UCL RTTF Oxlade-Chamberlain Review

Sometimes life provides storylines that you simply can’t write … almost a year to the date of my FIFA 21 YouTube review of Moments Oxlade-Chamberlain, where I defended the price and quality of that card, we have the release of yet another, on the surface, overpriced option.  Of course, at this time last year, I had logged 430 matches with the Liverpool midfielder and during the “review” he scored one of the top 5 goals I scored all year long… But the timing seriously couldn’t have been more perfect for the release of RTTF Oxlade this weekend.  Honestly having just spent a weekend reviewing Hero Captain Cahill in the exact same role there were some easy comparisons and contrasts to be made throughout the review and really provided a benchmark for the overall rating and value/coins.  I realized going into these matches that many will have made up their mind already regarding the price, but I was interested to see just how far off the value the Englishman would feel once put into action.  If you found the time to read the Cahill review then you would know I deployed Oxlade as the CDM in my 3-5-2 formation, and as you can see shared the midfield with Future Stars Bellingham… perhaps the best non-ICON midfielder in the game.  With the need for some defensive contributions I applied the ANCHOR chemistry style and truly felt like it was the perfect fit, but I can see how the shout for a SHADOW application could 100% be made.  With the SBC complete and the squad purchased it was off to the races this Weekend League, with Oxlade-Chamberlain leading the squad all weekend in the following squad:       

Starting Formation:

Overall

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

This should make it clear immediately how I felt between Oxlade and Cahill as the Liverpool man definitely edges the contest between the two.  The +1 goal contribution aside it was more about the overall feel and the idea that I will likely never use Cahill again moving forward (which is a colossal waste of fodder), but I will 100% throw Oxlade into some squads alongside Jones (as I will have to sell Bellingham, which is a tragedy) to patrol my midfield.  The key ingredients are the pace and power and having bought back Wildcard Guendouzi numerous times this cycle for that reason, I finally feel like this is another card in that category without having to pay the premium for the likes of RTTF Renato Sanches.  Yes, I understand Renato has a special FIFA-esque quality that makes him fantastic beyond his statistics… but I am telling you Oxlade has a similar vibe about his cards and I simply can’t believe otherwise given the evidence over the past two seasons.     

Main Statistic – Power

Pace Rating: 9.5/10
Physical Rating: 9/10
Height: 175cm | 5’9

The key ingredients to any successful box to box CM (which is how I play my 3-5-2 CDMs) in FIFA 22 is all bundled up in this SBC… 97 ACCELERATION feels great on most smaller cards and Oxlade-Chamberlain is no exception while the 96 SPRINT SPEED felt fast as well.  I might have been more inclined to look at the SHADOW if this hadn’t been the case but overall I had minimal complaints.  Once in a blue moon, it did take a second for the Ox to really jump into top gear and that is why I didn’t go 10/10 overall, but this was a non-issue the majority of the time and not worth removing the benefits of the ANCHOR.  One of those benefits comes in the form of the 94 STRENGTH which was great both on the ball and when trying to win it back.  The second clip of the review video has two such occasions as Oxlade breaks would be tackles on the way to scoring a fantastic individual goal.  Two key factors and both big reasons why I was loving this card throughout the weekend.

Main Attribute - Ball Accuracy

Shooting Rating: 9/10
Passing Rating: 9.5/10
Weak Foot: ★★★★

Having already made a quick shout out to the video I might as well double down on that fact and bring up the first clip, which was strategically placed if you only have a second and want a quick demonstration of what this card can do.  Oxlade picks up the ball and drives at the defense with the aforementioned powerful running and then plays an exquisite pass out to Salah on the flank in full flow… followed by a clinical finish to end off the move.  The 90 VISION, 90 SHORT PASSING & 85 LONG PASSING were crisp and accurate… while the 95 SHOT POWER & 90 LONG SHOTS are exactly the requirements needed to bang a few goals from outside the box.

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad

Value/Coins Rating: 4.5/5
Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

340k is a lot of fodder to be putting into a card right before TOTS and is the main reason I can’t give a 5/5 overall in terms of value.  Do I believe that an unupgraded Oxlade is truly worth 340k?  Yes, I truly do, and I think the results spoke for themselves this weekend.  Does the value take into consideration that this card could receive some serious upgrades in the future?  Yes, I think it does and is something to consider before completing.  I have seen endless arguments on whether or not this card will get a +3 or +4 if LFC wins the Champions League… I think it is +4, but could be wrong, but regardless you still have to wait to get them and by that time the TOTS will be in full swing with some potentially game breaking cards for reasonable prices.

One of the key areas that sets this card apart from Hero Captain Cahill was the agility, responsiveness and silky smooth dribbling on the ball.  The FLAIR trait strikes again and was aided by the smaller body type & 4 STAR SKILLS… While you can’t discount the effectiveness of the 90 AGILITY, 98 BALANCE & 93 DRIBBLING.  

Closing Words

Future Stars Bellingham was a fantastic addition to this review as I would say the Dortmund man continues to be the pinnacle of what a CM can be capable of.  Bellingham is everywhere and everything that a midfielder needs to be in order to dominate and is probably my favorite card this entire FIFA cycle thus far (perhaps alongside NumbersUP Jota).  Oxlade-Chamberlain does not have the presence that Bellingham has in defense, but was able to mimic a lot of what he does offensively, which was quite impressive.  When you consider that Bellingham has a price tag of 1.1 million coins I would say that any comparison is a huge positive for this review and therefore this SBC overall.  I personally think that many are looking at the price of last year's SBC, then looking at TOTS looming, and simply writing this card off having never tried it.  I have even heard some suggest RTTF Thiago is a better option anyway (which is a far cry from true), but if you compare the price it again shows that this SBC isn’t quite as far off from fair as people might suggest.  I realize I will never convince those folks and many will have made up their minds long ago.  But I am telling you, there is something special about the Ox in FIFA, and I won’t be told otherwise.  Hoping you are safe and well. Cheers for reading.
 

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