TOTS Tchouameni Review

With the Mbappe signing saga in the books and Erling Haaland long ago secured into Pep’s scary arsenal… Aurélien Tchouaméni still remains as one of the brightest prospects left unspoken for despite a Madrid move looming.  The French midfielder has increased his stocks with some terrific Monaco performances this year, which ultimately earned him a place in this year's Ligue 1 TOTS.  If you used the Future Stars version of this card then you know all about how dynamic this card can be in the midfield… at the time those cards dropped he was arguably one of the best CDM/CM combination cards in the game.  But as time went on that version of Tchouaméni was slowly lost to the ever growing power curve and certainly is not a card you would face at this stage in the game.  It was for this reason that I was excited to retest the Frenchman in my squad at this stage in the game with those levels of statistics added.  Okay… you got me… it was also for the hyperlink to Ben Yedder and the need to make the Rat King feel at home in my squad… but it is a good story.  It might be true that Tchouaméni was playing the Robin to Ben Yedder’s Batman this weekend… but the boy wonder proved to be more than just a sidekick by the end of the weekend.  With the squad set it was an easy choice for the added pace of the SHADOW chemistry style, while I chose to operate Tchouaméni as the box to box CM… moving him back to a traditional CDM when goals were needed and De Bruyne had to be brought in.  Tchouaméni was the wrecking ball all weekend long in the following squad:   

Starting Formation:

Overall

Rating: 9/10
Pace Rating: 9.5/10
Dribbling Rating: 8/10
Shooting Rating: 7/10
Passing Rating: 9.5/10
Physical Rating: 10/10
Defending Rating: 9.5/10

While the box to box CM is how I deployed Tchouaméni, it is certainly not his forte.  The young Frenchman certainly gets up and down the pitch in a hurry and from a defensive standpoint puts on crazy pressure when tracking down would be attackers.  However, from an offensive standpoint, he is certainly not contributing bags of goals… or in this case, even one. This card is certainly more comfortable in a strictly defensive role at this stage in the game, which is actually a bit of a step back from where the Future Stars card stacked up against the competition in February.  But it is possible to excel at one thing and be in high demand and I still think there are FUT Managers who would benefit highly from the qualities that this card can bring.   

Main Statistics - Defending

Defending Rating: 10/10
Physical Rating: 10/10
Height: 187cm | 6’2

The SHADOW chemistry style couldn’t be more suited for this card and what he can produce on the pitch.  The 96 ACCELERATION & 99 SPRINT SPEED have that closing speed that makes opponents wonder how Tchouaméni teleported from Point A to Point B.  Very much in the design of Future Stars Bellingham and other consistently used midfielders who have the ability to close down space and shut down opponents before the attack even gets started.  With the pace injection it only adds to the effectiveness of the 99 INTERCEPTIONS and furthermore allows the 99 STANDING TACKLE & 99 SLIDING TACKLE to go to work.  Maybe most of all the stock addition of the 99 STAMINA, 98 STRENGTH & 94 AGGRESSION create the animal that Tchouaméni becomes in game and allows this card to bully matches.

Main Attribute - Passing

Passing Rating: 9.5/10
Weak Foot: ★★★

If you watch the video for this card then you will see me absolutely grasping at straws to put something together.  No one wants to watch me flying around the pitch with Tchouaméni breaking up play and then passing on the ball to attacking options to move up the pitch.  Even the four assists were not game breaking threaded through balls that picked apart tricky defences.  But it is worth noting that the 96 SHORT PASSING & 95 LONG PASSING are pinpoint with this card and dispelled a lot of the frustration experienced by FUT Managers of late in FIFA 22.  Maybe I am alone in this, but it seems like the latest patches have really separated cards that can pass with pace and precision… versus those that simply move the ball in the right direction.

Value/Coins & Good vs. Bad

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

I think that 770k for this card is right on the border of what I would pay for this card.  With PIM Vieira at 1.3 million and TOTS Bellingham at 2 million, there is still a separation between what the best of the best will cost and this card.  There is something special about the way that this card defends and that is worth something… and maybe just maybe that is close to 800k

The fact that this card scored zero goals is a bit of a problem.  Not because I would recommend him as a box to box CM… but because I played Tchouaméni in that position for the better part of 9 matches (if you count the halves) and he scored none. The chances were there, but the 90 LONG SHOTS and more importantly the 84 FINISHING proved to be a massive let down.  I think that is where my hang up with the near 800k price tag is coming from, this is truly a one dimensional card and you have to be okay with that when you buy him.  True, Tchouaméni does that one thing very very well… but if you want more you will have to find a different option.

Closing Words

I called this card a wrecking ball at the start of this review and that is exactly the analogy to depict this card.  If you set Tchouaméni in one direction and fly into whatever is in his path, it will be destroyed.  If you want more from this card in terms of twists, turns and goals… you will be found frustrated with the results. But for many FUT Managers a destructive CDM is exactly what they want… just look at the number of people running PIM Vieria in the midfield and that becomes obvious.  Hoping you are safe and well.  Cheers for reading.

Game Stats:
 

Game Highlights: