IF CASEMIRO

After back to back reviews of blockbuster players we dive back into the category of more affordable options this week with a look at Real Madrid’s Casemiro.  The 90 rated version of the Madrid man is of course available through the LaLiga SBC, but at 380k (XBOX) you need some decent pulls to offset the high cost.  On the other hand you can go for the 89 rated inform that has progressively dropped throughout the weekend and landed in the 140k mark.  The question is, is he worth it?
Casemiro was a huge favorite of mine in FIFA 18 and I hoped that he would be just as effective this time around.  In need of pace to patrol the midfield I went for the SHADOW chemistry style for the extensive pace boost.  In the end I was happy with this choice but ENGINE does provide some much needed dribbling statistics while on the ball.  To start the weekend I played in the formation that is attached to this review in hopes that Casemiro would be freed up to move forward.  It didn’t take me long to realize that Casemiro falls into the win the ball back and move it on category of Kante and Fabinho.  While his shooting statistics are alright, he wastes more opportunities than he takes and I soon went back to a 4-2-2-2 formation with Casemiro as a CDM.  Casemiro was the wrecking ball in the following squad:
 

Pace

Even with the +15 ACCELERATION & +10 SPRINT SPEED that SHADOW offers, the Brazilian still sits at only 74 ACCELERATION & 76 SPRINT SPEED.  At this point in the FUT cycle the sad fact is that this level of pace is borderline unusable.  However, as I dove into the Weekend League I started to realize that this card has some serious pace with tracking the ball.  I would put Casemiro right alongside NIF Kante any day when it comes to tenacity off of the ball and he hunts down strikers who he has no business catching.  This truly was the most eye opening part of this review and added to the quality of this card.   

Pace Rating: 8.5/10

Shooting & Dribbling

I lump these two statistics together as they are definitely not the selling points for this card.  I was a huge fan of Casemiro in the midfield all weekend and I want to go on and on about the talents of this card… but shooting and dribbling are definitely not them.  From a shooting perspective Casemiro is hit and miss; 88 SHOT POWER & 81 LONG SHOTS do combine to create some really powerful efforts from distance, but the ball is often headed way into the crowd high and wide.  The 3 STAR WEAK FOOT feels like a 1 STAR and I practiced shot aversion as soon as the games in Weekend League became more difficult.  From a dribbling standpoint this card was quite poor and the time it takes to turn feels like you could be tackled three or four times before you can play a pass.  I am guessing this is a mixture of both pace and dribbling, but it is still a huge issue.  In a straight line though, Casemiro can turn his solid tackling into a quick counter attack and from this perspective I was really happy.   Just don’t ask him to move laterally, or your counter attack turns into a slow build up.

Shooting Rating: 6/10
Dribbling Rating: 6.5/10 

Passing, Defending & Physical

I feel like a used car salesman and now that I have breezed over the negative aspects of this review, here are the real selling points.  I constantly felt like this review was a comparison to NIF Kante and so that is where a lot of my thought process went.  Defensively Casemiro is every step as good as Kante and he benefits from 96 STANDING TACKLES, 98 INTERCEPTIONS, 99 SLIDE TACKLES, & 99 MARKING with SHADOW applied.  Casemiro wins the ball back constantly to keep attacks alive or to start counter attacks.  In addition to the impressive defensive statistics is the physical attributes that aid the Brazilian in his mission to obliterate your opponent’s attacks.  6’1 (185cm) with 89 JUMPING turns Casemiro into a real ball winner in the air, while 90 STRENGTH & 87 AGGRESSION mean you are driving an armored tank while on the ground, and finally 87 STAMINA means that you can do all of this all game long.  What I quickly realized after failed attempts at dribbling away from pressure was that this card has amazing passing range and accuracy.  The defending and physical makes sure you get the ball to feet, and then simply turn to your playmakers and let the passes fly, they always hit their target.  After I caught on to the effectiveness of passing in this card it was lights out all weekend and my admiration for this card grew and grew.

Passing Rating: 9/10
Defending Rating: 9.7/10
Physical Rating: 9.5/10

Final Score

Final Rating: 8.6/10

I can imagine that comparing NIF Kante and IF Casemiro in this review will raise the question; who is more effective?  And in the end I really cannot come to a decision.  If you compare their stats there is a single (yes one) in-game stat that separates the two in favor of Casemiro, that is how close they are.  Honestly I would take either in my squad and trust that they can do the job of retrieving the ball and getting it to the real play makers in your squad.  The difference of 100k does make me lean towards Casemiro as a better option between the two, but in the end it has to come down to your squad and whether you want EPL/La Liga or French/Brazilian in your squad.  In closing I realize that my video includes a few goals that Casemiro is marginally involved in, but they were too enjoyable to leave out.  Cheers for reading.  

Game Stats:
 

Game Highlights: