Today, we’ll be looking at OTW Paul Pogba. The France and Manchester United midfielder has received two informs this year, boosting his base 88-rated card up by two ratings.
He has some truly ridiculous card and in-game stats, with only one stat below 70, and only seven below 80.
Even without receiving any chemistry boosts, Pogba is 80+ rated in every outfield position on the field.
I played OTW Pogba with the Hawk chemistry style, boosting his pace, shooting and physical stats.
Pogba is one of the most unique players in the game - in addition to being one of the most powerful players around, he also has incredible dribbling, fantastic pace, passing and shooting, and reasonably good defending. Throw in his height, and the 4* weak foot and 5* skills, and he’s truly one of a kind.
Here are my stats with Paul Pogba:
As you can see, he got 34 goal contributions in 14 games, which is a remarkable return. 9 games were played in Div. 1 (10 goals, 8 assists), and 5 were played in online singles (7 goals, 9 assists).
I tried him in a variety of teams, but the main team I used him in was this one:
In game, Lanzini comes off for TOTKS Casemiro, and Pogba swaps with Casemiro.
Let’s get into the review.
Pros
Pogba has a lot of pros - he’s a truly elite player, and one deserving of a spot in most teams.
The first of these pros has to be his 5* skills. I love doing skill moves in game, and a player like Pogba is one of the best players to skill with. He can pull off any move in the game, and is impossibly hard to contain or stop. Having the flair trait makes him even more creative in game, allowing him to pull off some fancy flicks and tricks.
Next up, we have his dribbling. It is pretty incredible for a player of his height and physicality - the ball is glued to his feet, and he is very hard to dispossess. Combined with his 5* skills, this stat makes Pogba feel agile and responsive in game.
His long shots are ridiculous. I’ve used a lot of good shooters this year, but the way Pogba hits it them unique - the ball moves in the air, evading the keeper and nestling into the back of the net. His 4* weak foot means you can hit these from pretty much anywhere on the field, and they’ll always be on target.
His low driven shots are also superb. Once you get him in an around that box, just tap the shoot button twice, and watch it go in. I haven’t figured out exactly why they are so good - he doesn’t seem to have especially good stats in this regard, but they are ridiculous.
His passing range is incredible. Long-passes, short-passes, through balls, lobs, crosses, fancy passes - he can do it all. He consistently finds the target with his passes, and is build up play is second to none. In the 14 games I used him, he ran the show in the midfield in every game but one. The driven pass is especially good with him, so be sure to use that.
His defending is a crucial stat for him - despite playing him at CAM, he does a lot of defensive work. He breaks up the play, bullies attackers off the ball, puts in great sliding and standing tackles. It allows you to win the ball higher up the field, and with his great shooting and passing, you can pose a threat right away.
Finally, his physical stats are frightening. He has the stamina to run all game long, so he’s effective until the very last minute. He has some incredible strength and aggression stats, so he’s rarely bullied off the ball, and wins most of his 50-50 challenges. His jumping is awe-inspiring - combined with his 6’3” height, he’ll win everything in the air.
Cons
Unfortunately, there are a couple of issues with the card.
His finishing is atrocious. I know I said his low driven shots were good, but if you try to power home from close range, or finesse it around the keeper, he’s useless. He missed absolute sitters for me from 6-10 yards out. I’m not sure why, but it’s bad.
His pace is underwhelming. He’s not slow, but he’s definitely not fast. With the Hawk chemistry style, he’s supposed to have 86 pace, but he feels much more like 75 in game.
His agility and balance can be an issue. With low balance, he can get knocked over very easily, if the defenders catch him in the middle of a skill move, or if he trips over a clean tackle. This almost renders his pure physicality irrelevant, since he can be knocked over instead of muscled off the ball. His agility is good, but he does feels a little stiff at times in game, and he definitely takes a moment or two more to come out of skill moves than most players.
Summary
This is an incredible card - one of the best you can get this year. The card isn’t perfect, but the pros greatly outweigh the cons. Paul Pogba has it all - he’s an attacking powerhouse, a creative genius, and an incredible skiller. Throw in his awesome physicality, decent pace and defending, the 4* weak foot and his height, and you have one of the best players in the game.
All that being said, he does cost a lot, so try out his NIF first before taking the plunge and going for this card.
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