TOTT Modrić

Magical. Mercurial. Magnificent. Luka Modric.  If this isn’t enough foreshadowing for where this review is going, I will just go ahead and say that FOF 94 rated Luka Modric is amazing.  Throughout the Festival of Football FUT Managers have been bombarded with an endless supply of neon temptations.  While the price tags on some of these additions are quite high, 94 Modric stood out as a midfield upgrade in a more affordable price range.  It was a difficult choice in regards to chemistry styles but I settled on SHADOW instead of HUNTER for the increase in the defensive stats.  Finally, I deployed Modric in the CM position of a 4-1-4-1 in hopes that his box to box style would link my defending to attack and I was not disappointed.  Modric was the vital connection in the following squad:

PACE & DRIBBLING

Pace Rating: 4.8/5
Dribbling Rating: 5/5

With SHADOW applied Modric boasts a respectable 96 ACCELERATION and a more concerning 86 SPRINT SPEED.  At this point in the madness of FUT, cards with 86 SPRINT SPEED are not blowing anyone away, but I was surprised at how little it affected Modric’s performance throughout the weekend.  There were a few moments where a little extra pace would have benefitted build up play and defensive tracking.  However, in the end Modric was able to keep up with the rapid demands of Weekend League midfielders.  The mixture of a small character architype and his incredible dribbling statistics allows Modric to get in and out of space faster than Chelsea managers come and go from London.  The best compliment I can pay this card is that he plays in game as he does in real life.  99 BALANCE, 98 AGILITY, and 97 BALL CONTROL lead to a wizardry on the ball that can tear teams apart quicker than a blackmail scandal.  When Modric is on the ball, good things happen and they happen fast. 

SHOOTING & PASSING

Shooting Rating: 4.7/5
Passing Rating: 5/5

When Modric is on the ball, good things happen.  As far as passing goes if you can see the pass then Modric executes.  He even makes some passes happen that you don’t see, and that is just an added bonus.  He was the second man into corners for me as well, and the crosses he puts in are excellent with both feet.  At this point you would expect these cards to be relatively accurate with passing anyway, but Modric is pinpoint and passing is definitely a big part of his game.  Shooting is a slightly different story and can be hit or miss, literally.  While Modric has 92 LONG SHOTS, he only has 82 SHOT POWER and this combination leads to numerous corners instead of goals from shots just outside the box.  Simply looking at the stats tells a slightly different story and after 20 games I had quite a decent goal return for the Weekend League.  I would say that Modric’s best shooting quality has nothing to do with shooting at all and instead comes down to the spaces he takes up on the pitch.  More often than not it was Modric making late runs into the box or peeling away from defenders so that he could fire home from close range.  At only 80 FINISHING I was tempted to try a HUNTER chemistry style but it turned out to be a non-issue.  I cannot recall a moment that Modric should have scored and didn’t.  When it comes to putting the ball where you want, I have not used many players better than this card.

DEFENDING & PHYSICAL

Defending Rating: 4/5
Physical Rating: 4/5

I am not sure if it was the additional SHADOW statistic or just simply a combination of balance and reactions? Modric is actually a truly capable defensive presence in the midfield.  As players attempt to beat him; as he tracks down a runner in the 85^th minute; it doesn’t matter the scenario, Modric ends up with the ball.  A huge part of this is that after he nicks the ball off of an opponent, he can immediately turn and shield the ball away from trouble, and then you can accelerate out of the dribble and into open space.  The same can be said for his physicality, it doesn’t add up but Modric is decent in the air and can stand up to would be challenges for the ball.  Additionally, 98 STAMINA means that Modric is the energy in the midfield throughout a match.  I think it is these unexpected luxuries that make a card more noticeable during reviews and ultimately the most important piece of information for FUT Managers considering these types of players.

THE GOLDEN BALL

Final Score: 4.6/5
Bang for Buck: 4.9/5

After a tournament long masterclass in possession and passing Modric was rightly rewarded with the Golden Ball for his FIFA 2018 World Cup performance.  While it is obvious he would have rather lifted a different trophy this was, and is, a huge honor none the less.  I feel like my review ends similar to the tournament did when I think about Modric.  He does everything you would want on the pitch and can just about carry you to the Promise Land.  Yet, he still needs help around him.  Modric just needed an extra player or two near his caliber to have tasted victory in the World Cup, and the same goes for Weekend League.  Given my luck and commitment to Weekend League I have the players around Modric to open up space and find the right passes back to him.  Modric is the icing on the cake in this sense and just makes everything a little bit sweeter.  I liked everything that he brought to the squad and I think most FUT Managers would too.  As his price continues to drop since Weekend League I do think he is worth a test run by FUT Managers in order to see if he is the right ingredient to lead your squad to sweet, sweet, victory. 

Cheers for reading.

Game Stats:

Game Highlights: