FUT Hero Captain Tim Cahill Review

Maybe I am alone in this thinking, but I have quite enjoyed the addition of the Hero cards in FIFA 22.  They offer a different dynamic in terms of squad building and certainly some unique opportunities to include cards that might not necessarily fit the ICON label.  Despite the fact that Ginola ran riot over my club for the past half a year, I have truly enjoyed the concept. For me personally, Hero Robbie Keane was one for the record books and I continuously came back to him for the first three or four months of the cycle… while Cordoba has managed a truly impressive longevity as well.  But with more and more cards starting to resemble TOTS level statistics (and I can only imagine the TOTS themselves) it was time for an upgrade and the FUT Hero Captain release certainly took care of that.  From the outset, it was clear that Keane would need to make it back into the mix, but who to pair him with?  In truth I barely glanced at the Cahill SBC to begin with given what I would call normal striker statistics at this stage in the game… but then the Cahill at CM noise started to gain some momentum… and one look at the Aussie from the CM perspective and I was immediately sold.  If you want a crazy eye test just go and compare Cahill to FUT Birthday Firmino who has been lauded as a fantastic CM… I will save you time, they have bang on the exact same In Game Statistic Totals.  With that decision made it was back to the 3-5-2 this weekend with Cahill half of the duo patrolling the midfield… the SHADOW chemistry style adding that bit of defensive prowess required to get the job done at both ends of the pitch.  With that, Tim Cahill was working in the engine room all weekend long in the following squad:

Starting Formation:

Overall

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

If you played FUT at all during this past Weekend League then chances are that you experienced some truly horrible gameplay.  This review was always going to be tricky with the out of position experiment but it was made even worse in some of the mudded gameplay.  Overall this was more of an experiment in player comparison than pure gameplay, as I often found myself looking at Showdown Jones as a good midfield comparison, while Dalglish and Eusebio offered a more offensive benchmark.  In both cases, I didn’t feel like Cahill really lived up to those (in fairness) high standards and regardless of where I tested him never really got off the ground running.  Later in matches, down a goal, I moved Cahill into the CAM role and even tried him as a ST with relatively similar results… The card is good, but there always felt like something was missing.            

Main Statistic -Passing

Passing Rating: 9.5/10
Weak Foot: ★★★★

This was one area that I was over the top impressed with this card throughout the review.  I swear this is some of the most accurate and crisp passing I have used and it was in some of the least accessible gameplay.  To make triple sure I even used the Aussie in FUT Champs Qualys, Div Rivals and even the Captain’s Cup Objective since this weekend and nothing changed… the passing is sublime and I am all here for it.  Given the 94 SHORT PASSING maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised that Cahill can fizz them in to tight spaces on the counter attack… but I believe I am rightfully baffled that the 85 VISION, 83 LONG PASSING & 80 CROSSING somehow equaled Pirlo in his prime.  Regardless, I quite enjoyed it and moving forward is to be a key part of the continuing Cahill at CM experiment in my squad.

Main Attribute - Shooting

Shooting Rating: 8.5/10
Weak Foot: ★★★★
Attributes: Power Header

I expected Cahill to be a bigger threat from the midfield in my squad and when it didn’t materialize I was disappointed, to say the least.  However, in the matches since the review, I have deployed the Aussie as a CAM and a ST as previously mentioned and there is certainly a goal scoring touch in this card.  The 93 FINISHING & 94 SHOT POWER with a 4 STAR WEAK FOOT offer enough potency to cause some issues in scoring areas.  However, playing as CM I always felt like the 85 LONG SHOTS was a limiting feature… and while if you watch the video you will see one of the most eye-satisfying finishes I have scored to date and puts the 96 VOLLEYS on display, but it is once again in the box and not from the areas you would create the most opportunities with a CM.  Maybe more disappointingly was the few balls that I managed to get Cahill’s head to in the box… which given the 99 JUMPING, 99 HEADING ACCURACY & POWER HEADER trait I expected to be sure things, which in the end resulted in zero goals.

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad

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

360k.  If you have done the math then this is approximately what this card will cost you to complete.  However, if you complete the Pepe SBC for 27k and have no interest in using him then you will save yourself a nice chunk of coins. Regardless of the exact number, it is clear that this card is not quite worth the value.  I mentioned the crazy statistics comparison to Bobby Firmino, but that is exactly where the comparison between those two cards ends.  There is simply something missing in a lot of areas with Cahill’s game and I can’t deny that I am slightly regretting completing this card.  Yes, he offers some unique position changes in games and the potential to operate in different areas of the pitch, but unfortunately, he just doesn’t excel in any of them compared to other options.

In a vacuum, this card has the potential to be a 9/10 and if you look at the different categories and do the math you will note that the 8/10 overall doesn’t add up.  The issue is that in all facets of FUT there needs to be a combination of different factors to make a good card and unfortunately Cahill fell short in key areas throughout the review.  1.  The 99 ACCELERATION is a farce and alongside Jones, Cahill was constantly lagging behind.  2.  Despite the HIGH | HIGH work rates it never felt like Cahill was ever on the front foot and the lack of positioning defensively and then offensively were both average.  3.  For having amazing Physical statistics, it never really felt that way in any of the matches that I used him. 

Closing Words

How can you give an 8/10 to a card that had so many issues?  The constant question and certainly a fair one, and in the case of Cahill here is the summary.  What you have here is a card that could play ST and will score goals when given the chances in the box, but you will lament some missed chances further out and the lack of a burst of pace to get away from defenders in the box will be frustrating.   You could also deploy Cahill as a CAM and will love the passing and ability to get the ball through tight channels into your strikers and will certainly benefit from the 99 SPRINT SPEED to lengthen the pitch on counter attacks, but will then curse the 91 STRENGTH, 90 AGILITY & 90 BALANCE when they don’t operate as advertised. Finally, you will love the versatility to play such a highly offensive card in the CM position, but find it difficult given the 80 INTERCEPTIONS and lack of presence to win the ball back.  In all cases, there is a lot to like about this card, but always minor inconveniences that make you believe “there must be someone else who can do it better”... hence, an 8/10, and not worth the 360k worth of fodder for me despite the amazing links and versatility on the pitch.  Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading.
 

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