Showdown
DeanSALIBA! He's finally here and I really wanted this to start positively but they've done it again... another SBC that has been incredibly overpriced, Which is a shame given we all now need a new defense to stop TOTY Messi who we're likely to face in nearly every WL game going forward!
You can check out the new Saliba card Here!
Despite it being the biggest promotion of the year we've seen some of these SBC items get minimal upgrades, (don't get me started on that Modric) Saliba has an awesome normal card which was fantastic at the start of the game, and his Evo item's also have been great, It's just a shame that this TOTY related item didn't get a more significant boost vs his previously available items.
Saliba dropped into the RCB role in the below team with the Shadow chem style applied to bring his pace up nicely.
We know it's an expensive SBC but here is what you'll need to complete to get this Saliba...
France
# of players from France: Min 1
IF Players: Min 1
Squad Rating: Min 84
Pack Return: Jumbo Gold Pack
Top Form
IF Players: Min 1
Squad Rating: Min 85
Pack Return: Jumbo Premium Gold Pack
Premier League
# of players from Premier League: Min 1
Squad Rating: Min 87
Pack Return: Prime Electrum Players Pack
88-Rated Squad
Squad Rating: Min 88
Pack Return: Premium Gold Players Pack
88-Rated Squad
Squad Rating: Min 88
Pack Return: Premium Gold Players Pack
86-Rated Squad
Squad Rating: Min 86
Pack Return: Prime Electrum Players Pack
The overall cost of this SBC is fluctuating quite a bit at the moment but you can expect to be paying around 950,000 coins if starting from scratch.
How did he perform in game?
+ Pace, it does take him a yard or two to get to his top speed but once he does he flies, great recovery pace!
+ Strength/Aggression, he's incredibly strong in the tackle as shown in the clips, was fantastic when it came to shoulder-to-shoulder battles.
+ Positioning, I use the phrase a lot but right place, right time sums this item up.
+ Playstyles, He's got 4/6 of the defensive ones and we know that playstyles can make or break cards this year, they definitely assist in this items high-level performances.
There really wasn't a stand-out negative for this item...other than the price of course, I really did find it to be an extremely high level center back, he passed the ball really nicely, won aerial battles, he just did his job in every single game.
88 TOTY Honourable Mentions Saliba - Cop or Flop?
I'm going to say straight away it's a flop in terms of price, I think the item is great but that price is so off putting for anyone who doesn't have a fully stacked club. The fact you can also use evolutions to get an item similar to this too only adds to that reasoning.
Is this version of Saliba better than the Evo versions? Yes. But it’s not a 500,000+ coin difference better.
If this SBC was half it's cost there would be a conversation to be had, but given it's nearly a million coins it's too big of a price tag to try justify even though I think this card is a top level CB option.
Verdict = Flop
