Rulebreaker Alexander-Arnold Review

Five matches into this past Weekend League and alarm bells were ringing for what could have been a disaster weekend.  3 and 2 is not a recipe for challenging Rank II let along Rank I and something just weren’t working in the squad, specifically in the midfield.  It was without question that Rulebreaker TAA was going to be a fantastic card and certainly lived up to that during his short term at right back… but with the added Pace, Dribbling and Physicality it was always in the back of my mind to play and test the Liverpool man in the center of the park.  I guess you can call me Southgate… minus subbing in pk takers and the utter lack of trophies.  But I digress … with no time to think about replacements it was a straight swap with Onyeka moving out to right back and we were off to the races.  Side note: Onyeka was an animal at right back and beyond Trent has been the best I have used out there, hands down.  With Trent playing in a CDM position (on balanced instructions, if you haven’t read my 4-2-3-1 review) I kept the ANCHOR chemistry style for the defensive contributions… Although you couldn't go wrong with a HAWK style for that little bit more going forward. With that, everything was set for Trent to be the tempo man all weekend long in the following squad:  

Starting Formation:

Overall

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

While I would have leaned more towards a 9.5/10 for Trent as a right back… the 9/10 about sums up the midfield performance that was on display this weekend.  I would say watch the video… but I think a lot has already witnessed the performance with our miss-post on the Diaby review haha.  Regardless, whether you watched it before, watch it now, or simply take my word for it the result remains the same, Trent was box to box force to be reckoned with and dragged my team to within two matches of Rank I before a heartbreaking loss ended the run. 

Main Statistic - Gerrardesque

Pace Rating: 9.5/10
Passing Rating: 9.5/10
Physical Rating: 9/10
Height: 180cm | 5’11

I should start by saying that I have not used any version of Stevie Gerrard in FIFA 22 and therefore this could be slightly incorrect.  But based on previous FIFA experiences I have never felt like EA has done Gerrard any form of justice for the fantastic career he had.  Perhaps the 700k price tag on 89 Gerrard would suggest that this has been rectified?  Let me know in the comments if you have tried him! Maybe a review to come soon? Regardless, THIS card is exactly what I envisioned all those past Gerrard cards would have been.  Trent is rapid on and off the ball as you feel the double 95 PACE propelling him through the gears up and down the pitch.  The passing is exquisite as the all 80+ statistics mean you can ping the ball around the pitch with ease.  But maybe best of all is how dominant he feels around the ball.  80 STRENGTH + 90 BALL CONTROL made everything stick and I always felt I could fend off would be challengers when creating chances… while the 88 DEFENSIVE AWARENESS, 96 STANDING TACKLE & 92 SLIDING TACKLE meant my opponents would be chances were often quelled before they even started.

Main Attribute - Shooting

Shooting Rating: 8.5/10
Weak Foot: ★★★★

A less than ideal weak foot has been the theme of late but this review offered the exact opposite.  Trent boasts more of a 4.5 STAR WEAK FOOT and the way he hits them on both feet is just so clean.  Truthfully I could see this card as a lethal central CAM or a highly contributing LAM/RAM with the goals he could conjure.  If we look closer at the statistics though… this makes absolutely zero sense!  Maybe a FINISHER would have explained it… but I certainly wasn’t complaining as the 62 FINISHING, 77 LONG SHOTS & 84 SHOT POWER all performed well into the high 80’s from my perspective.  The return of 6 goals in 15 matches was not mind blowing but from a CDM starting position I was definitely impressed.  

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad

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

200k for this card as a right back alone screams good value to me.  One look at RTTK Robertson as a left back at 300k is enough to convince me alone.  While Robo could see upgrades in the near future his card would still only be on par with Trent’s pace and only slightly better defensively.  Perhaps it comes down to the lack of Prem left backs? But I still think Trent falls into the too low category if only for the Good vs. Bad category alone… the truth… I didn’t have one single complaint about this card all weekend and continued to use him as I qualified 5-0 for the first time ever and am now only two matches away from Elite Division (God help me).  

Due to the overwhelming quality across the board, I truly believe you could play this card in every position minus as a striker.  While I think Trent would still score goals, it would be a stretch to think he could lead the line like some of the other options in his 200k price range.  But after that I would stack this card up against any 200k card in every position… even, dare I say it… as a centre back.       

Closing Words

Must try. Must have. Must sell the fodder I saved for two months that is now finally worth something. Whatever your method, I think this card has to eventually find its way into one of your squads.  Even worse than my centre back comment, I am going to go ahead and say... I had fun this weekend.  That’s right, I said it! Then I will take it even further and say that this enjoyment spilled into Qualifications and even Division Rivals, and this was largely down to my new love for Moussa Diaby and even more so down to the play of this man.  Let me know if you have used him and found the same… also curious to know if you have tried him elsewhere in your squads?  Hoping all is well.  Cheers for reading. 

Game Stats:
 

Game Highlights: