Carniball Iñaki Williams

Bright lights, big cities, and a new FUT promo, all featured this week as the kickoff for Carniball got underway.  Enter a new set of bright and shiny cards that only complicates my squad building decisions even further.  From Neymar and Dybala to Muller and Bonucci there is something for everyone; along with some entertaining objective material (I went for Talisca myself).  It was a difficult choice to pick just one and I decided that Iñaki Williams would be a nice change of pace from some of the ICON reviews I have recently looked at.  About 10 games into this review the French “World Champion” SBC would change my FIFA 19 experience forever and CR7 fell into my lap.  I now needed to work him into the squad and Iñaki would take a slight chemistry dip to make room for him, but I did not notice any effect.   Additionally, you will notice that 91 Cruyff is also in the mix and will be in a review coming near you soon.  
Williams is one of those cards that was on my “if only” list.  His 84 IF in TOTW 18 was intriguing, “if only” Pepe and Suarez did not offer a more interesting option.  However, with the drop of Carniball I had to take the time to look at this card and the interesting mix of statistics that it presents.  I played Williams in a variety of roles but the two consistent placements were ST in a 4-2-2-2 and the Left CAM in a 4-2-3-1.  In both cases the Spaniard was potent and added an interesting dynamic to my squad.  I utilized the MARKSMAN chemistry style for the extra SHOOTING boost and set off on the Carniball adventure with Williams as the ringleader in the following squad:
 

Pace, Dribbling, & Physical

If you look up silky gazelle on urban dictionary you are left staring at a picture of Iñaki Williams in full flight and a defender flailing behind.  Full disclosure, I did not actually look up silky gazelle for fear of what I would find.  But one thing is for certain, this card is the perfect combination of quickness and pure speed.  95 ACCELERATION and 98 SPRINT SPEED are a fantastic mix, and then you add his 6’1 (186cm) height with the lean body type and you have a human rocket.  The addition of MARKSMAN to this card also boosts DRIBBLING with 94 AGILITY and 96 DRIBBLING the standouts.  The cut backs and turns on this card resemble a smaller player and you have the 4 STAR SKILLS in your back pocket as well.  The concerning stat here is the 61 BALANCE that can turn a lot of FUT Managers away, and/or insight endless Steven Gerrard jokes.  But here is why I decided for a 3 for 1 special with these categories. I did not notice an issue with the balance on this card once and this is largely due to the amazing physical attributes on this card.  While Iñaki’s size and body type allow for speed and agility, 97 STRENGTH, 99 JUMPING, 81 STAMINA, & 76 AGGRESSION (all with MARKSMAN) turn Iñaki into a physical specimen on the pitch.  Having reviewed a large selection of smaller players in FIFA 19 it was nice to have a ST just bully an opponent shoulder to shoulder for the ball and thrash it into the far corner.  Especially with the 4-2-3-1 I found the match up against most right backs was borderline unfair as Williams strength and height led to winning headers and 50/50’s all weekend long.

Pace Rating: 9.8/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.5/10
Physical Rating: 9.7/10

Passing & Defending

While this Carniball review started off with the euphoria of the parties it represents, it is time to come back down to earth a little bit with this review.  The passing statistics are not going to blow you away at first glance but it is worth noting that 88 SHORT PASSING & 87 CROSSING are the two categories I would hope are the highest for any card I am using, but the 55 CURVE is far from useable.  All in all I would say that the passing on this card falls into the category of average.  As for the defending on this card, it is non-existent.  For a striker this was a small issue, but as a CAM in the 4-2-3-1 it was noticeable that Williams did not win many balls unless they were in the air.   

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

Shooting

Halfway through this review, I realized that I had fallen into the classic trap of mixing up the skills and weak foot.  It is interesting to note that even with a 3 STAR WEAK FOOT Williams was banging the ball in on his left foot throughout the review.  However, it is with the finesse and crossing that I really noticed the difference and it does affect his PASSING & SHOOTING rating.  If you can get over these facts this card does have some serious firepower; 96 FINISHING, 99 SHOT POWER, and 98 LONG SHOTS transform into some serious venom when striking the ball and if not for the introduction of CR7 I was well on my way to 2+ goals per game in output.  Even still 19 goals from the Left CAM position is more than enough and this all comes down to the pace, dribbling, and of course shooting on this card.

Shooting Rating: 9.0/10

Final Score

Final Rating: 9/10

As I went to find the overall rating for this card I went back over some of my reviews and realized that I have played with this card before.  Not actually, but in almost every aspect this card is a spitting image of Headliner Leroy Sané.  4 STAR SKILLS, 3 STAR WEAK FOOT … and almost exactly the same in-game statistics and height.  The physical attributes of Williams put him ahead in terms of statistics, but in terms of links I would take the Premier League + German combination of Sané over Williams La Liga + Spanish links.  There is the choice of a left footed player versus right footed; but when all is said and done this is the perfect comparison for this card and their prices on the market echo this fact.  If you are looking to add some speed, strength, and height… along with a very enjoyable card design, than Iñaki Williams is your man.  Cheers for reading.

Game Stats:
 

Game Highlights: