The NumeroFUT promo continues with the addition of some new numbers this weekend and while the numbers might be new, the country has remained the same for this review. Same country, same late addition to the game, same nostalgic ultimate team vibes … That FIFA 22: 99 Pace, 97 Dribbling, 90 Defending TOTS Cuadrado was a beast and absolutely insane. Obviously I had to scale back the standards but I would be lying if I didn’t say that my hopes were high going into this review.
The NumeroFUT promo has actually delivered some unique and interesting cards across the two weeks and been a decent filler while TOTY starts to brew. Obviously it was always going to feel like a stinker after Thunderstruck and before TOTY, but there have been some cards that have certainly caught the eye. For the 20th time I do wish that they had gone full-in on the numbers = full Roles and PlayStyles… But if I am honest Cuadrado is decently close with his mastery of the entire right hand side of the pitch with at least a Role+ in all three positions.
Back to putting all of my chips straight up on the 4-5-1(2) with Cuadrado having the potential to play two of the positions. Cuadrado does have the Wingback++ which is perfect for my instructions but was missing the Inside Forward Role that I utilize for my RM and brings up yet another opportunity to explain how the Numero promo could have been better but I will avoid it, slightly. In the end we still went with the RM position for our focus given the recent review of another defender in Johnny Stones. While I would normally have used an ANCHOR I went for the FINISHER to get the most out of Cuadrado in front of goal and all was set. Having had my nostalgia bubble popped last weekend with James it was back to high hopes this weekend with Cuadrado patrolling the right hand side all weekend long in the following squad:
Rating: 9/10
I have to be completely honest on this one and say that I had already planned what I would say when this card didn’t work out at RM… How I had to switch to an ANCHOR and play Salah at RM to save the day and how Cuadrado just isn’t quite there as a RM option. But after the first half of the first match with two assists to his name I was already eating those pre-planned words… This card is actually a fantastic attacking option and everything that I had hoped James was going to be last weekend. The 11 goal contributions in 5 matches doesn’t begin to tell the story… With three early rage quits spurred by Cuadrado’s menace in attack, I really could have played a match or two more to see where Cuadrado’s contributions ended up.
Main Statistics – Dribbling
Skills: ★★★★★
Pace Rating: 10/10
Dribbling Rating: 10/10
PlayStyles: Rapid Plus, First Touch, Technical, Trickster
It is scary to think that people who have skills down to a science will be using this card with a TRICKSTER PlayStyle. This card has a responsiveness that stacks up against basically every card I have reviewed this year and was incredibly fun to use. You can feel the EXPLOSIVE AcceleRATE when you exit dribbles as Cuadrado gets up to top speed incredibly fast. The sprint boost felt like I was back at the start of FC25 as Cuadrado rockets into space when timed properly and then the RAPID Plus takes over. The best part about this combination is that I felt I was losing nothing by adding the FINISHER PlayStyle (which helped the Shooting immensely). The 92 ACCELERATION & 93 SPRINT SPEED felt as quick and fast as any of the speedsters I currently use and I can’t imagine it gets much faster when they are maxed.
At this point I am dead set on FIRST TOUCH being the only way to left stick turn with any sort of pace and it certainly worked for Cuadrado. The 99 DRIBBLING, 99 AGILITY, & 92 BALANCE doesn’t hurt matters either as Cuadrado feels like he floats away from challenges. Maybe most interesting about this review was when those challenges did hit Cuadrado who showed incredible stability on the ball given the 74 STRENGTH and often bounced off challenges… The ANTICIPATE PlayStyle also contributed to these jammy moments and made Cuadrado a real handful to dispossess.
Value/Coins
Value/Coins: 5/5
One of the easier 5/5 values I have given this year as the price tag currently reads 340k (and I would imagine that drops a fair bit) and I would easily pay 500k for this card as an attacker… Nevermind the fact that this card could be a serious right back threat. The versatility of this card really adds to the value and for those that like to change tactics for different game situations I can see Cuadrado being a Godsend.
Good vs. Bad
Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5
There are a few additions that could have made this card even more insane, but there is literally nothing that stood out as even being remotely bad, a complete player to strengthen most squads.
+ The Passing with this card is solid. Some might like a bit more VISION or LONG BALL PASS statistics but I did not notice any real issues. What I did notice was the 90 SHORT PASSING after Cuadrado had left defenders for dead leaving my striker with easy finishes. Also, the combination of WHIPPED PASS & 90 CROSSING (which I really should have utilized more) landing perfectly in dangerous locations.
+ The Shooting was another area that could have led this review astray and instead was another reliable source of goal scoring. The FINISHER is obviously a big part of this as the 92 FINISHING & 94 SHOT POWER enhanced the 5 STAR WEAK FOOT to the point that I wasn’t exactly missing any of the omitted Shooting PlayStyles (which is all of them). Like I mentioned this is an area where additions would raise the quality of this card further, but there were no real glaring misses or situations where Cuadrado was not clinical on the chances that fell to him and the rage quits just kept on coming.
+ The Defending might have stood out considering Cuadrado was playing as a RM, but it would be more than adequate as an attacking right back as well. I mentioned the bonus ANTICIPATE brought while dribbling, but is also such a huge defending PlayStyle. If you really wanted to cement the Defending then the SHADOW looks really solid… But I do think you get away with the ANCHOR and would benefit from even more strength.
Closing Words
One of my main issues with James was how he went missing against more challenging opponents in less flowing gameplay… This was the exact opposite feeling with Cuadrado who almost felt even more effective in those slower matches. The ability to break defenses open with the sprint boost was such a weapon throughout this review and led to a lot of opponents trying to anticipate my next dribble, only opening up more spaces to play a pass or take a shot. As this card starts to drop in price I can only recommend trying Cuadrado for yourself and benefitting from the versatility… There is something about the feel of this card that immediately gives off a gamebreaker vibe and there are considerable weapons to hurt your opponents. I plan on giving Cuadrado some matches at right back as well and am interested in where other FUT Managers have used the Columbian… Let me know in the comments if he is working for you and which instructions you are using.
Hoping you are well. Cheers for reading.