Review - PL SBC Kevin De Bruyne

You get an SBC… you get an SBC… everyone gets an SBC!  Finally, a collective exhale was had by all and the hordes of FUT Managers with stock piled EPL players claimed a rather unexpected reward in 94 rated Kevin De Bruyne.  The question soon became; is he worth the 580k (XBOX) listed on FUTBIN at the moment?  Or would FUT managers be better served selling the players and reaping the rewards?

Given the fact that De Bruyne would be playing in a CAM or CM role in the different formations I cycle through I was not concerned about his defending statistics.  With this in mind I applied CATALYST for cycle of games and later HUNTER, with better results.  KDB was pulling the strings in the following squad:

PACE

It only takes a quick glance at De Bruyne’s base statistics to realize that a pace enhancing chemistry style is needed.  This was obviously the rationale behind my chemistry style choices and I was hoping they would come good.  While there was a noticeable difference in pace with the chemistry styles, I still felt a sluggishness in KDB, especially in acceleration.  Later on I want to talk about the runs he makes, which are amazing, but for now I will base my rating on pure speed.

RATING: 4/5

SHOOTING

FIVE STAR WEAK FOOT.  A good start to every FUT argument about whether Player A is better than Player B.  Undoubtedly this is one of the eye catching components of KDB’s card.  He can absolutely hammer the ball with both feet for sure.  With the CATALYST chemistry style applied I noticed the 89 FINISHING more than I would have expected, especially on his left foot.  Changing KDB to HUNTER was noteworthy and improved his goal return and did not take much away from his passing ability. Still, I felt he missed one too many chances throughout the weekend.

RATING: 4.5/5

PASSING

The man is a wizard when it comes to picking a pass.  All FUT Managers have experienced the “I WASN’T AIMING ANYWHERE NEAR THERE!!” moments while playing FIFA.  Two games into my KDB review I had one of those moments.  Except in this case he picked out a better pass then I had originally intended and it led to a goal.  There are even little intricacies to his passing that I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I was not reviewing him.  Through balls, flicks, long balls, you name it; they all come off with a zip to them that speeds up play.  Accuracy is key with KDB, I bet he could even find Sane in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s back pocket. Sorry City fans.  To be honest, I was shocked at how few assists he had at the end of my 20 games.  It felt like he was at the centre of everything good in my attacking play.

RATING: 5/5

DRIBBLING

Silky.  That could really be the complete summary of KDB on the ball in the end.  He is responsive in the turn, touch tight on spins, and feels like he is always in control.  I am not big on skill moves as my videos always show, but I do rely heavily on turns and tight touches around the box.  KDB was a nice addition to the squad and was able to find space in tight areas with his control of the ball.  My one issue comes back to his pace; the slower acceleration out of the dribble means that players “left of dead” are often right back on you for more.  Not really a dribbling critique, but in the end it did cause me to lose the ball while dribbling a few times this weekend.

RATING: 4.5/5

DEFENDING / PHYSICAL

Defending is not a strong point of KBD and I would say he does alright in the tackle, I would never recommend him as a CDM though.  De Bruyne’s physical stats are not the best reading either when you look at some of the other top CMs/CAMs available.  However, I feel like the combination of his other statistics work in his favor to somehow boost these ratings.  93 STAMINA is still quite good and can easily get your through a match and extra time, no issues there.  70 JUMPING and 78 STRENGTH suggest a player who is good with the ball at this feel and away from would be tacklers.  But I repeat, there is something about KDB’s body type or statistical break down that make these numbers a non-issue.  Like Trump’s lawyer there is something important hidden here, I just can’t make out what.  Regardless, throughout the weekend I was able to push players off the ball defensively, protect the ball, and win a decent amount of headers. 

RATING: 4.5/5

FINAL SCORE 

RATING: 4.6/5

Unlike Dele Alli, KDB is never caught with his pants down and he is always, always, always moving in the right direction.  He is on the front foot and for this reason I was not at all concerned about a small lack of pace.  As each pass is played you can see him making runs into the appropriate spaces and it just opens up your opponent’s midfield and defensive lines.  KDB was the metronome for my squad this weekend and it felt like the pulse was sped up a notch or two with him setting the beat.  But when it comes down to it, is he worth 580k? As of writing this there is a 90 rated Paul Pogba on the XBOX marketplace for exactly 580k.  If you take out the likelihood that most FUT Managers will be using untradeables in the SBC and look at pure cost alone then it comes down to where you want to upgrade a player.  SBC KDB is not only fun to say, he edges it for me in the CAM role.  However, if I am looking for box to box CM that can influence the entire pitch then Pogba is the no brainer.  It comes down to preference for sure, but if you want a CAM who can influence your attack and speed up your play, then KDB is your man.  Cheers for reading.   

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