StevenWe are so back! A fresh start, gold squads, new game modes, and year of packing absolutely nothing noteworthy awaits. The first order of business was to jump into a draft and get the proverbial feet wet for this version of Ultimate Team, only to very quickly and painfully find out how difficult it is to defend and how OP Maradona is in game (IYKYK). Despite the humbling start to FC26 It is always refreshing to restart the cycle and we couldn’t wait (so much so that the default black and white kits are still equipped) to get stuck into a review and look at one of the many game changing cards to work towards at this early stage. The biggest issue was going to be selecting who to look at from the large selection of quality options.
If you have been like me and constantly avoiding responsibilities to come back to FUTBIN, refreshing prices and building squads, then you will know that Omar Marmoush has been consistently at the top of the popular cards chart. I wasn’t 100% sold yet, but soon I received a picture of Marmoush’s card in group chat captioned: “this card gonna be a menace” and based on evidence it looked that way and I had to try him. In the 75k - 125k range of attackers (which I would say is, “save up and improve your squad” territory) Marmoush and Alvarez certainly stand out with their 85+ Pace, Shooting & Dribbling… Marmoush edging the Playstyles, while Alvarez boasts the 4 STAR WEAK FOOT… both enticing early options.
I really don’t want to run 4-2-1-3 again all year, but the 4-4-2 certainly doesn’t have the cover I would want and the familiarity of formation does help with focusing on the subtle changes from FC25. Perhaps I will spread my wings a little and try some new formations in the future, but for now it is back to the old faithful with Marmoush leading the line. I played the City attacker as an Advanced Forward and upon purchasing him he was already equipped with the HUNTER Chemistry Style, which seemed like a solid fit. With everything all set it was off to the Division Rival races with Marmoush leading the line in the following squad:
Rating: 8/10
Pace Rating: 9/10
Dribbling Rating: 8/10
Shooting Rating: 8/10
Passing Rating: 7/10
Physical Rating: 6/10
Defending Rating: N/A
For all those returning to read these reviews I appreciate you! For all those checking them out for the first time, WELCOME, and just a heads up that these ratings are always current power curve specific and evolve with the game. But I digress… In FC25 I would have looked at 25 goal contributions in 5 matches as an outrageous return and don’t get me wrong it is fantastic, but I think FC26 (or at least the way it is now) will see some higher standards for returns as some of these matches finished 9 - 4 and 8 - 3 with only the one 1 - 0 rage quit. Regardless of the amount of goals, Marmoush was sure to be involved in them throughout the review.
Main Statistic - Movement
Pace Rating: 9/10
Dribbling Rating: 9/10
Skills: ★★★★
PlayStyles: Technical
The area that Marmoush stood out the most throughout this review was in his movement around the pitch. To quote my mate, Marmoush is indeed a menace for defenders to deal with and based on his ability to ghost past defenders, I would go as far as to say he is the Phantom Menace. The 93 ACCELERATION & 96 SPRINT SPEED at this stage are insanely effective and produce a variety of chances to score. However, it is worth noting that without QUICK STEP or RAPID there were players such as Konate and co. that still simply locked Marmoush up for Pace.
The Dribbling was another weapon to use during this review and helped in racking up the impressive goals and assists tallies that you see. Marsoush is shifty on the ball and for those that primarily rely on left stick dribbling you will love the 89 AGILITY & 87 DRIBBLING … FC26 seems to favor the TECHNICAL dribble as well and having that PlayStyle at your disposal is a key asset. Again there were some issues (as there should be with a day one card) especially with the lack of FIRST TOUCH, which led to quite a few situations where balls were bouncing off of Marmoush that you would expect to stick.
Value/Coins
Value/Coins: 5/5
Based on a few drafts and an already solid starter team I would say that Marmoush is literally perfectly priced. The introduction of new coins might see his price ebb and flow these early days, but for now I think it couldn’t be better fitting for what you get on the pitch. Impact player that certainly performs better than budget options, but areas to improve that will cost you big coins to get into the next tier of options.
Good vs. Bad
Good vs Bad Rating: 4/5
It wasn’t just the Pace and Dribbling…
+ Let’s get the 3 STAR WEAK FOOT out of the way, it certainly affects the FINESSE SHOT and wasn’t nearly as clinical as you would hope… But if you leather it, he still finds the back of the net more than you would expect on his weaker left foot. Outside of that Marmoush is honestly quite clinical... 90 FINISHING & 88 SHOT POWER is about right and regardless of the finish I went for it was more often than not in the back of the net… 17 times to be exact.
But it is the negatives that make this opening cycle so enjoyable if I am honest …
- Marmoush really struggled to find the correct pass throughout this review. The 85 SHORT PASSING was not awful, but there were moments that the Pace and Dribbling created changes that the Passing simply could not execute. The 63 LONG PASSING was almost comical the few times I tried to spray passes out to my wingers and overall you kind of get what you see with the statistics. The 64 CROSSING did not get overly used but does make Marmoush as a LW less viable and I would be looking to play him centrally.
- 67 STRENGTH is not ideal and certainly Marmoush could have been better at protecting the ball. But I will say that the combination of his frame and Pace did hold off more challenges than anticipated and turned those battles into goals more than once.
Closing Words
I can’t thank everyone who reads these reviews enough and certainly FUTBIN for letting me continue this journey bringing you some potential squad options. Been itching to dive into one since the hype for FC26 has ramped up and Marmoush certainly did not disappoint. Definitely a card worth saving those hard earned coins for and one that can provide a goal in key situations when you need… Menace indeed. Hoping you are well. Cheers for reading.
