Player Review

What i enjoy most about fifa is trying players, and as Benzema is due to an 94-upgrade this wednesday, i decided that i might give him a go. All matches are played in div 1 (2050) or weekend league.

I tried him as a solo striker in 4231, as a target man in 442 and as a cam in 4231.

I didn't expect him to be super agile and good on the ball, just maybe clunky in general. However, he surprised me a lot. Obviously, he is no neymar on the ball, but he certainly is no haaland either. He is able to turn pretty damn fast for such a big man, and he creates a ton of space to fire off that rocket of a shot he has. And, the main thing about this card that honestly shocked me, was how easy he gets past defenders when using skill moves(mainly la croqueta, bridge and heel to heel). There was just something cracked about him when using skill moves. It's probably the combination of amazing dribbling stats and the physicality that does the trick.

His passing is also unreal, honestly you do not even notice his 79 long passing. Benzema's physical attributes are also great, mainly his strength being 85, which means he can muscle off a lot of defenders. This is important, as he lacks a bit of pace, but usually makes up for it by making defenders unable to steal the ball from him as they can't get around him. Now to his absolute peak attribute: his finishing. With both the finesse shot trait AND outside the foot trait he is a freak in front of goal. Honestly the most consistent finisher i've tried this year, and i've tried basically every striker thats below 2 mil. His finishing is that good. I noticed that especially his shot at the nearest post is stupidly cracked, he literally blows the top off the keeper. His finesse shot is also something else. I can't compliment this guy's finishing enough.

The main concern about this card was the pace, and rightly so. 84 acceleration and 79 sprint speed isn't ideal for a striker, especially not at this point in the game. Here is a couple of suggestions to get around that issue and what not to do with this card.

How not to use him

1. don't use him as a solo striker, as he, for the most part, will not be able to outrun defenders unless you time the pass to perfection (when he is just next to defenders, he will sometimes get past them, but dont count on it to happen every time)
2. Please do not put a hunter on this guy. You honestly can't feel the pace boost anyways and he does not need the extra +4 finishing. If you absolutely want to boost his shooting and pace, use hawk. Also gives him 95 strength and better jumping.
3. Generally, if you are used to pacey strikers only, i wouldn't recommend going for this guy, as you would have to alter your gameplay OR you could play him as a cam.

How to use him

1. Obviously, you always have to play to a player's strenghts. Benzema's card makes him an ideal target man in a 2 striker formation or as a cam/cf. Personally i prefered him as a cam.
2. You want to get him on the ball outside the box as much as possible. From here you can do some of the skill moves mentioned earlier to make room for his amazing shot. This is basically the main thing you want to do with this card. If you get an angle around the middle of the box (or in the box of course), it's a free goal.
3. Give him an engine. Just do it. You will notice how much it improves his balance and agility in game. He does not need a boost in shooting and you do not notice the extra boost in pace from the hunter chem style.

This benzema card is an upgrade or 2 away from being a 5/5. At this point, the only thing that keeps me from giving him a 5/5 and not 4.5/5 is his pace. considering he is only 260k atm, with a 94 card on wednesday and quite possibly more upgrades in the future, this guy is worth every penny. Good league and good nationality as well.