ICON Moments Larsson Review

Well before King Zlatan was seeded at the throne there was another… the sovereign saint with the flowing locks, King Henrik, ruled Swedish football with a golden boot.  The Celtic man is famous for his tireless style of football… and of course, the goals.  While this year has felt like an eternity… It is insane to think that over a year ago I was testing this very same card in FIFA 20 with rave reviews.  The King was truly in control and the goals were flowing quick and fast back then.  While a lot has changed in our lives since that time, I was hoping that one remaining consistency could be found in the performance of Prime ICON Moments Henrik Larsson.  Playing alongside Luiz Hernandez in the 4-3-1-2 (YouTube video on 4-3-1-2 Tactics out now!) I was certain goals would come and really felt the two snipers could pull me forward throughout the weekend.  In the end, the results were varied and Larsson never truly hit the strides I hoped he would.  The application of the HAWK chemistry felt like the way to push Larsson on and overall played a part in the success that he managed throughout the weekend.  Larsson ruled over his subjects all weekend in the following squad:       


Starting Formation:

Overall

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

I realize I am going to take some heat for this one.  When you mix one popular card, with a dash of “he does bits for me”, you often end up with a recipe for push back.  But as I have mentioned in the past my hands are tied by what I experience on screen throughout the Weekend League grind.  Ultimately the proof is in the statistics for this one, and it really isn’t great reading with 17 goals and 11 assists in 20 matches.  The goal contribution per game is low and so was my overall impression from early on in the review.  The key here has to be the squandered chances… and true I gave a 9/10 for Shooting Rating based on the overall feel of how Larsson hits the ball and the goals he did score.  However, I just felt that he left so many chances on the table and ultimately was a factor in the matches that I struggled with during the weekend and is therefore worth a 9/10 with further discussion to come.

Main Statistic - Pace

Pace Rating: 9/10
Work Rate: High/High

This card is certainly both quick and fast… but he could not match Hernandez for output in either category especially in terms of sprint speed.  I will say that I do feel that there was more at play than just the Pace alone throughout the review.  It was uncanny how many times I would see Larsson moving into proper spaces, only to have my pass go shockingly wide after Larsson decided to stop completely dead in front of untroubled defensive lines.  With 99 POSITIONING & HIGH/HIGH WORK RATES, I did find it interesting that his decision making in the attacking third was shocking throughout the review. The issue is of course that the rating still needed to focus on Larsson when on the ball and overall there was plenty to still warrant a 9/10 rating.

Main Attribute - 4 STAR WEAK FOOT

Shooting Rating: 9/10
Weak Foot: ****
Trait: Finesse Shot, Outside the Foot

Why?  The question on my lips more often than not this weekend as I wondered time after time “why” my Larsson was not hitting the heights he should.  99 FINISHING, 94 SHOT POWER & 95 LONG SHOTS mixed with the close to perfect 4 STAR WEAK FOOT are certainly statistics representative of a quality FUT striker.  Yet, Larsson never really took off at any point throughout the review.  In matches where the goals were flowing, I would look back and Larsson would have only managed 1 or 2 tops.  When matches were more difficult he often fell short of the scoresheet completely.  It was even to a point where I wondered if maybe I was playing too much to one side and switched Hernandez and Larsson sides at the top… and as a result, Hernandez scored a hattrick while Larsson managed 1 goal and 1 assist to round off the match.  The truth is that he just doesn’t feel as clinical as the bright and shiny shooting statistics and traits with this card would suggest.  Although on a positive note I should say that this card has some of the best outside of the box finesse shots I have used this FIFA.

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad 

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

840k.  A price that has fallen slightly since the lack of content and borders on the “about right” category for the statistics ICON Moments Larsson possesses.  However, I could never fully recommend the price tag of a card this expensive without at least a goal per game contribution as a ST in my squad.  Interestingly, throughout the review, I was also quite critical of the passing with this card as Larsson really struggled to link up with Hernandez in high traffic areas.  With 90 SHORT PASSING, I simply expected way more… although if I am going to draw on statistics for other conversations, then I have to mention that the 11 assists in 20 matches Larson managed are a fantastic return despite some of his shortcomings.   

The final statistics work well together when discussing the Physicality and Dribbling associated with this card. At 178cm | 5’10 I was certain Larsson would still have the agility that made him so popular with me during my FIFA 20 review.  In the end, I was proven correct as Larsson does feel crisp and responsive on the ball when the chances arrive.  The quality of Larsson on the dribble paired amazingly with his 73 STRENGTH in high pressure situations and certainly aided the squad's ball retention as the matches became more difficult.   

Closing Words

Trying a little something new with the videos… jacking the music up beyond the gameplay.. please let me know if this is better or worse moving forward in the comments.  And on that note, the video did remind me of Larsson’s abilities in and certainly around the 18-yard box… and if anything it really frustrates me that a card with such potential has been really affected by the patch.  The Weekend League statistics and my Weekend League observations both speak to the fact this card doesn’t quite have the “it” factor that it did in previous years.  For those that are smashing it with Larsson, I am happy he is doing the business for you… but for those that haven’t used him and are looking for a final verdict, it is a pass for me. Hoping all is well. Cheers for reading.

Game Stats:
 

Game Highlights: