FUT Birthday Daniel Sturridge - the Return of the King

Today, we’ll be looking at Daniel Sturridge’s 86-rated FUT Birthday Card.

FUTHEAD

As part of FUT’s eighth birthday celebrations, EA released a special “FUT Birthday Squad”, featuring some of the best (a.k.a. most overpowered) players from FUT history. One of the players who received a special card is Daniel Sturridge, who received a card similar to his devastating FUTTIES card from FIFA 15.

For many years, Sturridge’s combination of pace, dribbling, power, finishing and skills has made him a go-to striker in FUT. However, a long list of injuries has given him very little game time in a Liverpool shirt, thereby hurting his card on FUT. He’s down to 3* skills, has lost of some of his pace, is far weaker and much less aerially dominant than he once was.

However, with the release of this card, Sturridge is well and truly back.

Sturridge has some incredible in-game stats, even without any chemistry boosts. This special card has 91 sprint speed, 87 positioning, 88 positioning, 86 shot power, 81 agility, 88 dribbling, 99 heading accuracy and 80 strength.

I played Sturridge with the Hawk Chemistry style, which boosted his pace up to 97, his shooting up to 94, and his physical up to 82.

I used Sturridge in this squad:

FUTHEAD

As a life-long Liverpool fan, I love to build squads featuring past and present Liverpool players, as well as some of my other favorite players(Seamus Coleman is my favorite right-back, Maldini is one of my favorite players of all time, Van der Sar is the first legend I packed, and Sergi Roberto is there for the chemistry).

In game, the team looks like this:

FUTHEAD

Here are my stats with Daniel Sturridge:

EA Sports FIFA/Arun Das

As you can see from the stats, he’s lethal - 33 goal contributions in just 13 games. That’s by far the best return I’ve ever had from a striker. His first game for me was against a full Legend squad, and he nabbed himself five goals and an assist in a 6-1 victory. He completely outshone Luis Suarez, and along with Coutinho, was the star of the team.

Let’s get into the review.

Pace: 10/10

He’s very, very fast. The combination of high sprint speed and acceleration, good agility and reactions, and a very long stride, make him virtually unstoppable in game. Once he’s past the last defender, there is no way to catch him. In the game I used him, he never got caught up to by a center-back, and even SBC Bellerin and IF Walker struggled to get level with him.

Shooting: 11/10

I’ve used a lot of good players this year, and his shooting is up there with the best of them. It feels far, far higher than 86 in-game. His left foot is truly magical. Finesse shots, cross body shots, power shots, long shots, low-driven shots - he can score anything. All Sturridge needs is a sight of goal, and he can work the keeper or put the ball in the back of the net. His right foot isn’t great, but he can score with it from anywhere inside 20 yards. Throw in the fact that he’s fantastic in the air - his combination of height, jumping and perfect heading accuracy make him a true aerial threat - and you have yourself the complete striker.

Passing: 8/10

Nothing spectacular, but he’s consistent, and he has it where it counts. He has decent vision, alright crossing, and reliable short passing. He’s no Xavi, but he can get the job done, and get involved in link-up play without giving away the ball.

Dribbling: 10/10

His dribbling is incredible. He has one of the best first touches I’ve used this (not exactly sure why), and he feels very smooth on the ball. He’s lacking the 4* skills, but he’s the first striker this year where I’ve felt that it wasn’t really an issue. Between step overs, ball rolls and body feints, he can bamboozle any defender and through on goal.

Defending: N/A

He’s surprisingly good at pressing the backline, and winning the ball back. He’s also very good at winning clearances, long balls and goal kicks, so I guess that counts for something.

Physical: 10/10

He’s monstrously strong. With the hawk chemistry style, he has 85 strength, which when combined with his pace and 6’2” frame, makes him a menace for defenders. He can shield better than any player I’ve used this year, with the exception of Ronaldo, so if he gets into a challenge with a defender, he can hold them off. His jumping is great, so he’s consistently wins balls in the air. He has more than enough stamina to last the 90 minutes, and his aggression is high enough to win a lot of 50-50 challenges.

Skill Moves and Weak Foot: Adequate

I’m not going to lie - I wish he had a 4* weak foot and 4* skills. However, his 2* weak foot isn’t too much of an issue. It does make him a little predictable, but when he gets the ball on his left foot, he’s deadly. His lack of 4* skills is a pain, but there are so many good 3* skills out there, and his dribbling is good enough to make up for it.

Summary:

This is one of the best strikers I’ve used this year - he’s got everything you need to dominate in FUT 17. I cannot recommend him highly enough.