FUT Birthday Griezmann

Day 263 of Lockdown: The arrival of the much anticipated FUT Birthday promo did not disappoint in the end, with a nice assortment of useable options with increases to 5 STAR SKILLS or WEAK FOOT available.  Full disclosure; I actually had a completely different squad to start this Weekend League, including a different player to review in Marcus Rashford… it lasted 3 matches.  The reason being that I just wasn’t feeling the review or the squad and I want to enjoy my weekend, especially during these challenging times.  In the end I am so incredibly happy that I made the switch and I honestly enjoyed my Weekend League experience (minus a few laggy matches), and spoiler alert!... Griezmann is amazing! 32 goals, 8 assists, in 21 matches.  Wait… why 21 when all of my reviews are normally 20?  Honestly, I was enjoying this card so much I completely forgot I was reviewing him for a second and lost track of how many matches I had played.  In the end, I think that is the highest compliment I can pay this card, but let’s look at why, Griezmann was the breath of fresh air in the following squad:
 

Overall

Rating: 9.7/10
Pace Rating: 9.6/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.8/10
Shooting Rating: 9.8/10
Passing Rating: 9.5/10
Physical Rating: 8.8/10
Defending Rating: N/A

If I was pressed for time and needed to give a quick summary of this cards qualities I would spend my time talking about two key factors.  One, the 5 STAR WEAK FOOT that was granted with the promo is no joke.  In talking to a friend about Griezmann I mentioned that I was disappointed that I did not put enough trust in Griezmann’s right foot earlier in the review.  I honestly feel his goal total could have been even higher, but once I figured out just how lethal Griezmann was on both feet it was a game-changer.  The velocity of his shots is the key and the ball is in the back of the net before the keeper can even react.  Two, this card has some of the best left stick dribbling I have used in FIFA 20.  There are not many who can compare and the responsiveness and turning were immaculate.  You can create space in the smallest of areas and he executes all turns and drag backs with a touch of class that isn’t found in every player.  He creates a lot of his own chances, which is vital at this stage in the game cycle.
    

Linkability 

Linkability Rating: 4/5

The Barcelona links are some of my favorites in FIFA 20 due to both the quality and the wide arrange of price tags for managers to get players into their squad.  I went with the higher end of IF Messi and TOTY De Jong (I forgot just how good he was as well), but there are quite a few lower budget options if Griezmann breaks the bank.  Next, the French links are just as endless and have the same level of flexibility in positions, league, and price.  Finally, you can use La Liga options to get this weapon into your squad… and there are a lot of them.

End Game Strength

End Game Strength Rating: 6/5

That’s right, 6/5.  I have already decided I am going to try everything to keep my right-sided triangle of Barcelona players in my review this coming weekend.  While Messi and De Jong are class options and definitely added to the quality in my squad, I would be lying if I didn’t say I 100% just want to play more matches with this card.  Some of the turns and goals he executed this weekend left me stunned and re-watching replays to see, “just how did he pull that off?”  I can only hope that the same happens for you, and for myself again next weekend.

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

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

At 1.5 million Griezmann might require a large percentage of many FUT Managers coins.  While I am not going to say he can carry a depleted squad on his own, I will say that when he is on the ball you will feel confident that good things are about to happen.  He is worth every coin in my books.

I really don’t have a single bad word to say about this card; okay maybe the celebrations are cringe-worthy. But, seriously, this card is the meta personified: Quick and fast with 96 SPRINT SPEED & 97 ACCELERATION; lethal finishing with 5 STAR WEAK FOOT + 99 FINISHING & 96 SHOT POWER; ridiculously agile dribbling with 93 AGILITY & 85 BALANCE; pinpoint passing with 92 VISION & 91 SHORT PASSING, and he can do it all game long and in big moments with 91 STAMINA & 92 COMPOSURE.  I didn’t even mind his 66 STRENGTH as he held off bigger defenders the majority of the time.  Just a well-rounded weapon of mass destruction.

Closing Words

You would think I am hoarding 15 of this guy in my transfer list the way I am going on… but I think it comes down to the fun I had during this review.  To be honest it can cloud over some of the inefficiencies of a card and I hope I am not missing any key shortcomings.  However, when I look around at other comments about this card I feel like I am on the right track and not over exaggerating how class this card was, and I think he would be the same for you too.  Cheers for reading.
 

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