Round Two of the Greats of the Game have arrived and as is the theme this year you have some almost impossible to pack, extremely expensive options alongside some almost in every pack, extremely cheap for their ratings and PlayStyles options.  With this review we decided to select one of those more easy to pack options in hopes of offering some insight on one of many players that could bolster your current squads.

Of course there are quite a few options available to choose from but the standout (based mostly on the quality of his Golazo ICON) for us was the Spanish maestro, Xabi Alonso.  Ridiculous statistics and four meta PlayStyles aside, Spain has a favorable round of 16 draw against Georgia coming Sunday that should lead to at least some of the required 4 goals for a double upgrade… With a likely collision course with hosts Germany on the horizon.  Not discrediting the incredible tournament Georgia have had thus far… But Spain have looked fantastic  (and scored plenty along the way) and will be heavy favorites.

The style of 4-3-2-1 requires three distinct midfielders… 1. A defensive holding midfielder which might have been a temptation for Alonso given his LONG BALL Plus passing range, however the removal of the INTERCEPT Plus (and INTERCEPT altogether) from his Golazo and the absence of the Trash Panda (ANTICIPATE) mate that a risky choice.  2. An attacking midfielder which again could suit the POWER SHOT Plus and FINESSE SHOT on this card, but again the lack of a 5 STAR WEAK FOOT lead to a movement away.  3.  The box-to-box-jack-of-all-trades midfielder, which is perfect for a card with this range of statistics and PlayStyles. The issue with this position is how “unseen” a lot of what they contribute is… But the ultimate hope was that after the ANCHOR Chemistry Style application that Alonso would demand the spotlight all weekend long in the following squad:

Overall 

Rating: 9/10

If you have ever heard the phrase, “jack of all trades but a master of none”, that was all I could think about throughout this review.  Except in this case Alonso is actually a master of the pass, but overall he does a bit of everything with minor flaws in all areas.  Nothing that would ever make me say you should avoid the card, but nothing screaming a must try either.

Main Statistics – Movement With The Ball

Pace Rating: 9/10

Dribbling Rating: 9/10

Skills: ★★★★

PlayStyles: Technical Plus, First Touch Plus 

I don’t think that Pace and Dribbling was ever going to make this card, but it certainly would break it.  Fortunately for the review and my sanity Alonso is surprisingly fast on the ball… If you look in many of the clips Alonso actually moves through the gears in the midfield as the 98 SPRINT SPEED and CONTROLLED LENGTHY AcceleRATE combine to keep the gap between chasing midfielders allowing the opportunity to pick the right pass (which he always plays exceptionally well).  Worth noting however that the 89 ACCELERATION is not quite as impressive and impacts both the Pace and Dribbling.

With the FIRST TOUCH & TECHNICAL Plus it is no surprise that Alonso has quality on the ball.  The 90 AGILITY & 92 BALANCE perform at about those levels and overall Alonso feels responsive.  The lack of 5 STAR SKILLS will deter some, while the slightly slow acceleration out of close touch dribbling into space was my biggest concern, all combined you have a continuation of my comments that there is a lot to like and little to love about this card. 

Value/Coins

Value/Coins: 5/5

Easy one to judge here.  165k for a ton of PlayStyles and general quality could really only go one way.  Yes, there are areas where improvements would make this insane value, but those same improvements would drive this card into the next tier of player and cost.

Good vs. Bad 

Good vs Bad Rating: 5/5

Only positives in every major category with a tiny concern at the end… Outside of the Passing, which is literally perfect with the PlayStyes, statistics and 7 assists in 5 matches all confirming that fact. 

+ The Shooting was a nice touch with this card and while only two goals, the way that Alonso took those chances on his left foot was fantastic.  As I said in the introduction Alonso was in a position where those chances would be few and far between, and thankfully he finished them perfectly.  The 4 STAR WEAK FOOT is again the smallest issue, yet both goals came on that side as the 83 FINISHING was still enough to get the job done.

+ The Defending was another area that I was not 100% sold on Alonso but again he performed throughout the review.  The lack of meta PlayStyles had little effect on the 99 INTERCEPTIONS and 99 STANDING TACKLE, which were perfect the majority of the time.  There were one or two moments where I felt the ANTICIPATE would have seen me gain position at times when I didn’t, but overall it was a solid defensive performance.

+ Maybe the biggest surprise came in the Physical battles on the pitch as I saw Alonso winning headers, bullying opponents (given the 99 STRENGTH maybe that isn’t a surprise after all), and shielding the ball brilliantly.  

Closing Words

If you are in the market for a budget midfielder that will control the middle of the pitch and find any pass that you want, Alonso is an extremely good option.  However, if you specifically need an offensive or defensive midfielder then Alonso is not your card.  Having recently tried a lot of cards in the box-to-box position it is worth noting that outside of PTG De Jong, Alonso is the card that best drove my squad forward on the ball and his ability to pick a pass is second to none…  But the combination of a less than ideal offensive ability and question marks around the defensive reliability both would have me worried about taking this card forward into more challenging waters.  

Hoping you are well.  Cheers for reading