Robbie Keane WC Hero - Spend or Swerve

POSITIVES & NEGATIVES

Positives

• An extremely lethal finisher inside the box, with either foot

• He felt very quick and also very agile and responsive on the ball

• Hero Chemistry – Always has 3 chemistry points and gives +2 Prem links

• Has the Finesse Shot trait, he scored some nice long range finesse shots

• 5* Weak Foot & 4* Skill Moves

Negatives

• No Outside Foot Shot Trait, this is a nice thing to have for the trivela shots

• Explosive AcceleRATE isn’t ideal for New Gen (PS5/Xbox X/S)

• The is a very expensive SBC

TEAM USED

Before Kick Off – 4-4-2

In Game – 4-2-2-2

POSITION PLAYED

For most of the games I played Keane as a Left Striker in the 4-2-2-2, with the instructions to Stay Central and Get in Behind

When switching to the 4-3-2-1, Keane played as the central striker, with the instructions to Stay Central and Get in Behind

He performed exceptionally in both positions, and I definitely recommend playing him as the left striker in the any two striker formations due to his 5* weak foot and his ability to cut in and finesse as he has the Finesse Shot trait.

CHEMISTRY STYLE

Chemistry Style Used

I tried 3 different chemistry styles Hunter, Finisher and Marksman

• Hunter – This was simply for a pure Pace and Shooting chemistry style, however it’s important to note that Keane keeps his Explosive AcceleRATE

• Finisher – I really like the boost a Finisher gives this year to Dribbling and Shooting, however it’s important to note that Keane still keeps his Explosive AcceleRATE

• Marksman – This gives a spread boost to Shooting, Dribbling and Physical but this changes Keane’s AcceleRATE to Controlled which is much better for New Gen (PS5/Xbox X/S)

Recommended Chemistry Style

• Old Gen (PS4/Xbox One) – I like Finisher for Keane if you play him as a ST to max out his Finishing and give his an extra dribbling boost as he already has good pace

• New Gen (PS5/Xbox X/S) – I like either Marksman or Hawk for New Gen as this changes his AcceleRATE to Controlled, so it really depends if you want the extra Pace or Dribbling boost

HOW DID HE PERFORM?

I played 10 games with Keane, 5 of these on Old Gen (PS4/Xbox One) and 5 on New Gen (PS5/Xbox X/S) and he performed exceptionally on both versions of the game.

He felt agile and responsive and was lethal when given a chance half a chance he scored most of them, I would definitely look to change his AcceleRATE from Explosive to Controlled if using him on the New Gen version of the game.

10 GAME RATINGS

PLAYER COMPARISONS – IS HE BETTER THAN? (Hero/Icon Attackers)

World Cup Hero Diego Forlan – 800k

Forlan and Keane are very close in attributes, however Forlan edges Shooting and Passing whereas Keane edges it in Dribbling and has a 5* Weak Foot compared to Forlan’s 4*

World Cup Hero Rudi Voller – 820K

Voller and Keane are very close in attributes, however Voller edges Shooting and Physical whereas Keane edges it in Dribbling and has a 5* Weak Foot and 4* Skill Moves compared to Voller’s 4* Weak Foot and 3* Skill Moves

Mid Icon Kenny Dalglish – 520K

Keane is pretty much a better card than Dalglish all round, the only true similarity is the 4* Skill Moves and 5* Weak Foot

Base Icon Eusebio – 2.34m

Eusebio and Keane are very close in attributes, with Eusebio being noticeably quicker and Keane edging the Passing attributes. Eusebio’s prices seems extremely high when you compare these two cards side by side.

RATINGS

VERDICT

Is he Expensive? Yes. Is he Over Priced? No.

I can understand that people will look at the price of this SBC and instantly write him off because sinking 800k into an untradeable card doesn’t sound like great business, however after taking the time to use Keane on both versions of the game I can say that he does not disappoint.

He feels very quick and responsive on the ball but the area he really shines is attacking AI and his positioning, he always seemed to be in the right place to score and more often than not he finished his chances.

If you complete this SBC you will definitely be getting a player which will be in your team for quite some time, also the added benefits that Hero chemistry bring in the cherry on top.

The few issues with this card is that he doesn’t have the Outside Foot shot trait which is a very nice thing to have, and his AcceleRATE is Explosive, this is an issue for New Gen but it can be changed with chemistry styles.

I think the big discussion point around this card is it’s cost, and we can’t deny that it is expensive and committing this amount of coins into an untradeable card isn’t particularly smart business so my advice would be try and use untradeable cards where you can and utilise the 84×20 packs you get from World Cup swaps to complete this card.

This may be controversial, however I honestly believe this is an elite card and to get him you will have to pay a premium, but a premium that I think is worth it, so for me, it is going to be a SPEND!

SPEND OR SWERVE