FRED

Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santos; the artist currently known as Fred has been stirring up a great deal of hype in the melting pot of FUTs list of popular players.  The recent edition of a OTW card has only added to the buzz around the Man U man.  With that in mind I set out to determine whether or not Fred was the real deal.  My first instinct was to play Fred in the CDM position of a 4-2-3-1 and apply SHADOW or ANCHOR for the added pace and defensive stats.  I did this for 10 games and then started to notice that many FUT Managers have been impressed with his long shots and abilities in the offensive third as well.  In response to this I completed the final 10 games with Fred in the CAM position with the HAWK chemistry style applied.  Fred was the key link in the following squad:
 

Pace

Before I begin any review I like to research each card and look through the stats, comments, and any other information I can find.  Initially I looked at the pace of Fred and thought that he might be a little off the pace for what I was wanting.  77 ACCELERATION and 81 SPRINT SPEED is not sluggish by any means but I still had some worries. The real issue was actually my mind set and not thinking about the pace reduction of midfielders in FIFA 19.  In reality Fred was completely fine in both the CDM and CAM positions and I never found him lacking any speed throughout the review.

Pace Rating: 8/10  

 

CAM Review

As a CAM Fred offers quite a few talents that can be extremely useful in the final third.  82 DRIBBLING translates into tight turns and manoeuverability on the ball.  Oddly enough if you look closer at each rating; all of Fred’s in-game dribbling stats are 80+ except… 79 DRIBBLING.  As my video’s often give away I am not one for many tricks/skills but you do still have the luxury of 4 STAR SKILLS with Fred and just adds to the satisfaction using this card.  After maintaining position off of the dribble Fred possess 77 PASSING as the baseline for his abilities to find his teammates.  I wasn’t blown away by any of Fred’s passes but the 6 assists in 10 games at CAM suggests that the quiet assassin was silently picking apart my opponents back lines nearing the end of my review.  Finally, as Fred gets on the ball in dangerous positions his 74 SHOOTING leads to an interesting part of this review.  Numerous comments I have read suggest that this man has an unexplained ability outside of the box to score goals.  4 STAR WEAK FOOT suggests that perhaps he can even accomplish this on his right foot as well.  At only 2 goals (one a header) I would definitely argue that this was not the case in my experience and it is a factor in why there is not a video for this review.  However, the goal I did score was almost worth a clip in its own as he launched a 25 yard rocket that demolished the roof of my opponent’s goal.  Like a young Roberto Carlos; Fred tattooed the ball, and if I recall correctly won me the game in that moment.  Perhaps it is my shooting ability or the fact that I do not rely on longer shots, but I cannot get on bored with the idea that Fred is a fantastic goal scorer from the midfield.  No doubt he has his moments and by my one experience he can get goals from deeper shooting positions... but I think this relies on a game plan for long shots and the chances he missed where more costly then the return of two goals.

Dribbling Rating: 8/10
Passing Rating: 7.7/10
Shooting: 6.5/10     

CDM Review

On to the magic.  I will keep this simple.   Fred is a beast in the holding midfield role and can connect defense to attack with the above mentioned attributes.  Kante-esque for sure, but not quite on the same level.  With the added pace and defending stats that a SHADOW style offers I was really, really happy with this man in the midfield.  The 90 INTERCEPTION rating stands out and smacks you right in the face just as Fred did to my opponents throughout my review.  While not really noticeable in the offensive third, Fred is a one man wrecking crew everywhere else. He seems to even stand taller than his 5’7 – 169 cm frame and his 87 STAMINA lets him carry on for the whole game.  Minor issues in the air will discourage some FUT Managers, but for me he was too good in his other abilities to let this bother me.

Defending Rating: 9/10
Physical Rating: 7.5/10

Final Score

CAM Rating: 6.5/10
CDM Rating: 8.5/10

A quick word on the OTW that you can purchase for around 45-50k more than Fred’s base card.  This upgrade would be phenomenal and if you are a gambling man this might be a real shot at a top notch player.  Caution though; as we all know, goals are the greatest factor in TOTW decisions and Fred is not a huge candidate for these.  Manchester United’s current struggles aside, at a Shakhtar Donetsk club that absolutely dominates the Ukrainian League, Fred had 14 goals in 156 games.  Perhaps 1 in 7 suggests a slightly increased output, but my hopes are not up.  Outside of the OTW argument Fred is a relatively cheap option that could improve a lot of the teams that are in their infancy.  My recommendation for those struggling with defensive issues is to give this man a shot.
 

Game Stats: