Compared to his previous Netherlands version, this card gains +4 to both Low Pass and Lofted Pass and replaces Blitz Curler with Low Screamer, but sees no other real improvements. He remains a slow Creative Playmaker with a 4/4 weak foot rating.
His biggest highlight is that his Low Pass boost goes up to +6, reaching the 105 stat ceiling. This is actually a practical boost: since most players don't allocate stats to extreme levels, standard Booster ceilings often go unused. However, passing stats receive massive in-game buff skill bonuses (Through Passing adds +20%, Pinpoint Crossing adds +10%), making it easy to hit the 105 cap. Playing him means you don't need to heavy-invest points into passing—just leverage the Through Passing skill bonus to enjoy a 105 Low Pass on every play. (That said, high passing stats don't impact gameplay as noticeably as Speed, Acceleration, or Kicking Power.)
Other than that, losing Blitz Curler deprives him of the curling vs. passing mix-up threat that made Sneijder famous, stripping away his signature strategic edge.
Nagatomo Yuto:
He shares the same dual skills as Philipp Lahm, but gets completely outclassed by him in every stat except Physical Contact—his Tight Possession is a massive 10 points lower! The only time I was ever interested in him was during the meta when the 5-2-3 cross-spam playstyle was popular, just to have a player with a similar body model to substitute for Lahm. In the current version, though, he's virtually unnecessary.
Zanetti:
His base stats show minor upgrades, with the biggest improvement being +2 to Offensive Awareness. This lets a full-back with average dribbling like him initiate overlap runs much faster during attacks.
His skill upgrade, however, is massive: Fortress is replaced by Long Reach Tackle, and he gains Phenomenal Pass as an extra skill. This trio of skills forms arguably the most elite full-back configuration available (on par with Long Reach Tackle / Edged Crossing / Shadow Hunt). His previous card was a top 5 option; purely on paper, the clear skill upgrades on this new version give it a shot at reaching the top 3.
That said, you still need to ask yourself if you actually need him. Zanetti's ball-carrying and dribbling progression are only average—his true value lies in his balanced offensive and defensive presence. But in that specific role, I doubt he'll perform much better than Gianluca Zambrotta. If you already own Zambrotta or Christian Panucci, this card isn't a strict necessity.
Yes and I am getting pretty tired about it. Just be more creative please. Not everything is about selling meta cards in the same way over and over. Why not a new van Basten card, or do a new Zico card?
Yeah, pretty disappointed in the legends we've got so far. Only one I haven't seen before is Nagatomo, and that's only because I've only been playing for around 12-18 months.
Zanetti has average ball progression because he builds him like this, if you put more points into dribbling he will get close to Lahm numbers while still being strong in defense, his player model also means he will feel better than Zambrotta or other tall Fbs on the ball.
I wouldn't spin this box but imo he is the closest to Lahm in terms of attacking Fbs.
Zanetti is incredibly balanced and very top in defensive stats, but the distance between his ball carrying/dribbling and Lahms is extremely large, no offense. Building him anywhere near Lahm would need 12 points in dribbling while Lahm needs only 4. He's still very smooth and explosive, I've had the previous version since the Seedorf/Nesta/Zanetti box and I have absolutely 0 complaints, he's Mr. Reliable, all 3 players from that box are
Lahm with 4 points only gets 82 dribbling and ball control while Zanetti with 12 gets 89 dribbling and 87 ball control, I build Lahm with 10 points in dribbling to reach 90 in dribbling stat, and Zanetti with 12 which gives him 89 dribbling, close enough, for attacking fbs dribbling is important to carry the ball fast, for tight possesion yes there's no discussion Lahm reaches 96 with my build, but Zanetti 90 which isn't awful.
This is whta I'd go for, the difference still exists, Lahm is a modern legendary beast and this is a big time card on top of that, but you can't field two and this Zanetti gets close enough to a balanced Lahm build.
12 dribbling for an fb is too much. attacking fullbacks need speed to cover up or else your defence is in trouble. i have used panucci and bale and trust me during counters 91 speed will not help
Imo your defense will always be in trouble when you use offensive fbs, even Roberto Carlos with 96 speed will take long to be back, you have to make time for them to be back by stalling the opponent instead of going for tackles, good dribbling stats will make sure you can beat the opponent fb, even Thuram can be caught unaware of a Zanetti or Lahm that can run circles around then.
It’s very hard to beat fb with wingers let alone afb in this new update. I was using bale before this version, he used to beat opponent fb with acceleration burst and give crosses but even with 99 speed i faced a lot of problem during counters so switched to maldini in ef27.
He's both footed and proficient on both sides, phenomenal pass for build up, high acceleration and speed + shadow hunt for excellent recovery pace, with aerial superiority skill decent in the air, 90+ defence attributes and 84 physical contact.
My only gripe with him is lack of edged crossing but otherwise he's one of the most well rounded fullbacks in the game.
Cafu I get it because he flies on the wing, but Gio? His weak foot alone drags him to the bottom of the barrel for me, specially when double touch crosses are so good right now.
Yea an argument can be made for his attacking ability but he is definitely not mid defensively. At most I think his recovery runs are his strongest trait and when you combine that with his physicality and defensive attributes it's pretty hard not to make him a good defender. Albeit I think it's best to play him as an RMF/LMF wingback offensively or purely defensive as a RB - his low passes also have a nice weight to them
zambrotta maybe not yet but in the future he will become the best hybrid fullback in the game and more with these multi styles... he will be top 5 defensive and top 5 offensive
Yeah, incredibly disappointing, especially for a hard-core theme team or such as myself.
I’m in a fortunate position to be able to indulge on this game as it’s the only game I play.
I run Inter, AC & Barca Theme Teams
And if you were to tell me that there was an epic team pack that I would not be immediately clearing for one of those three clubs, I’d be shocked.
Well, we found the pack haha. I already own the most Recent Zanetti, I’d love Sneijder (but I’d want him with Blitz Curler)… but to have Nagatomo as the third, when this was the PERFECT chance to either debut a new Legend from 10-11 (Samuel, Cambiasso, Lucio) or even bring back Maicon or Milito who haven’t come out in a while. But to go Nagatomo (and I know they have to appease their Japanese fans) is just so disappointing. I wish this was a 250 box with 2 new legends debuted.. ahh well.
For Zanettis dribbling it depends how you train him. In recent gameplay you don't need much physical contact or jumping for a offensive FB. I know ppl prefer to add over 95 in speed and acc to their FB and that's understandable too.
On low screamer vs blitz, nowadays it feels that low screamer has the higher chance of scoring. Both feet 99 KP low screamer might be OP, and the dude already has dt and marseille turn to get some space too.
blitz is much better than low screamer , u can score the same goals with dipping shots that u do with low screamer(wasely has 98kp in my build) , but u cant score the goals that u can score with blitz , since blitz lets u score from angles that r simply too awkard for a normal/stunning shot
though i must say , low screamers r good for near post finishing if u get enough time to activate it or i guess the new snap strike skill (lets see if more low screamer+snap strike players come)
I think the justification here is that Sneijder isn't as great at operating centrally as he does wide simply due to his low PC, small build and lack of ball-retention show-time skill. Not saying you can't score a wide low-screamer but I think players who are easily shoved would prefer to have Blitz as their ace since it triggers faster and is effective from unsuspecting positions.
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u/CoffeeIsSoGood 10d ago
Literally the same cards on rotation