Player Review

I have been very impressed with Blanc and am satisfied with picking him with my Swaps tokens. I got iced by Overmars on week 1 of FUT this season, and was second-guessing my longterm plans for getting Blanc. Stuck to my guns and happy I did.

First - I'm not a great player, probably not even good - average is a push. Pre-Blanc I bounced between D6-D7 in rivals and consistently got Silver 1 in WL. In my 352, now Blanc plays central CB, and I see myself bouncing between D5-D6 and got my first Gold 3. That's the squad holistically, but I can place a lot of that on Blanc's feet.

Overall, Blanc is a beast, he is an Icon that feels like an Icon. We've all been duped on Icons that are mediocre or worse. Blanc's AI and "Icon hidden stats" (if you believe in that sort of thing) is unreal. He reads passes amazing even on conservative interceptions. If he is between the ball and the goal, any shot is getting blocked. He picks the pocket of CR7, R9, Mbappé, Neymar, etc. if they get too close. Blanc has been the most impressive defender I've played with and I've used the regular cast of characters - Moments Boateng, The Benders EoE, Varane, Gomez, Mendy, FB Klaiber, Tavernier, Icon Moments Puyol, Icon Moments Zambrotta. Blanc's tremendous skills let me play much more aggressive on defence, which is my preferred MO.

Pace - He doesn't feel too slow with a shadow. I flank him with faster defenders, but he's almost never caught out of position unless it's user error on my end.

Shooting - He's not here for shooting, but I have scored two goals from him. One on a set piece header and a second on a broken set piece with him still in the box hitting a nice volley. I don't recall any misses, but he's not there for scoring.

Passing - His passing isn't great, but it isn't bad. I don't fire long balls with him and usually leave that to one of my other CBs or CDMs. He will connect with some decent long balls, but about 50/50.

Dribbling - He's 6'4" and feels clunky on the ball. But you can take a couple of touches and clear the danger. You are not going to hold onto the ball with him for long.

Defence - I cannot stress this enough - the most gamechanging defender I have played with. His AI and intangibles on D are tremendous. He picks the pocket of the top dribblers, stays in prime position when you are not controlling him, and is incredibly difficult to get around.

Physical - Absolute unit out there. Mbappé, Benzema, and Lukaku have run into him like he's a wall and Blanc comes away with the ball unscathed. Jumping isn't great, but he plays with Strength and Aggression that feel higher than mid-80s. Call it "Icon hidden stats".

Last - I came up against a nice Ligue 1 / French team in WL. I saw Blanc playing in the back four and wanted to see if he seemed as strong from the other side. He did. My Prime Stoichkov and Prime Moments Kluivert ran into him like a brick wall. I simply could not get around him and had to instead attack the Varane-Mendy side, which had better results. I beat his Blanc once, and that was in a footrace with Showdown Neres.

All in all, I'm sure all if not most have made their Swaps selections. If not - go Blanc. This guy is in my lineup until endgame, unless I score a TOTS that perfectly matches my team's makeup.