TOTSSF Alphonso Davies

Day 1499 of lockdown: If you tuned in for my previous review on Lewandowski or follow me on Twitter @IVIaeday you will know that I was blessed with the luck of the Irish last Friday, packing Alphonso Davies in one of five gold upgrade packs.  Kid Canada has become one of the golden boys of Football lately, and rightly so.  His qualities have also resulted in some fantastic FUT versions as well.  His FUT Future Stars card was a staple in my squad last year… and since his Player Moments was released he has held down my LB position with minimal competition.  With all of this in mind I was actually looking forward to Davies the most from the Bundesliga squad, and lady luck heard my prayers.  It was an easy Davies for Davies swap in my squad and obviously he was the LB in my normal 4-4-2.  I decided that the best route to go chemistry wise was the defensive and physical boosts offered by the SENTINEL style. Davies was the unmoveable Rocky Mountain all weekend in the following squad:      

Overall

Rating: 9.7/10
Pace Rating: 9.9/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.5/10
Shooting Rating: N/A
Passing Rating: 9/10
Physical Rating: 9.5/10
Defending Rating: N/A

I must admit that my experience with LBs in FUT is definitely the most limited compared to everywhere else.  I had baby Roberto Carlos for the longest time, dabbled in all of the Robertson(s) (including the TOTY), and tried a variety of La Liga options.  Player Moments Davies finally came along and blew away all competitors and was far superior to what I had used… until now.  TOTSSF Davies is broken in a way that is borderline unfair.  99 Pace, despite his 96 SPRINT SPEED, doesn’t begin to describe the wheels on this guy.  It is like he is just ignoring the speed limit and somehow his pace is 110 and is some form of hidden statistics.  I realize that all defenders catch attackers in FIFA 20, but the way that you can track down and snuff out would be chances with Davies is on a completely different level… and he does it regardless of the quality of gameplay, which might be his greatest attribute.  

Linkability 

Linkability Rating: 4/5

Running out of words, so all I will really say is that if this man was not Canadian he would be an easy 4.5/5.  The Bundesliga and especially Bayern options are now fully stocked and just the nation provides limitations – if you read my last review you will see what I did there.

End Game Strength

End Game Strength Rating: 5/5

This is a stone cold 6/5 for me.  It is true that there are plenty more quality attackers to come by the time this game is over.  However, the boost to 99 STANDING TACKLE & 96 STRENGTH has created a monster that simply devours would be attacks and then spits them back out with accuracy.  Davies 90 SHORT PASSING is perfect for getting the ball down the line or into the feet of your midfielders … and with the 4 STAR WEAK FOOT he can do it with both feet.  The videos for defenders are such a challenge, so all I did this time around was take one match and pick out the “best of” moments, and I think these attributes were highlighted well in a very short time.

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

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

436k is a fair amount of coins to splash out for a wingback.  Really, that is the only reason I did not just start this review with “go buy this card, you have to try him right now!”  One of the things that really sets Davies apart though is his dribbling… and with that the ability to turn out of trouble when shouldering opponents off of the ball, or being chased by a heavy team press.  99 AGILITY and 92 BALANCE felts as smooth as an attacker on the ball and really made a difference when trying to find a path out of my defensive third.  I think the combination of all the tools is what make Davies worthy of such a high price tag. 

My one and only complaint come in the form of the 87 INTERCEPTIONS with this card (which might see me move to a GUARDIAN in the future) as there were a few circumstances where I felt Davies was in a position to win a ball before it reached my opponent, only to see them turn me and away they went.  Of course Davies caught them in about five strides, but those were potential counter attacks that were squandered.  

Closing Words

I hope I have painted a picture of just how crucial Davies can be to any squad, but I have not even touched on his greatest asset for me, 97 DEFENSIVE AWARENESS.  I swear, every single time I felt there was trouble starting, or one of my CBs was out of place… in swooped Kid Canada to get in a tackle and clean up the mess.  The cover he can provide with his pace and tackling turns him into a hybrid LB and Sweeper at the same time.  If you haven’t caught on by now this lad gets my full and unabated recommendation… a must try.  In closing, if you have not watched the old clip of Davies at the MLS All-Star game talking to Alex Sandro … it is a must watch.  If you do not have the time or are not wanting to track it down he basically tells Sandro that he is a beast in FIFA and he loves using his card in the game.  Well Phonzi, who is the beast now, you are living the dream my friend! Cheers for reading.
 

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