Reviews

When the Rooney SBC came out, I needed a way to get him in my squad (on full chem cause having him on 7 would annoy me lol). I already had two links into Walker and Stones, and so just needed a final strong link for my 10 chem dream. Obviously I wasn't going to choose a Championship player, so on my poor 250k budget I looked into the English Icons - there he was, my lord and saviour Mid Frank Lampard. Deciding to ignore the woeful looking pace, defending, dribbling and physical statistics, I slotted him into my CDM role ready for Div 1 Rivals and Weekend League.

Pace

Having slapped a Shadow on him, I felt slightly less nervous about his 76 pace in a holding midfield role. Off the ball, he it most certainly useable in trying to cut off passing lines and coming across to make tackles and interceptions. He also recovers relatively quickly when out of position which was a nice surprise. On the ball, he feels like a snail. Any more than three touches and he's been caught and has to look to pass, turn, or start to track back after being dispossessed.

Shooting

Playing him as my deep-lying defensive midfielder, his shooting has largely gone unnoticed for me. But when it matters, this Lampard will deliver. He's already scored two match-winning goals in this WL, and when he hits them from distance the goalkeeper always has to work. His 4* weak foot is also impeccable - left foot or right foot are equally as dangerous.

Passing

This is simply extraordinary. He is the best passer of a ball I have used on FIFA 21 without question. His 91 short and long passing is unbelievably, and the way he manipulates the ball is beautiful. His driven passes are especially stunning. And even though he only has 85 vision, it feels like he could spot a needle in a haystack. This is by far the best part of the card, and his distribution is what gets him out of trouble when he's caught. It also makes for some perfectly waited through balls onto strikers.

Dribbling

This is a weird one. He turns like a truck laden with a thousand tonnes of bricks, which is the agility and balance coming through. Apart from these, the way he manipulates the ball is outstanding. His ball control is a standout feature, but nothing beats the importance of his 90 composure. He feels so wonderfully casual with the ball at his feet, which is really amazing to watch and use.

Defending

With only 79 defending with a shadow, there was cause for concern here too when I first saw the card. How mistaken I was. The interceptions are where the card truly shines defensively; 85 interceptions really feel like 95, and he is always in the right place to steal the ball off a midfielder or attacker on the edge of the box. His awareness and stand tackling also make him very secure at winning the ball back. He is no Kante, but he still does an astounding job.

Physical

Average physical stats on the card do not translate to average gameplay. The strength and aggression in game feel so much higher than the 75 and 73. He is never worn out, and I always find myself replacing De Bruyne over Lampard when it goes to extra time in WL. He is also surprisingly good in the air, which is nice to have as a CDM. In-game he also looks fantastically chunky and big, which makes him seem like a real defensive unit.

I've done two Icon SBCs and was "lucky" enough to pack this man on my second (Mid Seedorf was the first). I'm a Gold 1/2 WL kind of guy, so he wasn't going anywhere near the WL squad, but I thought I'd give him a shot in the newest set of Icon objectives. What better place to try him out than in the One Nation friendlies with an England squad? But my god, was he bad. Of course, you probably already assumed this from the stats, but he is slowwwww. I lined him up as the attacking CM in a 4-4-2, and he made 0 impact in any of the games. He literally turns like a truck. I think 86 John Stones was handling the ball better in-game. He was essentially unusable in the attacking third and around the box, which is a shame since I would have liked to test his shot more than I had the chance to. Look elsewhere if you're trying to find an Icon to round out your squad.