Headliners Van Dijk Review

There was really only one question that I had going into this review… does Headliner Van Dijk outshine NIF Marquinhos and NIF Kimpembe to justify the 650k difference in price?  I know that many scoff at the idea of using the two meta PSG men and rightfully so.  But for me, it is a matter of saving coins for my reviews, and with the prices continuing to rise for the latest and greatest cards it has been nice using untradable, yet OP options in the back.  I have thankfully found one replacement already in the Winter Wildcard Cozza SBC, who has nicely replaced Kimpembe and if you didn’t complete I think you missed out on one there.  But I was left wondering if Van Dijk could slide in and replace Marquinhos in a fashion that would have me struggling to sell the Dutchman come the end of my review.  With the 67 ACCELERATION always posing the biggest threat to VVD’s success it was an easy choice to apply the SHADOW chemistry style and it was off to the races for another Weekend League grind.  Van Dijk was the rock at the back all weekend long in the following squad:   

Starting Formation:

Overall

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

I think it was safe to say that we all saw this coming… VVD definitely outperforms NIF Marquinhos by quite some margin… My only regret is that I have not used TOTGS Marquinhos to compare the similar price tags of the two defenders.  However, what I can say is that I witnessed some of the most outrageous AI blocks this weekend… As a side note, I have been quite ill and therefore there is not a video accompanying this review… in truth, it would have been quite boring considering VVD never scored this weekend (definitely a drawback) but you will have to take my word for it, he is a monster in front of goal. On two separate occasions this weekend I threw my controller up in the air thinking I had conceded (which is a terrible habit especially when opponents hit the post) only to have Van Dijk come out of nowhere to save the day.  Unbelievable presence and top notch AI assistance doesn’t begin to describe it, but it is the best I can do.  When you are controlling the Liverpool man the response to sprint jockeying makes a mockery of the laughably low agility and balance on this card.  The big man literally glides around the pitch with the grace of a ballet dancer but then tackles like the Juggernaut.  

Main Statistic - Defending & Physical

Defending Rating: 10/10
Physical Rating: 10/10
Height: 193cm | 6’4

Even without using TOTGS Marquinhos, I can say that these are two areas that VVD is always going to outshine a lot of defenders.  The height and unique body type with this card add something to the defending rating of this card, primarily in pace, but especially in the ability to head the ball.  It is why I was so disappointed that VVD never found his way to the score sheet considering he was such a beast in the air everywhere else on the pitch.  It was almost as if the POWER HEADER trait was outshining the 89 HEADING ACCURACY causing every chance to go flying into Row Z.  But what Van Dijk lacked in scoring guile he made up for in brute force bullying at the opposite end of the pitch.  The almost perfect 99 DEFENDING statistics across the board were bang on and performed at every occasion.  I couldn’t have been happier with the percentage of tackles won and overall presence in and around the box, it was as if he was everywhere.  Finally, I realize that the 95 STRENGTH was always going to be good, but maybe my favorite part was that VVD never once got bullied from behind by small pacey strikers chasing down over-the-top through balls.  If you play a bit more aggressive style then you will know the moment… your opponent lofts the ball over the top and as your defender goes to get it, they are grabbed back and ultimately lose position and helplessly watch your opponent slot it into the back of the net off of the breakaway.  For some time now Marquinhos and Kimpembe were falling victim to this “moment” in the game and I was ecstatic to watch Van Dijk deal with every situation like this throughout the weekend.

Main Attribute - Pace

Pace Rating: 9/10

If you have used NIF Van Dijk then you already know that this card has a hidden pace statistic that allows the big man to override the should be 79 ACCELERATION.  I am not sure if it is just the 99 SPRINT SPEED on such a big card allowing him to eat up the ground quicker than others?  Or maybe it has something to do with the unique body type?  Regardless of the reason, I don't really care, it is just a pleasure to watch some of the quickest cards in the game get outstripped by a ‘slower’ card and then picture the rage on the other end of the screen.  For me, it is the game changer when considering this card and justifies every bit of the lofty price tag.     

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad

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

I think that this card just about earned the 650k price tag.  He was immaculate at the back and overall didn’t lose a battle in the air.  However, I must admit there feels like a 100k tax on this card for being both in the Premier League and with the potential of the +2 upgrade.  While Liverpool will be without both Mane and Salah for their next two Premier League games against Brentford and Crystal Palace… you would have to think that if they can get through those the opportunity for revenge against Leicester and match against Burnley could just see this card boosted come early February.  

There wasn’t much ‘bad’ to report with this card… in fact, even the 82 SHORT PASSING & 90 LONG PASSING felt crisp, accurate and overall caused zero issues.  I guess if I had to pick two areas of improvement, the first would be the feel of VVD on the ball and his dribbling, which 64 AGILITY & 55 BALANCE seem to affect infinitely more on the ball than when defending with the big man.  The second was the before mentioned goal contributions.  For someone that doesn’t corner kick glitch this has been a dry area for my squad since replacing Kimpembe… and while NIF Van Dijk has always popped up for a goal or two for me in the past… the Headliner version just didn’t seem to have that same scoring touch. 

Closing Words

I need to find a way to afford this card and keep him in my squad.  Perhaps I should have sold all of my fodder instead of completing the Mid Icon SBC only to get Xavi for my hard earned work.  But in the end, I would love to keep the Liverpool Mountain in my back line … but I am not sure it will work out in the end.  The price tag definitely has the hidden Prem tax and the expectation of a +2 upgrade and those two ideas certainly weigh heavily on my decision to keep VVD in my squad.   If I was asked straight up, “is he worth it?”  It is still a 100% yes from me despite the ‘tax’ I have mentioned.  You can’t put a price on consistent tackling and OP defending in a game like FIFA 22.  Or maybe you can in this case, 650k of your hard earned coins.  Hoping you are doing a lot better than me currently and apologies for the lack of video.  Cheers for reading.    
 

Game Stats: