FC 25 Total Rush Zaire-Emery Player Review

Back for a second review and back into the routine of bringing you one intriguing option from each promo, so check for more in depth reviews moving forward.  In the case of the Total Rush Team 2 there were not many options in that “not cheap enough to simply try, but not too crazy expensive” sweet spot… But one card that immediately jumped out was that of Warren Zaïre-Emery.

Zaïre-Emery was a beast in FC24 as first his Future Stars and later his TOTS were beasts in the middle of the park and the perfect card type to take over matches.  The hope was that Zaïre-Emery could replicate this impact and carry my team to victory throughout this weekend's installment of the rage simulator.  Whether you have used or been abused by Khephren Thuram then you will already know that any player that can fly around the pitch and win challenges is a must have in FC25, and Zaïre-Emery fit that mold perfectly.

Bit of formation experimentation this weekend as I played around with my 4-4-2 formation and the more recent addition of a 4-2-3-1 option.  In both cases Zaïre-Emery was tasked with the job of patrolling the midfield and benefitted from the DEEP-LYING PLAYMAKER role when called upon, utilizing the ANCHOR Chemistry Style to weigh down my opponents attacks throughout the weekend.  Zaïre-Emery provided the legs both on and off the ball to get my squad moving all weekend long in the following squad:

Overall 

Rating: 9/10

Incredibly substantial upgrade on the base version of this card and performances more than matched the statistical improvements.  Zaïre-Emery glides around the pitch, getting involved in all three thirds of and contributing equally to each.  Perhaps that fact that he is not really a specialist in either the attacking or defending third is what hurts the Frenchman that most… Or on the flip side you could say that being able to contribute across the pitch is the biggest threat… depends what you want from your midfielders.

Main Statistics – Pace

Pace Rating: 10/10

PlayStyles: Quick Step 

Essentially every positive contribution that Zaïre-Emery is involved in stems from his pace.  Perhaps a perfect 10/10 should be reserved for those RAPID & QUICK STEP combination cards, but throughout my 5 matches there was simply no one catching Zaïre-Emery in a dead sprint and certainly no one pulling away from the young midfielder either.

The QUICK STEP PlayStyle is a nice addition for those L1 into R2 speed boosts that, while nerfed, can still be that bit of jump that is required to get out of pressing situations or creating attacking opportunities.  Zaïre-Emery proved the perfect press-breaker during this review and, once up to full speed, was a well-timed through ball away from a breakaway at all times (benefitting from the high press and offside traps of my opponents. 

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 4/5

In the end I think Zaïre-Emery will ultimately be hurt by not being an out and out specialist in any the midfield role.  There are certainly better attacking midfielders that can still win the odd tackle, and there are ultimately destroyers who can chip in with the odd goal… In this case Zaïre-Emery doesn’t do all things well enough to fully accept the 440k price tag.

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 4/5

While speed kills, there are other lethal attributes in Zaïre-Emery’s locker.

+ The dribbling with this card is quite smooth and really allows Zaïre-Emery to move through the gears at pace while maintaining some control over the ball.  The FIRST TOUCH and PRESS PROVEN combination really did help get through the press of my opponents throughout the weekend, breaking the lines without having to find a pass.

+ In the air (95 JUMPING) or shoulder to shoulder (91 STRENGTH) I found Zaïre-Emery’s Physical Stats to be a huge part of the success with this card.  When you can win the battles you certainly have a better chance of winning the war.

Yet there were still a few negatives that brought down the overall performance and therefore value of this card.

- Moving the ball from Point A to Point B (both Shooting and Passing) is a bigger problem for this card than it should be.  The 5 goals and 3 assists in 5 matches does not paint the full picture of what could have been.  Missed chances on the 4 STAR WEAK FOOT, curiosity of 74 FINISHING, was a typical pattern throughout.  Maybe more surprising was the 91 SHORT PASSING that, when mixed with TIKI TAKA PlayStyle,  could have been a gold mine in the middle of the pitch, but never became reality as more and more easy passes went astray.  

Closing Words

Enjoyable review and a stark reminder that certain card types just “have it” in these games and Zaïre-Emery is certainly one of them.  I feel like I am downplaying just how good this card was and overall how dominant I was in the midfield this weekend.  But in the end the biggest challenge is finding a formation where having an all action card with suspect (at times) defending and inconsistent finishing is still worth the purchase.  For me I never found that perfect formation and despite enjoying the card I can not see it returning to my squad in the future for that reason.  

Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading