Record Breaker Sancho

Return of the Record Breakers.  An interesting promo with an even more intriguing card design… on a side note I swear you pay almost 100k for the design alone.  But back to what matters, the cards.  Many people would argue that this card better represents what Sancho should have been rated in the first place.  It is without question that Sancho has sparked a ton of hype during his time at Dortmund and it felt like he set a record number of connections to various clubs this past transfer window.  Heading into this review I was hoping that Sancho’s new and improved card could better replicate the problems that he causes defenders week in and week out.  I immediately jumped at the chance to add the HUNTER chemistry style to bolster the already increased Pace with this card and started Sancho alongside Butragueño as a ST in my 4-4-2 formation. However, sometimes a squad just doesn’t work according to plans and this weekend was definitely the case.  The first issue was the fact that Sancho did not feel right at the start of the review.  He generally felt a bit stiff and I was struggling to get him into the areas to really hurt my opponents.  With that in mind, I switched to the FINISHER chemistry style and immediately had improved results, but something still wasn’t right.  It was at this point that I started playing Sancho in the RM position and it was then that I really started to see the quality in this card shine through.  Sancho was the wide width wizard all weekend in the following squad:   


Starting Formation:

Overall

Rating: 8/10
Pace Rating: 8.5/10
Dribbling Rating: 9.5/10
Shooting Rating: 8.5/10
Passing Rating: 8/10
Physical Rating: 7/10
Defending Rating: N/A

Another review where a card feels like there is a lot moving in the right direction, but minor issues and “if only’s” lead to a slightly lower rating.  Sancho certainly checks a lot of the boxes for a winger in FIFA 21; Pace, Dribbling, Shooting and adequate work rates.  Yet, when compared to the likes of Sadio Mane or Allan Saint-Maximin I found Sancho to be lacking in that “it” factor to really impact and take over a match from the wide areas.         
          

Main Statistic - Dribbling

Dribbling Rating: 9.5/10
Skills: * * * * * 

After applying the FINISHER chemistry style it felt as though the dribbling with this card was further accentuated and became increasingly effective.  The mixture of 90 ACCELERATION, 99 AGILITY, 95 BALANCE and 5*  SKILLS can really cause defenders issues as you enter the edge of the box and was key to the 9 assists that Sancho contributed to the Weekend League struggle.  On one hand, 9 assists is not a blow you away number, but for me, this is a quality return from my wingers and it felt like Sancho was benefiting from his 98 POSITIONING throughout the weekend.  However, it is not enough to be in the right positions, Sancho’s dribbling was key to utilizing his good positioning and hurting my opponents who lost track of him in attack.

Main Attribute - Shooting Traits

Shooting Rating: 8.5/10
Weak Foot: * * *
Traits: Outside Foot, Finesse Shot

Truth be told I was expecting Sancho to struggle in the goal scoring department.  The stigma behind a 3* WEAK FOOT is extensive at this point and can turn a lot of FUT Managers away from otherwise quality options.  In the end, 11 goals from the wide positions is again a fantastic return and generally speaking I did not notice too many issues with Sancho’s finishing. 99 FINISHING, 89 SHOT POWER, the combination of outside foot and finesse shot traits, along with the aforementioned weak foot resulted in a quality option in front of goal.  Could Sancho be more clinical? Absolutely.  If the match fell on Sancho’s left foot would I have confidence he takes it? 50/50.  But it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had prepared for and the finesse trait was quite effective on the right side.
 

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

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

300k. Previously I had purposely brought up Mane and Saint-Maximin on the wing to discuss them in this section again. Within the 300 - 500k range there are certainly a handful of cards that I would rather take than RB Sancho on the wing. However, there are zero RW, RM options that I would rather have.  Playing a card on 7 chemistry has minimal effects in the end and so I would normally opt for one of the other options I mentioned.  However, it is noteworthy that Sancho is currently one of the best RM options until you start being able to afford Messi at 500k.

While the Pace didn’t exactly blow me or defenders away, Sancho’s speed was adequate out on the wing and I really appreciated his speed off of the ball, especially on the defensive side of things.  Again, the Shooting and Dribbling are both adequate and really start to form a strong and steady card.  But, there are a couple of bigger issues to discuss.  One, the passing with this card is not at the level you would hope for a winger.  Whether whipping in a violent cross, finding the cutting through ball or threading the needle with a perfect pass; it is important that your wingers are able to work their magic in wide areas, before finding the goal scoring talents in your striker’s feet.  Sancho just doesn’t have any of those traits and his passing could be downright frustrating at times.  Additionally, the Physical side of Sancho is not the best either and 68 STRENGTH is simply not enough to be jousting with defenders for position in attack. Then on a final note, the 78 STAMINA was not quite enough to keep the good times rolling for 90 minutes and I often subbed Sancho around the 70th-minute mark as he really started to tire and underperform.
 

Closing Words

If only this card had more quickness in Pace, If only Sancho had more responsive Dribbling without a chemistry style to then use an alternative for other areas, If only this card had a 4?  WEAK FOOT to improve on the Shooting… and the list goes on. However, it goes without saying that with some of these improvements we are then working with a 500k card and an entirely different discussion.  In the end, the card is what it is… “a usable RM option that can provide excellent connections to Premier League hybrids.”  In closing, I won’t go as far as a recommendation for this card, but I do believe Sancho is capable of contributing against the best that Weekend League has to offer, but the need to surround him with quality finishing is key if you really want to reap the rewards of what Sancho can deliver.  Cheers for reading.
 

Game Stats:
 

Game Highlights: