Reviews

86 - IF

3.5

Cheap supersub

By cejaslocas, 11-11-2021

I've been using his normal card as a sub in my Serie A + Bundesliga and Serie A + PSG squads and he was good. I played him as both CM and CDM. This IF is even better (Obviously). He is cheap because he is not "quick enough" for a starting LB but he is really good in the midfield, specially as a sub. You can use him as a defensive CDM or as an all-rounder CM small and agile similar to Barella (Who I sub him for). If you have a average priced squad, try him as a sub!

In conclussion: He is not a game changer but for the price is a perfect midfield sub and you should at least try him out. (Try his normal card if you don't want to spend 20k)

-Small and agile and strong, perfect for holding the ball and dribbling around in the midfield at the end of the game.

-High-High workrate

-Useable as a sub in many positions (Preferably CDM or CM)

-Good in duels, both offensive and defensively

-Cheap

-Losses all aerial duels

-3 star weak foot + 68 finishing means he can miss some shots when going forward (Much better shots from distance)

Formation: 4231

Position: CM

Games: 10

GPG: 0.00

APG: 0.20

3.5

Overall

4.5

Value

3.0

5.0

Stamina

Pace (7/10)

Shooting (6/10)

Passing (7/10)

Dribbling (9/10)

Defending (8/10)

Physicality (8/10)

4.5

Acuna Matata!

By elnimit, 14-11-2021

The first time was so nice, that I just had to do it twice! I absolutely loved his 88 Showdown SBC card from last year, so when I got him from my red picks I was very excited to use him.

A diamond that sparkles in midfield

Looking at this card, straight away, two things were clear to me -

1) There are many quality left backs with much higher pace, so using him at fullback was likely going to be a downgrade and

2) He is so incredibly well rounded(with total in-game stats in the Top 5 for non-icon players in the game currently) that using him at fullback was also going to be a waste of his potential

Putting 2 and 2 together, I immediately started thinking of ways to move him into the midfield and that's where he truly shines out as an incredible player!

Squad Construction to fit him in

So, let's start with squad construction for fitting him into midfield -

I'm sure others can find more creative ways, but I used a 4-5-1 formation with Acuna at LB, strong linked to Kounde at LCB and Ferland Mendy at LM (on 7 chem). I did this because 1) I felt having Acuna on 10 chem is more important than Mendy and 2) Easier strong link with Kounde when Acuna is at LB.

In-game I use a 4-1-2-1-2 Narrow formation with Mendy coming back to fullback and Acuna being the single pivot in my midfield

Chemistry Style

I used a shadow on Acuna to move his pace up to 89 and defending up to 90. I felt he already had incredible dribbling and solid passing, and moreover shooting isn't much of a consideration from my single pivot.

Player Review

I know the word is thrown around quite loosely at times, but for me Acuna was truly a gamechanger as the anchor of my midfield!

The combination of his high defensive work rates, stocky body type (best in defence IMO), incredible dribbling (which really helps out in the bad gameplay on these EA servers), solid passing and good recovery speed was a great combination. In terms of playstyle he felt very similar to the IF Barella to me. I would highly recommend him as an option in midfield for anyone using even a semi La Liga squad. Furthermore, even if you can't find a way to start him, I think he'll make for a very solid supersub to use in midfield. Highly Recommended!

Dribbling stats make him feel extremely responsive, even in shoddy connection matches. The ball seems to "stick" to his feet more often than not after a tackle and he can maneuver his way out of an opponent's pressure
Really solid defensive stats combined with high defensive work rate mean he is more often than not in the right position
Stocky body type makes him "feel bigger" in game than he appears, if that makes sense
PRICE (even in this market)

Behind the power curve in his primary position of fullback IMO. Therefore fitting him into a squad to play him in midfield implies tradeoffs elsewhere
No aerial presence whatsoever at 5'8" and 65 jumping so rarely wins headers from long goal kicks / lofted through balls

Formation: 41212-2

Position: CDM

Games: 19

GPG: 0.16

APG: 0.32

4.5

Overall

5.0

Value

4.5

5.0

Stamina

Pace (8/10)

Shooting (6/10)

Passing (8/10)

Dribbling (9/10)

Defending (9/10)

Physicality (8/10)

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