TOTGS Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden Player Review
This week’s player review sees Manchester City double Alvarez and Foden take on Weekend League. Man City topped their group with 6 wins out of 6 and both players were key parts in the club’s success, so they are deserving of their Team of the Group Stage cards. I constructed a team built around Alvarez and Foden and this is how they got on…
Champs could have been better for me as I finished 13-7 after bottling 14 wins on my last game. However, I had 7 people quit on a draw which was frustrating but I managed to pack Neymar out of my rewards, so I’ll take that as some form of compensation.
My team:
Formation and Tactics used:
I used a different formation in the 4-2-3-1 to accommodate Foden and I was a big fan. I used FUTWIZ Dylan’s custom tactics which can be found here: https://www.futwiz.com/en/fc24-tutorial/dylans-4231-custom-tactics
Alvarez (ST)- Stay Central, Get in Behind
Foden (CAM)- All Balanced
Julian Alvarez (ST):
I really enjoyed using Alvarez this weekend and he delivered on the pitch as he scored 20 goals and got 8 assists which is a fantastic return. He was fantastic to have in my team and suited my playstyle perfectly.
Positives:
-His finishing was brilliant and could score with both feet. I was very confident that every time Julian went 1 on 1, he would score. He has 90 positioning and finishing as well as 92 shot power which was obvious to see in game.
-Alvarez’s dribbling was exceptional. He turned very quickly, and his ball control was unreal. He rarely ever got tackled and when using the controlled sprint whilst dribbling, he was basically unstoppable.
-Having 4* skills and weak foot was very useful as it gave me plenty of options of how to beat my opponent whether that be shooting or dribbling. It meant my opponent couldn’t mark him as easily and Alvarez could be a threat from all angles.
Negatives:
-Alvarez has only got 87 pace which isn’t the quickest for a lone striker. This is a pretty minor negative as it can be boosted with a chem style, but without it, he’ll struggle to beat defenders for pace.
-Due to him being 5’7’ and having only 78 strength, stronger and bigger defenders such as Laurent Blanc and Virgil Van Dijk could easily shrug him off the ball. He also wasn’t a threat aerially due to his height, so I couldn’t cross the ball much and had to look for more cutbacks.
Verdict:
Julian Alvarez was a lot of fun to use and if his price drops slightly, I would highly recommend you give him a go. He is a bit pricey right now at around 400k, but it’s completely understandable as this card was brilliant. His dribbling and shooting was easily some of the best I’ve seen from a striker this year and he made my champs gameplay really enjoyable.
Phil Foden (CAM):
I haven’t played with a CAM in my team for a very long time, but this Phil Foden card has certainly changed my mind. He was bags of fun to use, and I thoroughly enjoyed having this card in my squad. Foden got himself an incredible 29 goal contributions for me which consisted of 15 goals and 14 assists.
Positives:
-His dribbling whilst using the controlled sprint mechanic was the best I’ve used on a card so far this game cycle. He weaved in and out of defenders so easily it was ridiculous. It honestly felt like his dribbling was a cheat code at times due to his 94 agility and balance and his 93 ball control
-Even after the Finesse Shot+ nerf, his finesse shots were unreal. Most of the goals he scored were finesses and they lasered into the top corner every time. Even when it was obvious that I was trying to force the finesse shot, it was impossible to stop.
-Foden’s ability to find the through ball or the right pass was an excellent tool to have. He has 87 vision and 89 short passing, meaning his passing was very accurate. This was almost certainly the reason he got so many assists for me this weekend league.
Negatives:
-The 3* weak foot is an obvious go to on weaknesses of this card. I regularly found myself trying to shift the ball onto Foden’s left foot as I didn’t have the faith in him to finish with his right. Having the 3* weak foot and Finesse Shot+ made it obvious where I wanted to shoot.
-Like Alvarez, due to Foden’s height and lack of strength, he got shoved off the ball a lot. He was more agile due to his height which I do like for a CAM, but when centre-backs with Anticipate+ were near, he never won that physical battle.
Verdict:
100% get this man in your squad. He’s unbelievably cheap at around 150k for how good he is. Foden is up there with one of my favourite cards I’ve used all year and I can’t wait to use him again. His combination of speed, dribbling and shooting were so deadly, and I genuinely got excited every time he had the ball. If you need a relatively cheap CAM then look no further than Team of the Group Stage Phil Foden!
