Review: TOTS Neymar

For the FUT Managers still participating (torturing themselves) in the weekend ritual of FUT Champs; rewards for our struggles were recently paid out as TOTS cards were added into the Monthly Rewards.  With little expectation I opened my monthly rewards and thought little when a Brazilian flag was present, LW sparked little anticipation, but then a PSG flag appeared and I realized I had hit the jackpot.  After reworking my squad I was ready for yet another run at Weekend League and even more ready to test drive the Brazilian Bugatti.  TOTS Neymar was the Samba King in the following squad:

PACE

At this point in FUT pace is everywhere and I would say it is more of talking point if a card does not have the pace to keep up with the speed of Weekend League.  But for the sake of this review I can confirm that TOTS Neymar is blazing quick and incredibly fast.  Throughout the past few months I have tried to keep these two levels of pace separate as they bring a considerably different threat.  Quick players have the ability to turn and accelerate out of tight spots, while fast players simply burn your opponents in a dead sprint.  TOTS Neymar is the first player I have used that has both in abundance.  TOTS Alejandro Gomez and TOTS Sergio Aguero possess quickness and speed, but neither compare to Neymar.

RATING: 5/5

SHOOTING

5 STAR WEAK FOOT; and with the HAWK Chemistry Style applied all 99 rated SHOOTING stats.  TOTS Neymar comes as advertised; a one man wrecking crew with all of the tools to demolish your opponents.  Finesse, long shots, low driven blasts, chips, volleys, simply you name it and Neymar can execute it… with both feet.  After using TOTS Firmino and other high powered snipers on FUT I thought I had experienced it all.  However, Neymar is on a completely different level.  I even had to re-train my own thought process on shooting and simply started letting the ball fly later in my trial.  Anything inside of the opponents third is a real chance with this guy if you simply unleash the cannons on their sinking ships.

RATING: 5/5

PASSING

Passing is an overlooked stat for sure with Neymar, especially after you see the bright lights of his high 90s in Shooting, Dribbling, and Pace.  But Neymar’s passing continues to separate him from other top players.  Player A might be fast but can’t finish.  Player B can finish but struggled to make intricate passes.  But Neymar, can do it all.  As a top striker in a 4-1-4-1 Neymar was often isolated and many times surrounded by defenders; and his passes always find their mark.  Long balls, crossing (the majority of his assists for me), through balls, it doesn’t matter they all come off.

RATING: 5/5

DRIBBLING

99 DRIBBLING, 99 BALL CONTROL, 99 AGILITY, 5 STAR SKILLS, and the list goes on for the embarrassment of riches that this card possesses.  You add in the fact that your opponent can’t let him shoot or he scores, can’t let him through as he can’t be caught, the fact that he can pass the ball through the eye of the needle, and your opponent is in big trouble.  These defensive nightmares improve Neymar’s dribbling abilities further as your opponent tries to anticipate your next move.  The turns this guy can pull off are exceptional and the touch he takes away from his dribbles is insane.  It is criminal the way he assaults defenders one vs one and as Managers adjust for help it simply opens up better options around the pitch.

RATING: 5/5

DEFENDING & PHYSICAL

Probably the biggest surprise I experienced this weekend was the amount of times Neymar dispossessed my opponents.  His speed and agility allow him to close down opponents faster than they expect and he simply strips the ball away.  Additionally, he intercepts a fair few balls as my first line of defense, and then has the pace to initiate an extremely potent counter attack.  I normally do not include the defensive abilities of a forward in my review, but I felt it necessary to mention Neymar’s capabilities off the ball in this case.  From a physical perspective Neymar is blessed with the 99 STAMINA that allows him to press, sprint, and maintain his threat to goal for the entire game.  Furthermore, he has the correct body type and stat combinations to produce strength on the ball as well.  Neymar’s one and only negative might be his heading, but I doubt that any FUT Managers are purchasing Neymar with the game plan of launching balls into the box.

RATING: 4.6/5

FINALE SCORE

RATING: 5/5

And there you have it; my one and only perfect rating for FIFA 18 thus far.  I thought about a cheeky 4.9/5 to leave the door open for better players, but there aren’t any.  While there may be some players who come along to equal Neymar’s perfect rating, it does not change the fact that for me he is the best player in FUT at the moment.  While some FUT Managers may dispute my claims (and I hope they do for the sake of discussion) I have not had this level of a consistent impact from any player, ever.  TOTS Aguero and TOTS Suarez for instance are two fantastic players in FIFA 18 and yet they do not even come close to Neymar.  I feel like he has revitalized my joy with FIFA this summer, which is worth .1 of a rating to me. 

Cheers for reading!

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