Player Review

Hey guys. First off, before hating, I DO NOT grind the game. Meaning I don't have R9, Maldini etc. And Ive been on holiday for the past week. But this Smalling fit perfectly in my team. He feels just like Van Dijk but better imo, and his physical presense is absolutely insane. If you have the fodder, DO HIM NOW! Must do SBC im telling you.

Have him lined up with Koulibaly 91, replaced Lucio with Smalling just for testing purposes.

After 40 games, Lucio is still better (which is expected).

This card is definitely S tier but not in the top 8 bracket, sometimes his AI makes mistakes.

On a few occasions he put players onside while the rest of the backline is on offside trap, same goes for driven passes to the box to the the attacker.

Manual defending is ok as long as you don't strafe too much with him and take sharp turns. You will feel the agility/balance on this card.

He does offer length, can keep up with fast players and does have the crazy tackling animations which is very important for a CB.

All in all, good value for coins and easy links.

I really love all these flashback-cards and Smalling was one of my favorite defenders back in FIFA 16-17, so it was clear that I need to do his SBC.

Smalldini plays next to Romero PTG in my squad, where fun is over the meta (I play in Div 4). I tested him for 15 games and he is a real beast for me. His defending abilities are superb, he is nearly everytime on the right spot, his tackles are great and he also is a weapon when you got corners. The only downside is his pace, even with Shadow it take some seconds for him to get up speed, but when you defend calm and concentrate/focus, he is a great addition for every squad out there.

premise I didn't use all 3 for reasons of hybridability (verratti costs too much and yes I found it hakimi) I think it's a great card because in any case it doesn't lack speed, physique etc. but he is very heavy in game so if for example I fail with smalling it is difficult that after he "rearranges" after all great card.
and i tried it with shadow

Overall Rating --> 4.5/5

Player comparison - Bremer

His height [6'4] makes him feel slightly clunky but his reach and heading ability makes up for his lack of user acceleration. Longer strides and good physicality come into play against top-notch strikers - these strengths allow him to win the ball back. Slightly poor passing and dribbling but that's not why you have the card in the first place. I recommend using a shadow chem style on him and also recommend playing him on full chemistry. Overall, a solid player for the SBC valuation.