FC 25 92 Fantasy FC Enzo Francescoli Player Review

The Grassroots Greats promo is officially in the rear view mirror as we drive straight into two weeks of the slightly revamped Fantasy FC.  Like many Live promos there are a variety of ways for cards to receive upgrades and I must say that the addition of the extra domestic cup and league upgrades will certainly cause some wild price fluctuations throughout the remainder of the FC cycle.

There were a lot of top cards to choose from throughout the Team 1 squad and heroes, but if you have followed these reviews for some time then you will know my previous love of Enzo Francescoli meant there could only be one option.  In FC24 Francescoli was like a magnet on the ball and produced some of the best dribbling responsiveness I have experienced, the hope being that this version of the Uruguayan Hero could follow suit.

Still using the 4-2-3-1 (2) formation and was obviously happy to see that Francescoli boasts the SHADOW STRIKER ++, but at the same time I know that many will be happy to see the PLAYMAKER ++ as well.  Truthfully it was a bit disappointing not to see the ADVANCED FORWARD feature at all when playing as a Striker and really made up my mind on a solely CAM review.   The HAWK Chemistry Style felt like the right choice from the off with the HUNTER offering the better Pace but not really contributing to the Shooting at all...  And with that all was set to dive into another Weekend League grind with the hope that Enzo Francescoli could be the glue holding everything together in the following squad:   

Rating: 9/10

What can I say, he’s done it again.  This was an absolute belter of a review and some of the most enjoyment I have had playing the game in some time… and I even lost two matches.  Francescoli delivered nigh on perfect the performance that I was hoping for and the 21 goal contributions in 5 matches only touches on the quality.  In a sense it was also a weird review in that Francescoli delivered a 10/10 card performance and yet in each category there were little issues to point to that kept all categories at a 9/10 max rating.  In the end there is a lot to discuss, but if you are short on time, he was fantastic.

Main Statistics – Playmaking

Skills: ★★★★

Pace Rating: 9/10

Dribbling Rating: 9/10 

Passing Rating: 9/10

PlayStyles: Incisive Plus, First Touch Plus, Pinged Pass, Tiki Taka, Technical, Rapid, Flair

Simply could not split which of these areas caused my opponents the most damage, but it was a lot of damage nonetheless.  11 assists in a 5 match review must be near an all time record for me and it could have been more had I not been so poor in front of goal this weekend.  It was near a point where I could have made one of those “wasted passes” montages with how often Francescoli should have seen his assist tally rise.

I would say that in the end everything starts with the Pace and Dribbling on this card and the amount of space you can create to actually pick out dangerous passes.  MOSTLY EXPLOSIVE probably never summed up a card more as Francescoli can sling shot out of L1 dribbles to the point that it is almost too quick in some circumstances… The 95 ACCELERATION feels incredible and also benefits from the FIRST TOUCH Plus transition.  Ironically it was the 94 SPRINT SPEED & RAPID combination that maybe just lets this card down for Pace and often trailing midfielders would catch up and cause issues.  The 4 STAR SKILLS might also be an issue for some but I was more than happy with how responsive and agile every movement on the ball felt throughout.

While the Pace & Dribbling are needed to create the spaces it really was the Passing that stole the show in this review.  You have a lot of the key weapons at your disposal and Francesoli certainly had his sights set on breaking my opponents hearts this weekend.  Time and time again the INCISIVE PASS icon was popping up as Francescoli played yet another inch perfect pass through the heart of my opponents defense.  The 93 VISION & 92 SHORT PASS were especially perfect, while I also put the 94 FREE KICK ACCURACY to work as well.

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 5/5

Nothing to say about this outside of the fact that Francescoli is an absolute steal at 600k and likely dropping…  Perhaps once more UT Managers catch on to the Live portion of the cards these will rise a bit more.  In the case of Francescoli he is relying on his single season connection to Marseille for his upgrades… This will likely be more clear by the time you read this as OM will be playing (or have played) Auxerre with Nantes waiting on March 2.  With Lens and PSG waiting in the wings it does feel like those first two fixtures are likely to determine any upgrades despite Marseille’s strong season, but who knows, maybe PSG slip and the title is back on… Regardless, the card is still a crazy value.  

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

Nothing but good things to say, with a hint of “if onlys” thrown in.

+ The Shooting with this card was solid and the HAWK Chemistry Style was doing its thing to the FINISHING & SHOT POWER for sure.  I did like the FINESSE SHOT feel with Francescoli but if I am honest the 5 STAR WEAK FOOT was not as impressive as I was hoping… A few missed shots early on and I was a little gun shy to shoot on his left from then on.  Still, 10 goals in 5 matches was no fluke and speaks to the Uruguyan’s finishing threat in front of goal.

+ The Physical is last but not least and saw Francescoli prove incredibly difficult to dispossess.  Especially when involved in the hold up play it was fantastic to see his 181cm | 5’11 frame with 80 STRENGTH and the FIRST TOUCH standing up to opponents who like to run their CB through your attackers back.  The 94 JUMPING also saw some nice knock down headers on clearances… In this case the “if only” deals with the 87 STAMINA that would start to wane late in matches.

Closing Words

There is not much left to say other than this is a must try card and with any sort of upgrades he is going to be a problem.  If Marseille manage the 10 goals in 4 matches (which they should based on previous match totals and form) I am not even sure which 99 Stat I would choose if I was in charge…  In any case I think the ability to be more aggressive with a Chemistry Style would turn this card into an absolute monster… Definitely one I am keeping my eye on and you should too.                               

Hoping you are well. Cheers for reading.