FUT Freeze Martínez

Round 2 of the FUT Freeze and if you have been reading my reviews for a while or followed me on Twitter: @IVIaeNine you would know that myself and Lautaro Martínez are about as compatible as fire and ice… honestly, year after year this lad receives cards that look amazing and receive a ton of hype and praise … then I review them, and find the exact opposite.  It was probably never as bad as the Future Stars card in FIFA 20, after that review I thought I was going to need some witness protection.  But I can’t sugarcoat bad experiences and just have to tell it like it is, so here it goes.  Freeze Lautaro Martínez is…. really, really good this year.  Even I can’t deny that the Argentine has some serious firepower and his contributions were key to my weekend league success, and even better, enjoyment.  What is interesting though is that from the FUTBIN Top 3 Chemistry section it appears that a lot of FUT Managers are opting for a Pace boosting chemistry style with HUNTER and HAWK the top options.  For me, my mind never went there at all and 92 ACCELERATION & 91 SPRINT SPEED felt both quick and fast.  Instead, I opted for the Shooting and Dribbling boost of the FINISHER style… which just barely squeezed out the DEADEYE and MARKSMAN options.  I think I made the right choice overall and the numbers just about speak for themselves.  Obviously, Martínez was leading the line this weekend in my 4-4-2 … providing the danger every match in the following squad:


Starting Formation:

Overall

Rating: 9/10
Pace Rating: 9/10
Dribbling Rating: 9/10
Shooting Rating: 9.5/10
Passing Rating: 8/10
Physical Rating: 8.5/10
Defending Rating: N/A

After just finishing my declaration of success with the FINISHER chemistry style it has dawned on me that I could have made a mistake… or at least should have done some investigating.  The 99 FINISHING with this card was spot on and Martínez is undeniably a clinical mastermind in the box and I credit a lot of this to FINISHER chemistry style.  However, if you look at my ratings you will see that I did not enjoy the passing with Martínez at all.  The 4 assists in 20 matches are an affirmation that Martínez didn’t facilitate much of my attack during the weekend… even alongside Neymar who scores his fair share of goals as we all know, Martínez was still unable to produce goal contributions without scoring them himself. Again, suggesting that maybe a spell with a DEADEYE chemistry style was in order.  

Main Statistic - Shooting

Shooting Rating: 9.5/10
Weak Foot: * * * *

I am a little embarrassed to say this considering I am constantly reviewing cards and providing opinions.  But for some odd reason, I just did not know that they had made Martínez left footed for this promo and was under the impression for two entire matches that this man had the best weak foot I had ever used. .  However, after sorting out my own stupidity, I was quick to confirm that Martínez is still just as effective on his right foot and honestly feels closer to a 5 STAR WEAK FOOT in-game.  99 FINISHING & 91 SHOT POWER are really the only two statistics you need to know with this card as Martínez doesn’t just place the ball in the corners… he tattoos the corner with the imprint of the logo.  Truth be told the 26 goals in 20 matches as actually a bit disappointing.  Martínez has all of the skills to have found the net more often but didn’t always find the right areas to receive the ball and apply his talents.  Honestly, with 91 POSITIONING I would have expected better, and truly was the difference between a 9 out of 10 and the 9.5 that his gameplay feels like. 
 

Main Attribute - Size

Height: 174cm | 5’9
Physical Rating: 8.5/10
Dribbling Rating: 9/10

This is just about as big as a player can be in FIFA 21 and still reap the rewards of a high level of agility.  Truth be told as I am typing this I am seriously considering finding a set of players with similar agility in various heights to see how tall a player can be before they start to get that clunky feeling (is that something that interests you? Let me know in the comments). Back on track, the key to the height is that Martínez is also big enough to benefit from his Physical statistics, unlike players who are 5’6 - 5’7. So in that sense, Martínez is just about the perfect build for a striker… 99 AGILITY & 90 BALANCE had him dancing around the box and creating chances for himself… while 81 STRENGTH was enough to hold up the ball against the press of opponents and maintain possession at the edge of the box when Drop Back Danny was applying his best Mourinho impression.  
 

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

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

420k. Is just about on the edge of what this card is worth, but as long as it remains at this level and/or continues to go down I see no issue with paying it.  The thing that sets Martínez apart in the 350k - 450k price range is just how well-rounded the card is.  There are not many attackers in this range with any Physical traits, or if they do are lacking Pace, which really makes Martínez that much more enticing.

If you followed my reviews last year you will know that I often used a review category focused on the “linkability” of a card. It was important to me as a reminder of how difficult some top tier cards can prove when trying to fit them into squads. However, the writing was often repetitive and so I removed it for FIFA 21 and overall I think it was for the better. Also, I realize that links are not really a trait or statistic to measure “Good vs Bad” on, but sometimes it is a topic that is certainly worth a conversation. In the case of Martínez, links are honestly one of the major knocks against this card… he is truly difficult to fit in properly and effectively.  Yet, if you are looking for only the cold hard facts, then I have to return to the lack of passing with this card.  It truly was an issue in both the build-up play and around the box… which completely contrasts how effective Martínez is when shooting the ball. 

Closing Words

I think that this card just about gets the go ahead from me.  The key here is what sort of team you are currently using.  Serie A… I should hope that you definitely give this card a try.  Anything or leagues or hybrids… this card is one that I wouldn’t exactly go building my team around, but you certainly need to try him.  The green link to TOTGS Alejandro Gomez is the route I went, with a lot of success.  But, there is a small handful of other options to try as well.  In the end, I think you at least need to give this card a chance.  The finishing is addictive and he is definitely a fun option to consider moving forward.  The difficulty will always be in the links.  Let me know if you have/are using him in the comments, also how are you fitting him into your squads?  Hope all is well.  Cheers for reading.
 

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