Player Review

There’s something nice about seeing a previously attacking player move further into defence in the twilight of their career. In completing the reverse Gareth Bale, Jesus Navas has gone from speedy winger to erratic fullback. As part of the RTTK promotion, he now has one of the most expensive non-Icon RB card on the game, so is he worth it?

The good:

At the risk of sounding like a maniac, I’ve stuck with the BASIC chemistry style. This is because the things Jesus Navas is good at, he’s really good at, and the things he’s bad at are so beyond saving that no chemistry style can help him, but more on that later.

A basic chemistry style puts Navas up to an 89 CM and a 90 RM/RWB. Playing in the always entertaining 3-4-2-1 I’ve used him as both a defensive CM and a RM who comes back to assist the defence.

Playing as a CM, Navas feels like a hollow-boned Kante. Despite having the skeletal structure of a sparrow, Navas’ 92 PACE and 87 DEFENDING (with chemistry) mean that he can catch, overtake and generally harass just about every attacker currently on the game. The way he covers ground at the heart of the pitch is astonishing, and his 93 STAMINA, 92 DEFENSIVE AWARENESS and 90 AGILITY means that he’ll be one of your chief tormentors all game long. Even going forward, 91 DRIBBLING and 89 PASSING means that he’s perfectly capable of spinning, finding space and arrowing a pass into your forwards in the blink of an eye.

As a RM/RWB, Jesus is even more formidable. His already smooth and silky dribbling and his 91 CURVE, 89 CROSSING and EARLY CROSSER Trait <INSERT CRUCIFICTION JOKE AS REQUIRED> make him phenomenally dangerous in wide positions. 92 SHORT PASSING and 92 VISION mean he can also switch it up and slide strikers in when required. His already mentioned defensive prowess mean when tracking back, he’s more than capable of dispossessing a winger and turning defence into attack.

The not so good:

For all his positives, there are some drawbacks worth considering. The most glaring of which is his 66 PHYSICAL, underpinned by 44 STRENGTH and 74 JUMPING. As a defensive player, Jesus will literally bounce off any striker you try to bully. Without exaggeration, I think he lost almost every aerial duel contested. Whilst 85 AGGRESSION and 87 REACTIONS go some way to address this, I literally stopped competing for most headers, which as a defensive CM was a nightmare.

71 SHOOTING might look bad on paper, particularly with a player whose bones are made of Styrofoam, and unsurprisingly it’s pretty bad in-game. A dedicated student of the ‘close-your-eyes-and-smash-it™’ school of finishing, Navas is as much a danger to the stewards as he is to the opposition’s net. His 2* WF is generally not too big an issue, unless you’re having a pop at goal. Here, it combines with his already underwhelming finishing stat to produce some truly abysmal results. Just don’t let him shoot, trust me.

In conclusion:

At the time of writing this, Jesus Navas is around 105k-110k (or 102 Anthony Martials, depending on your preferred unit of currency). There’s a debate to be had on whether that represents value for money. Looking at La Liga or Spanish alternatives, there’s not really anyone that comes close to Navas’ in-game ability, but with the market as it currently stands, top rated players are about the most affordable they’ve ever been

I would describe this Navas card as a little bit of a luxury. Is he going to transform your team or playstyle? Probably not. Is he an upgrade on most fullbacks/midfielders currently in the game? Definitely. It’s also worth pointing out the potential for upgrades, which could take this card into elite territory, but with Sevilla currently both winless and undefeated in Europe this season, it’s hard to say with any certainty whether Jesus will reach 88 or 89.

Thanks for reading this review. Donate wins where you can, don’t get too drawn into the meta, and remember to have fun.