FUT Birthday Lacazette

Day 457 of Lockdown: I can’t deny that I was quite happy with the options available in the first FUT Birthday Squad.  I will be the first to complain when I am not happy with the game, but at the same time, I don’t mind saying when they get it right. Honestly, I feel like the content surrounding the second FUT Birthday Squad was quality as well.  One thing that did strike me as interesting was the disproportionate amount of French players in the Birthday Promo all together.  You can just about build an entire team out of French Birthday options alone.  In the end, I was drawn to one of these many options, in a FUT favorite from the past, none other than the man himself… “Lacasweat”.  Not only did he fit into my squad perfectly, but the statistics on this card looked insane.  It is not very often that a card looks perfect ‘out of the package,’ but honestly, there is not a single glaring deficiency with this card, even without a chemistry style.  In the end, I went with the HUNTER chemistry style in hopes that the added pace would turn Lacazette into his pacey FUT nickname, while the shooting boosts were also key.  Despite the image, I deployed Lacazette as the Right ST in a 4-4-2 this weekend and he proved to be the sharpshooter all weekend in the following squad:
 

Overall

Rating: 9.2/10
Pace Rating: 9/10
Dribbling Rating: 9/10
Shooting Rating: 10/10
Passing Rating: 9/10
Physical Rating: 9.5/10
Defending Rating: N/A

If you follow me on Twitter @IVIaeday (shameless self-advertising) you would have probably guessed this review was coming as I kept a log of my Weekend League games, goal scorers, and the MOTM.  In 20 matches Lacazette chalked up 30 goals, 8 assists, and 7 MOTM performances.  The key here is in the shooting and I gave Lacazette a clear 10 out of 10 because the lad simply does not miss.  Okay, he does, but it is incredibly rare and was a key part of the early success I had this weekend.  92 POSITIONING, 92 FINISHING, and 91 SHOT POWER are all grossly understated for this card.  The positions Lacazette takes up on the pitch (especially in the box) and the runs he makes are incredible; he constantly pops up in the right spot.  I already touched on the finishing … but the shot power is just as impressive.
    

Linkability 

Linkability Rating: 4/5

Same as Griezmann from last week in this category, there are just so many quality options out there to get Lacazette into your squad.  I just about went with a 4.5 out of 5 given that the second FUT Birthday Squad included four more French options with Pogba offering a strong link … and then the SBC for Sarr … and then the Objective for Bakayoko … it doesn’t end.

End Game Strength

End Game Strength Rating: 4/5

A small dip in the end game strength for Lacazette and his price tag throughout this weekend really speaks to this. Lacazette does not have a ton of weaknesses and I could see why FUT Managers would enjoy him and maybe even argue my critique, but there are some issues with this card that won’t allow Lacazette to survive the onslaught of cards to come; pace and dribbling.  You would think 98 ACCELERATION & 98 SPRINT SPEED would be more than enough… like the shooting had hidden statistics of improvement, the pace statistics seem to have hidden shortages.  Similarly, the dribbling on this card was not nearly as quick and responsive as other players I have used lately (Griezmann to name one) and I could not feel the 88 AGILITY & 88 BALANCE at all.  As the weekend progressed it become and more and more difficult to create the space needed to use the shooting strength of this card, and eventually I parted ways with him after the 20th match (which ended up saving me a ton of coins as his price plummeted).  Granted, an ENGINE or SNIPER card would have helped with some of these issues, but at the same time would take away from the best feature Lacazette displayed all weekend.

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

Value/Coins Rating: 4/5
Good vs Bad Rating: 4.5/5

Continuing with my previous comments, Lacazette is just missing a bit of that magic to warrant a million coin price tag.  You will notice that I paid 1.5 million to get started with my review on Friday!  Thankfully, I offloaded for 1.3 million Saturday as his price has continued to fall.  The comparison I would make to Lacazette is FFS Greenwood, who currently sits at around 800k and has many of the same attributes and statistics.  In fact is kind of crazy how similar they are, with Greenwood tipping the statistics, while Lacazette boasts the 4 STAR SKILLS.  Looking back on the 9.5 rating I gave Greenwood I think I was caught up in the hype myself and a 9.2 would have been more appropriate for him as well.

This category has been well and truly covered save one detail, the passing.  With 85 VISION and 88 SHORT PASSING, it is easy to not expect a ton from Lacazette.  However, I was incredibly surprised with the quality he produced; I even put one of the standout assist in my video with his through ball to Griezmann.  Basically, when Lacazette moves with the ball he leaves a lot to be desired, but when he is striking the ball (either passing or shooting) he oozes class.

Closing Words

15 minutes.  That is how long I have sat here staring at my screen deciding how I should wrap this up.  To recommend, or not to recommend, that is the question.  Thinking back to my Greenwood review, I think the main reason my rating was so inflated came down to his finishing.  I had not experienced a card all year that was so clinical … and since then only SS Richarlison and FUTBDAY Griezmann have matched his quality.  Now, Lacazette falls into this category and it does show how good this card is overall. With that in mind, if you are needing a card to finish off the quality chances you are making, this is the card for you. If creating opportunities is your weakness, you would be better suited with a different option. Hoping you are safe, healthy and finding some entertainment in these difficult times.  Cheers for reading.
 

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Game Highlights: