Player Review

Up until Christmas time I had been using a full Bundesliga squad featuring my favourite ever player, Erling Haaland. Then, all of a sudden, I packed an untradeable Mbappe. He went straight into a reshuffled squad, as disgustingly meta as it could be. But it wasn't working for me. I didn't enjoy the boring Neymar and Mbappe combo, and yearned to go back to the left footed tank that is Haaland. Then this Odegaard card came along, and provided me with the perfect reason to return. It bought back memories of my FIFA 20 team featuring future stars Odegaard and storyline Thorsby as the GOATed Norweigian trio. For the first time ever, EA answered my prayers and provided me with an untradeable What If Odegaard - the rest, as they say, is history, as I slotted him (pre-upgrade) into my squad ready for Weekend League.

Pace

Odegaards pace is neither a huge disappointment nor incredibly impressive. He sits comfortably as a player who gets off the mark well and can outrun some defenders, but is being caught by the bog-standard Varane or Gomez. I honestly didn't really notice his pace, mostly as a result of him staying central and spending most of his time in game either carrying the ball forward in small bursts or passing it around on the edge of the box. It definitley won't blow you away, but is nothing to be sniffed at.

Shooting

The shooting stats on this card are all fairly average for this state in the game. For this reason I slapped a Hunter on mine and watched his finishing rise to 94 and his shot power to 91. He is certainly clinical in front of goal - it was rare a chance fell his way (on either foot; the 3* weak foot was no problem at all) that didn't end up in the net or rattle back off the woodwork. His shot power was the most impressive of all his stats, with low-driven, finesse shots, and regular efforts all being fired toward the unlucky goalkeeper with the force of a nuclear bomb behind it. His long shots were nothing to write home about at 88 - he didn't bag from outside the area for all of Weekend League - but did test the goalkeeper and, at the very least, the shots looked impressive.

Passing

The piece-de-resistance of this card. His passing was exceptionally clean and crisp across all 30 games of Weekend League, even when the gameplay was doing everything it could to misplace any pass from any of my players. The 94 vision is what makes it so special - there were at least two or three assists he made from me attempting to pass the ball outwide, before Odegaard's laser vision instead found a player in the crowded penalty area with just the 'keeper to beat. His threaded through balls are also worth mentioned, because they were unbelievable in sending players through on goal. Last but not least its worth mentioning the 90 free kick accuracy which resulted in some incredible attempts from anywhere between 20 and 32 yards that never failed to test the keeper and cause confusion for defenders on the rebound.

Dribbling

The close control on this card is genuinely something else. The way he turns is so silky and composed, and so when building up play on the edge of the box he's very good for suddenly driving into the box and pulling out a quick turn. The 5* skill moves are a lovely addition and really elevate him to the next level. He's about as slippery as can be before you get to the levels of Neymar and icons.

Defending

As a CAM I expected Odegaard to get back and help defend when needed. Let's just say it actively felt like he didn't want to and leave it at that. If I dragged him back to make a tackle he would usually make it, but then just go running off back towards the oppositions backline. It's safe to say he should definitely played as a CAM/CF, and not a CM or worse, a CDM.

Physical

Considering an overall physicallity rating of 75, I was pleasantly surprised when he wasn't totally bullied by everyone on the opposition team. Despite strength of 70 and aggression of 75, he held his own shoulder to shoulder against almost every defender I came up against, and I can't really recall a situation where he lost the ball as a result of being dispossesed (rather it was a too ambitious pass into a crowded penalty area). I didn't really notice the 51 jumping, and the 89 stamina was perfect to get him through extra time and to penalties if needed. I don't think he was substitued once across all 30 games.

This Odegaard card is a must have if you are an Arsenal fan, want to try something a bit different, have fond memories of his future stars, have a bit of fun with a new and interesting card or, like me, want that beautiful Norweigian connection at the top of the pitch. He certainly did not disappoint and I really enjoyed using him - he genuinely made Weekend League fun for me, and helped me to only my second Gold 1 of FIFA 21. Considering this card will, more than likely, be going up to 90, I cannot recommend him enough, and can guarantee he'll be a good addition to any squad that will just make everything a lot more fun.