FIFA 23 Theo Hernández Out of Position Player Review

The votes were tallied and by the smallest margin, Theo Hernández won out as our review candidate for this past weekend.

The Milan wingback is a constant favorite and still sits in the top 20 most expensive gold cards on the market.

The shift to a more attacking position is an interesting one in this case… because I do not see many, if any FUT Managers, opting to deploy the Frenchman in forward areas of the pitch.

Honestly the card is in limbo statistically and like Perišić I would be interested to know the intricate ways that you lot are using this card.

For me it was always going to be a shift as the box to box midfielder in my 4-2-2-2… The application of the POWERHOUSE or GUARDIAN chemistry styles takes care of any defensive issues and everything else falls into place.

However, it is worth noting that I did apply a FINISHER chemistry style for a few matches to test the attacking abilities of Hernández, but was largely unimpressed.

For me this card is a midfielder or bust, and it turns out Hernández was a fantastic engine all weekend long in the following squad:

Starting Formation

In-Game Formation

Overall 

Rating: 8.5/10

Pace Rating: 9.5/10

Dribbling Rating: 9/10

Shooting Rating: 8/10

Passing Rating: 8/10

Physical Rating: 9/10

Defending Rating: 8.5/10

There are a lot of possibilities with this card. The box to box experiment was largely successful… The application of an ARTIST turns this card into a terrific LAM/RAM… and of course there is the argument for using this card as designed in attack (although this was not a successful test run for me).

In a way this both helps and hinders the argument for this card's quality. Nothing jumps out and screams… “Here is your next insert position for the foreseeable future.”

The guessing game on wear to get the most out of Theo is probably a big reason for his lack of hype on the whole. Currently Theo is second to last in the popular player list of OOP options, despite the early hype and consistently high price tag.

Main Statistics – Pace & Dribbling

Pace Rating: 9.5/10

Dribbling Rating: 9/10

SKILLS: ★★★

I am sure it comes to no surprise that this card can absolutely fly around the pitch. The 94 ACCELERATION & 96 SPRINT SPEED have this card rocketing from box to box… or wherever you decide to deploy him.

If you have used the NIF Theo then you know the drill and as a CM his pace was on full display yet again. The closing speed in the midfield was fantastic and immediately took away time and space from my opponents.

For a 184 cm | 6’0 card the pace is not overly surprising… but the dribbling was a surprise and performed brilliantly. Again, this is largely noticeable on the NIF, but was only made more prominent by the massive dribbling boosts.

No matter where you play this card the ARTIST, FINISHER or GUARDIAN only adds to the base 85 AGILITY, 83 BALANCE & 87 DRIBBLING which feel fantastic on the ball.

The only complaint I would have… and it is more for FUT Managers who utilized more skills than for myself. It would have been nice to see the 3 STAR SKILLS receiving the same +1 boost as the 4 STAR WEAK FOOT… the FLAIR trait (which I think they should start doing with promo cards) wouldn’t have gone astray either.

Value/Coins

Value/Coins Rating: 4/5

320k is a hefty price tag for this card. There are a lot of weapons and a lot of opportunities to use this card. The links are quality and alternate positions plentiful.

But when you start deploying Theo in different positions, it becomes clear that there are slightly better options in each position for equal or less coins.

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

Lots of quality, only a few nagging deficiencies, and overall this card produces both on and off the ball.

+ Absolute beast on the pitch with the size and 83 STRENGTH to cause opponents issues and a big part of his defensive success.

+ It took a while but worth mentioning his shooting, which is actually solid in the right moments. The 94 shot power can blast them home and felt potent on his left foot.

+ Loved the 92 STAMINA and overall felt a constant impact from Theo in the middle of the pitch. As a LAM it is no issue getting up and down the touchline throughout a match.

But even with a large array of statistics there were still issues.

- The 4 STAR WEAK FOOT leaves a lot to be desired… and without a FINISHER the 80 FINISHING & 82 LONG SHOTS are both wasteful and feeble.

- Similarly the passing needs a boost and when I had to apply chemistry styles neglecting this area it was a notable weakness.

Closing Words

The negatives with this card really say everything you need to know. There are too many areas that need that little bit extra, and you can only address so many with chem styles.

Based on where you deploy Theo you can patch over the cracks and receive quality performances in return.

Case in point, my box to box deployment that resulted in quality defensive play, alongside a 5 goal and 3 assist contribution.

For me this card was okay… but just that. I think it is the price tag that bothers me most and for 320k you can do better in all areas that Theo can/should play.

Barring a massive drop in price, it is a pass on this one for me.