Headliner Reus

Headliners Round 2 is well underway and a new host of selections were made available this past Friday.  There were quite a few intriguing options and in the end we decided to go with an attacking – midfield combination in Marco Reus and Gini Wijnaldum.  Marco Reus has been a long-time FUT favorite of mine; throughout the past few editions of FUT he has been quick, agile, and clinical … what more can you ask for?  Additionally, he has always been a favorite of mine in real life football, and when you combine that with a performing card in FIFA they are always just a bit more fun to use.  This weekend I played Reus as both the ST and CAM in the 4-2-3-1 and applied the ENGINE chemistry style for the added pace, balance, and passing that I felt he needed.  Reus was the lynch pin all weekend in the following squad:

Overall

Rating: 9.4/10
Pace Rating: 9.5/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.5/10
Shooting Rating: 9/10
Passing Rating: 9/10
Physical Rating: 8/10
Defending Rating: N/A

Having recently used RB Agüero it was an interesting place to start comparing Reus to what is out there.  Of course, given the near 600k price difference it is not overly fair to Sergio, but it does show the value of pace in this FIFA.  In all honesty though, Reus did not feel fast or quick at all this weekend despite his 93 ACCELERATION & SPRINT SPEED.  As both a ST and CAM Reus lacked the pace to create problems for my opponents on pure speed alone.  Thankfully Reus is armed with additional weapons in his phenomenal dribbling and accurate passing.  When I called Reus the lynchpin of my squad I meant it, everything good I put together this weekend seemed to run through Reus.  As a CAM, he was outstanding in picking out the correct pass (94 SHORT PASSING) and joining the attack with intelligent runs (91 POSITIONING).  As a ST, his 71 STRENGTH was adequate while his 92 AGILITY and 95 BALANCE caused numerous issues when his back was to the goal.

Linkability & Current Game Strength 

Linkability Rating: 3.5/5
Current Game Strength Rating: 5/5

You will notice Klose was brought into the squad this weekend and that was entirely due to the terrible time I had fitting Reus into my squad.  Of course, there were some options available but it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.  The addition of Erling Håland in the latest TOTW is a nice link, but for the most part, the options available wouldn’t have worked out.
Lots of weapons with this card, minimal downside, a dynamic option to add to any squad.  Then you have to add in the potential for upgrades and this card starts to look scary good.  Dortmund has been on a nice run of form lately with a lot of goals being scored.  Of course, Håland has been rightly given the lion’s share of the accolades, but Reus has been contributing as well.  The four straight wins will be a tough test as Dortmund play an easier game against Union Berlin before visiting the BayArena on Feb. 8th to take on Leverkusen in battle for Champions League places.  

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad

Value/Coins Rating: 4.5/5
Good vs Bad Rating: 4.5/5

This card continues to drop from what I paid and as I watch my coins slip away I see the value for coins rising.  Is this card worth 1.2 million? Absolutely not.  Of course with all dynamic cards, you are paying for the potential along with the value and even then I think this card is a little on the high side.  A quick look at RTTF Sadio Mane at just over a million is a better representation of where I think this card should be, and perhaps it ends up there soon.

All positive so far in regards to Reus and rightly so, but we should quickly dive into the major issue I experienced with this card.  There is something about the finishing with this card that seems out of place.  Reus missed over a handful of relatively easy chances inside of the box throughout the weekend and could have taken his 19 goals to a truly impressive total.  Of course, there was the addition of the new patch this weekend and while this might have been a factor, other players in my squad did not seem as affected.  What is even more bizarre is how effective Reus is at shooting from distance, which makes no sense, but was my experience.  Unfortunately, the success outside of the box could not make up for my disappointment inside, and I went for a 4.5/5.

Closing Words

It is with huge disappointment that I must report that Reus is no longer the OP beast that I remember him as.  Yes, he is super effective, but not a constant game changer.  The finishing is again on my mind as I remember older versions of Reus being ruthless when given any chance to score.  While the good old days are gone, Reus has reinvented himself as a facilitator in FIFA 20.  While the assist total was decent, the linkup play was honestly magic at times.  Reus is a fantastic focal point for any attack and can create goals on the dribble and his passing is superb.  In closing, I am not sure I can recommend Reus at his current price, but he is worth watching, and as he drops he will be a fantastic option.  Finally, it is with a heavy heart that I am finishing up this review having just processed the news of Kobe Bryant’s passing; a reminder that while this game can be frustrating at times, it is not worth the anger when there are so many more important things in life, cherish those around you and God bless.  Cheers for reading.

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