Player Moments Verde Review

Embrace the TOTY grind… that was the motto this week as we dove into the completion of the Daniele Verde Objective. The Italian looked a little too good to pass up given the increase to 5 STAR SKILLS along with some very impressive statistical boosts on his way to an 87 rated card.   As long as the golden goal rule was being honored by the majority of the community it didn’t seem like too long of a grind and in the end, this was just about true.  Of the 12 matches it took to complete Verde, I had 4 opponents play out the 90 minutes (which is of course their prerogative), 1 quit for myself, and the remainder were smooth sailing.  The Max Chemistry mode makes it easy to fit in a Serie A attacker for the three goals and in the end, lasted an hour and 15 minutes of relatively hassle free gameplay.  The opportunity to link Verde with Headliner Barella this weekend was another bonus… the 86 Barella patrolled my midfield for some time and I had been wanting to try the improved Inter man since it dropped… ps. He is fantastic and about the same level as WW Guendouzi.  With the squad set, I applied the MARKSMAN chemistry style to Verde in order to help with some of the LAM responsibilities in my 4-2-2-2 formation.  Verde was the little magician all weekend long in the following squad:

Starting Formation:

Overall

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

Normally I leave the defending rating unavailable when reviewing more attacking options… but generally speaking my CAMs do a fair bit of tracking and tackling so it would be possible to comment on those abilities.  Unfortunately with Verde the LOW DEF. WORK RATE meant this category was literally unavailable as the La Spezia man showed zero interest in tracking back to help this weekend.  At times he would comically stand and watch Davies deal with two men as if he were shouting, “Phonzie when you get it, I am open over here!”  While comical, it was also dangerous, but maybe even more frustrating was the MED ATT. WORK RATE that also meant Verde wasn’t always interested in busting a gut to attack either. Seriously, “going missing” doesn’t begin to explain this card in some matches.  In the end, many FUT Managers will deploy this card as a super sub in situations when needing a goal, and these more attacking tactics will very much suit this card as he will already be in forward positions and will be triggered to make runs in those late moments.

Main Statistic - Dribbling

Dribbling Rating: 10/10
Height: 168cm | 5’6
Skills: ★★★★★

If you can get this card on the ball in attacking positions you can start to make some things happen.  The 94 AGILITY & 97 AGILITY felt fantastic and incredibly responsive.  Many opponents struggled to deal with the intricacy of dribbling that is possible with Verde and I was able to create a lot down the left wing throughout the 15 matches.  For a smaller card Verde actually held his own in challenges and the 75 STRENGTH seemed to pair well with his lower center of gravity against more physical cards.  While Verde is not bullying anyone in a tackle, he does ride out challenges well as the 92 ACCELERATION & 92 SPRINT SPEED felt both quick and fast when applied on the ball.   

Main Attribute - Free Kick Wizard

Shooting Rating: 9/10
Trait: Power Free Kick
Weak Foot: ★★★

When Verde does find his way into shooting positions he is quite lethal.  Seriously, 8 goals in 15 matches as a LAM is not bad at all.  The 95 FINISHING and 99 SHOT POWER on his left foot is just about a lock on those cross goal finishes.  Honestly, I was impressed with the 3 STAR WEAK FOOT as well and if you have used different versions of Salah you will know what I am about to describe.  In situations with the laces and in “power moments” I found Verde really quite accurate… The issues come in the form of finesse shots on the right, which are usually disappointing.  However, the biggest surprise of this review came in the form of the free kicks.  Midway through the review I was fouled outside of the box and expected Lewandowski to step up to take it… only to see that the little Italian had taken the ball off of the Pole and claimed it for himself.  I figured why not and since then can’t get the idea that if I played Verde every match only for a free kick now and then it would be worth it.  The 99 SHOT POWER, 99 CURVE, 93 FREE KICK ACCURACY & POWER FREE KICK trait mix perfectly and the goal in the video literally had me out of my seat.  Honestly, my favorite free kick taker in years and I feel like every free kick is going to blister into the back of goal. 

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad

Value/Time Rating: 4/5
Good vs Bad Rating: 3.5/5

One hour and 15 minutes for an 87 card is actually a better return than you are going to get on any draft, but that is a conversation for another day.  The card is fun and certainly could come in as a super sub and provide something different in attack.  However, even in my most recent WL qualification matches, I found myself looking past the Italian to other options that I felt would be better suited to change the game.  If I could just sub this card in and out for free kicks I would say a 5/5 for sure, but in reality, this card will wait for games I am in control, Serie A Swaps, or objectives to get his minutes in my squad.

My biggest gripe with this card is the work rates or lack thereof, but in the end, there were other areas that improvements were needed.  The passing since the patch is difficult enough without the 80 SHORT PASSING and 73 LONG PASSING on this card, and especially on the right foot, it could be incredibly frustrating trying to find the strikers feet in attack.  One interesting bright spot did come in the form of crossing, where the 99 CURVE was present again boosting the 83 CROSSING and whipping in some fantastic service to Lewandowski during the review. 

Closing Words

8 days to spend 1 - 1.5 hours of your FIFA grind grabbing a card that will most likely not see much action in your squad. Again, there is a fun aspect that has to be considered and personally I keep subbing in Verde late in Division Rivals matches that are going well in hopes of a free kick.  I even find myself inviting challenges in key areas of the pitch with that in mind. While it is ridiculous, it is also what can keep you sane with the current gameplay.  I think that he is worth it, and while he hasn’t been the Godly super sub that I hoped for, I haven’t regretted completing him for one second.  Spend the time, play golden goal, sub him on when things are going well, and unleash him when we need Serie A squads.  Finally, for those of you that these things matter, he looks fresh in game… clean trim, perfect beard, nice boots, and did I mention… fantastic free kicks.  Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading.
 

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