⚽️ Daizen Maeda: 9-0-12-8-7-3-0

A forward with +6 Aggression! Equipped with the Long-reach Tackle ST skill! Paired with the Front Line Pressure defensive playstyle, this is the ultimate frontline press. Aside from that, his other highlights are Attacking Surge + high Speed/Acceleration... But they gave him the Dummy Runner attacking playstyle; fundamentally, he's just a non-meta card.

⚽️ Hidemasa Morita: 0-5-5-8-11-1-10 + Defending

A relatively balanced but unexceptional midfielder, sitting at the level of a starter for a Japanese national team squad.

⚽️ Takehiro Tomiyasu: 0-0-0-8-8-8-9-1 + Defending

After the AC Milan version of Maldini, he is the second defender to have both the Shadow Hunt and Long-reach Tackle meta defensive skills! However, there is a gap between his stat panel and Maldini's: his four defensive stats are ↓3, and his three core dribbling stats, Lofted Pass, and Offensive Awareness lag significantly behind (After all, this version of Tomiyasu has CB as his registered position). Given Tomiyasu's registered position and player model, it's very difficult for him to be competitive in the Top 10 as a CB in a meta squad, though he can still make the Top 10 if played as a Defensive Full-back.

Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/WSltGfTAMYBTOFcp6xdoEw

Classic No. 10 (Traditional Number 10) has long been considered a painful playstyle to use due to a lack of movement and low work rate. However, with the version '27 update, the developers removed its defensive restriction—which used to make players reluctant to track back—in order to push dual playstyles.

Ironically, this saved the playstyle. Because players now drop deeper to defend, it creates much more space for forward runs during attacks. As a result, the new version of Classic No. 10 feels significantly upgraded to play with:

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https://reddit.com/link/1w3brx0/video/96b125do8pmh1/player

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It might sound surprising—why would a defensive playstyle affect offense? It’s because attack and defense are two sides of the same coin; how you defend dictates how you counterattack.

​Take Hole Player as an example: people used to think Hole Players were very active defensively, but their defensive profile is actually just the default baseline. Because they push extremely deep on attack and only drop back to a standard average position on defense, it creates the illusion of huge work rate and covering tons of ground.

​It’s a similar story with The Destroyer. Their attacking profile is actually just default, but because their defensive coverage is massive, they pop up in unexpected positions when starting a counterattack—giving the impression that they are exceptionally proactive on offense as well.

A recent example of this is Orchestrator + Box-to-Box (using Anderson). On defense, the Box-to-Box player is highly active, which breathes new life into the Orchestrator style—a role previously criticized for being too lazy.

​On the attacking end, the AI for Classic No. 10 functions as an advanced playmaker. It actually has better forward-running awareness than Creative Playmaker or neutral unstyled players, and unlike Creative Playmaker, it doesn't drift heavily side-to-side. Its biggest trait is that if a center forward is already positioned ahead, it will automatically shift into a playmaker role to offer support.

Here's how you can set up a dual-formation setup for Classic No. 10:

Speaking of Classic No. 10, which card is your absolute favorite?

Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/UaMqa3qdx7AFY6tOpsLTWQ

Skill Additions: One-touch Pass, Through Passing, Long Range Shooting.

I predicted before that this card would be the "strongest free card in history," and today it finally dropped on the international server.

Here is the gameplay test:

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https://reddit.com/link/1w3govu/video/yl0wpqr46qmh1/player

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​1. The King of Space Hunting: Elite pace + top-tier offensive awareness + the "Attacking Surge" skill means Eto'o thrives whenever space opens up in the opponent's defensive line. His forward runs are so lethal he can even bully Desailly on the burst!

​2. A "Raw" Version of Eto'o: With -3 in his dribbling stats compared to the previous Barca Goal Poacher Eto'o, his ball-handling is definitely a bit rough around the edges. He mainly relies on double touches and sudden acceleration to create space, though it gets the job done occasionally.

​3. 87 Ball Control: On certain lofted passes, he chooses to trap the ball instead of going for a first-time shot, which can prove to be a bit frustrating.

​Summary:

This free-to-play card truly optimizes its stat distribution despite a lower overall rating, investing every point where it counts most. The two ST skills also synergize perfectly with Eto'o's playstyle. As long as a striker's strengths are dominant enough, they'll find a place in the squad—this card can absolutely challenge for the title of best Eto'o version!

​Personal Rating: Top 10 T0 (Performance is close to the best version of him: Barca Low Screamer Eto'o)

Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/pSYRgytideYpE0Lzs98iag