I had some misgivings about getting this card, but felt attacking wise he'd be an upgrade on freeze Moreno (my last RM).
He makes late runs from the wing, which helps break down sturdy defences. Although, his def WR is medium, he would try his very best to run back which unfortunately ensures he's gassed out by the 55th-60th minute, this is a huge problem especially if you're playing someone who only relies on counters. I usually expect to sub-off my wingers by the 60th minute, but this is usually due to precaution rather than need, with Navas though, it is almost always need. I clearly understand this is due to his duty and position in my team, as he lasts much longer when using more conventional formations.
As an RB, I do not strongly recommend, a bit more strength is needed, he's still effective but there are better cheaper alternatives.
As an RM, overlapping/join attack RB, or if you've got a lot of faith in your DMs/CBs then by all means buy him, he's worth his price tag.
One thing I should mention here is my wide midfielders are rarely involved in goals, (however, they are pivotal to build up play and shoring up my defence when needed) so the 11 goal involvements in 12 games is actually quite high for my style of play.
Summary, he's the kind of player that's great for specific play styles and tactics, his cons cannot be overlooked.
With Hawk
- Great pace and positioning means he'll usually be a threat during the attacking phase, and he's quite adept at either crossing from the wings or running diagonally into the box to create passing and shooting opportunities. Or just an extra man for the opposition to think about.
- He wins back the ball fast. There's a good chance to recover possession if the opposition doesn't immediately pass it on after winning it from him, he's quite aggressive in this regard.
- He's got great interception and his passing is generally good, quite nice for starting up or continuing counters.
With Hawk
- His strength is disgusting which limits a lot of options
- you wouldn't want him crowded in box while attacking, he cannot protect the ball with strength
- defensively, there's hardly a player he could body off the ball, you'd have to make use of his pace and cover gaps smartly. You'd need to win the ball back through a well timed tackle or frustrate your opponent by not overly committing to a challenge (L2 and some distance are your friends here). This can be very very stressful against very good players, who need only a little error to capitalise, you can still recover against most players thanks to his pace (but not all players).
- His stamina, for reasons mentioned earlier.