UCL LIVE GRIEZMANN

“I never have pack luck,” five words that continuously echo across the FUT universe. While it seems like everyone and their grandma is packing Ronaldo, Neymar, and ICONS; I am packing Jardel for the 30th time this month. Well, I finally hit the jackpot and I promise I will never ever complain again… at least until TOTY and someone posts their Messi pull. The recent release of Champions League Live cards introduced some brand new content and new dynamics to OTW cards. In packing Antoine Griezmann I have eclipsed my best ever pull by tenfold and I couldn’t wait for Weekend League to come around and throw this card into the fire.
In creating my squad I couldn’t decide where I should place Griezmann in the 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations that I often cycle through. In the end I went with something completely different using him in the 4-2-2-2 (the picture you see is in-game, and I used 4-2-3-1 to have everyone on 10 chemistry before games) formation as a ST. Chemistry styles was just as difficult to decide and I eventually went with HAWK for the physical statistic boost. Griezmann was the guillotine in the following squad:

Pace & Dribbling

Here comes the ultimate plot twist… Griezmann is lightning fast and the ball looks like it is attached to a sting when he dribbles! Okay it wasn’t a plot twist and everyone reading this already knew that was coming. With the HAWK chemistry style applied Griezmann moves to 90 SPRINT SPEED and more importantly for FIFA 19, 94 ACCELERATION. Playing with Griezmann in the front two it was important that he was constantly on the move and that I was able to immediately move away from the pressure of defenders. The speed that Griezmann takes his first few steps is key here and many would be tacklers were left lunging into the abyss as I turned away from them. The dribbling is also important here and Griezmann can turn in a phone booth even if a defender was standing in there with him. 81 BALANCE is just enough to get the job done and the 90¬+ AGILITY, REACTIONS, BALL CONTROL, & DRIBBLING are fantastic. My only parting concern is SPRINT SPEED which was just not quite at the level of M’Bappe, but I guess no one I have reviewed has been.

Pace Rating: 9.3/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.7/10

Shooting

This card is a masterpiece for FUT Managers who are focused on statistics; 99 POSITIONING, 99 FINISHING, 91 SHOT POWER, & 99 VOLLEYS are just the beginning and when you add 86 CURVE & 88 COMPOSURE … it does not get much better. The obvious knock against Griezmann is the 3 STAR WEAK FOOT, which feels like a 1.5 – 2 in-game. Maybe I am alone in this thought process but I swear that left-footed players are effected more by their weak foot grading. Probably just me. Back on track, avoiding Griezmann’s weak foot is not difficult when you play him off of the right hand side of the pitch, utilize his pace, and exploit his dribbling making it a smaller issue, but still an issue nonetheless. But back to statistics, 26 goals in 20 Weekend League games is the best return I have had from a review this year and it always felt like a goal was moments away with this card in my squad.

Shooting: 9/10

Passing & Defending

I do not remember a magical through ball or moments where passes made their way into areas they shouldn’t have, all I have to go on then is 11 assists in 20 games. Decent return when you consider the goals that Griezmann added to the squad as well. Taking both into consideration I am on the fence about Griezmann’s passing. Are the 11 assists a result of a brilliant passer? Or the result of playing in the two striker roll with IF Depay who also scored his fair share of goals over the weekend? Probably a little of Column A, and a little of column B. In the end there was just one too many errand passes in build-up play for me to give anything beyond the generic 7.5. Defending will get the normal striker treatment as well.

Passing Rating: 7.5/10
Defending Rating: N/A

Physical

There is an announcer quote in FIFA 19 about Antoine Griezmann being amazing in the air that is just about as repetitive as “the young French forward” was in FIFA 18. The farce lies in the fact that Griezmann is not effective in the air at all. At 5’9 I realize that Griezmann should not be an animal in the air. My problem lies in the fact that his 99 JUMPING does not seem to play a factor at all. Zero headed goals and honestly I do not remember him winning a header all weekend. Additionally, 67 STRENGTH (HAWK) is not helped by his smaller player architype and any defender within arm’s length is going to bump Griezmann off of the ball. Pace and dribbling are your friend here, but if you are caught, the ball is going in the other direction. Finally, 82 STAMINA was just about enough for 90 minutes (and even 120) as a ST but I could see the demands of the midfield creating the need for a late substitution.

Physical Rating: 6.5/10

Final Score

Final Rating: 9.1/10

Hands down Griezmann is the best player that I have used thus far in FIFA 19. My initial thought during Weekend League success was a 9.5/10, but then I started to look closer at some of the deficiencies within this card. The physical aspects of this card are all hindered by his smaller size of course, yet they also allow Griezmann to be quick and shifty on the ball. You have to take the good with the bad in both cases and the fact that there is a bad lowers the rating on this card. I do not want to paint myself into a corner with future reviews either as new and better cards come out. Which brings me to the closing words on this review and the fact that this could be one of the “new and better cards” that I just mentioned. If Atletico Madrid have further success in the Champions League I think that a 92 – 94 rated version of this card could be an end game competitor. From packing my first ever top tier player, to the incredible design of the CL Live cards, to the fact that it looks like Griezmann is signing the Champions League anthem in his dynamic picture, to the enjoyable Weekend League goal return… I was a fan of this card every step of the way, and if you can afford him, I think you would be too. Cheers for reading.

Game Stats: