FIFA 23 Flashback Deulofeu Player Review - Cop or Flop?

Today EA are throwing it back with a brand new Flashback Item and it comes in the form of Gerard Deulofeu. Straight off the rip, this SBC is fantastic value. Coming in at around 55k, this card truly has the makings to be a cheap beast. Or better yet, your new super sub? So was he..?

You would be right to make those assumptions if you take the card at face value. He has some incredible base stats that could slot him right into your team. I think the timing on this card works wonders as most of the community will be opening up a bunch of packs following from Weekend League and will be looking for the perfect place to deposit their fodder. 

To see more details on the card you can check this item out here!

But here are the SBC requirements you will need to complete:

Gerard Deulofeu
# of players from Premier League - Min. 1
Minimum Overall of 86 - Min. 2
Inform or TOTS Players - Min. 1
Squad Rating - 85

I’ve said it already but this card is cheap, which this early on is perfect. You don’t want to be dropping coins this early on something expensive unless it has longevity. But to me this card feels like it has been released perfectly so that we have somewhere to put our fodder, as there are a lot of options out there that we could otherwise be using. As well as a bunch of insane cards still to come.

Starting XI

Deulofeu joined the front line-up alongside the Hero of the Serie A, Thomas Brolin. For this review, I opted to apply the Marksman chemistry style to give him the boosts in Shooting, Dribbling and Physicals that he desperately needed to enable him to keep up with the caliber of players available to us. 

As this is a flashback, I took a look back at yesteryear to see the TOTS Moments card that Deulofeu received and compared the two items. The biggest thing for me was that this year, the card did not receive the 5* Skill Move boost which I feel certainly would have added an extra spice to the card. Though there is a -2 overall difference from last year. I come back again to the price. This card comes in at half the price which is a big thumbs up from me.

How did he perform in-game?

+ Crossing was really surprising for me. Initially, I was concerned that I would have trouble in this department. Whilst 86 crossing is by no means a low rating. At this time of year, you want to see stats in the 90s. But the crossing on this card was simply fantastic. 
+ Positioning also felt really good. I would find him staying out in open space and constantly pushing up with the attack to enable the ball up the field.
+ Dribbling was pretty good. He felt incredibly agile on the ball, however I needed to watch out for any kind of pressure from the opposition due to his strength.
- Strength of course is a stand out issue for this card. Regardless of the boost, he would simply be forced off of the ball with ease. Which caused major problems when trying to work around the opponents' defense. 
- Pace for me was a slight let down. Don’t get me wrong he is quick, but when I see 96 pace I am expecting to see some rapid runs up the field. But this card just felt so much slower than the stats would suggest.

How does he compare?

The main attraction for this card is very obviously going to be the price. It is fantastic value which I think is the only thing this card has going for it to edge over other players. But the fact of the matter is, we’ve had so many wingers already that in-game, just felt a lot better. Immediately I think of FUT Birthday Pedro. Double the price and the slight lower rating but that card with the 5*/5* just felt sensational. Even the recent POTM Kvaratskhelia card would be a slightly better option to me. Again 2 ratings lower but feels incredible in-game.

Gerard Deulofeu - Cop or Flop?

The price of this card suggests an easy Cop and I suspect this SBC is going to be completed by most of the community, purely based on the fact it is an easy SBC to dump your fodder into. But how he performed in-game for me really makes me edge more towards a flop. He just didn’t hit the mark for me and I feel like there are so many other viable options that will actually get game time.

FLOP - Basing on In-Game Performance alone…