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TOTS Bruma, Martins and Pereira - The Holy Trinity

You’re going to be seeing red.

Portugal v Andorra - FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

Today, we’ll be focusing on trio of players who have just received TOTS cards, as part of the TOTS Community Gold squad. We’ll be taking a look at the Portuguese triumvirate of TOTS Bruma, TOTS Gelson Martins, and TOTS Danilo Pereira.

I used the three of them in a squad designed to win the Daily Knockout Tournament, and claim that 87-Rated TOTS Sebastian Rudy. After losing the tournament in the final on my first attempt, I decided to give it one more go, and I built this team.

DKT Squad
FUTHEAD

I played just four games with this team (won the tournament straight away), but I also used Bruma and Martins in other squads.

Here are my stats with the three cards.

TOTS Gelson Martins
EA Sports FIFA/Arun Das
TOTS Bruma
EA Sports FIFA/Arun Das
TOTS Danilo Pereira
EA Sports FIFA/Arun Das

Today, we’ll be doing a quick review of each of these players, and a review of how all three of them played together.

TOTS Gelson Martins

Martins is easily the fastest player I have used this year, as well as the best dribbler I have used in any FIFA. The ball is stuck to his feet - he can weave in and out of opponents like they aren’t there, execute skills without a moments hesitation, and stop and turn instantly. He is virtually unstoppable unless you catch up with him and bully him off the ball. His pace is ridiculous - he leaves players like Walker, Bellerin and Kante in the dust, and makes a mockery of the Chris Smallings of the world. Give him a yard of space, and he’s gone. Oh, and he has 94 stamina, so he can do this all game long.

His technical stats are brilliant too - he’s not the most clinical player in the game, but his finishing inside the box is great. He can bang in long shots and finesses if you need him to do that. His passing is superb - he consistently hits his targets, and his crossing is inch perfect. He is incredible in link-up play, and he can be an incredible asset going forward.

The only downside is his strength - he cannot hold players off, or win 50-50 duels. He will get taken out every single time, so you really need his pace and dribbling to get past opponents.

Rating: 9/10

TOTS Bruma

Bruma and Martins are very similar in many ways. Bruma’s dribbling and pace are sensational, but his considerably lower reactions make him a little slower and clunkier than his right-sided counterpart. That being said, he’s easily one of the fastest players in the game, and these abilities make him an absolute nightmare to deal with.

Where Bruma excels is his physicality - he has less stamina than Martins, but he has considerably better strength and aggression, and actually feels strong on the ball. He’s going to put up a fight if challenged, and can bully many of the weaker defenders and midfielders. He also has great jumping and heading, so he can be an aerial threat.

His shooting is a wonder to behold. Not only does he have incredible finishing and long shots, he has great curve, and the best shot power I have used this year. He can bang them in all day, from any distance and from any angle. He’s the complete striker, and when used in a 2 striker formation, he is unstoppable.

Rating: 10/10

TOTS Danilo Pereira

As an out-and-out holding midfielder, Pereira looks perfect. His defending is fantastic, and he can close down and stop most attacks. His tackling is incredible, and his interceptions and marking are world-class. He’s a force in the midfield, with his height, strength and aggression allowing him to dominate almost any attacker. He’s the rock at the base of your midfield, the enforcer that stops anything from getting to your back line.

However, he’s lacking in many areas. He’s just not fast enough, so if you get around him, you’re through on the back line. He turns like a truck - he has good ball-control and dribbling, but he just cannot maneuver and turn fast enough to stop a lot of attackers. His attacking and creative abilities are completely absent - he can’t hit long shots score headers, or finish inside the box. His passing is limited to short passes, with long passes and through balls often going to the opposition.

When it comes to Pereira, save your coins - sure, he’s good defensively and has considerable physicality, but he’s lacking in other areas. He’s not fast enough, and his dribbling feels lower in game. His passing and shooting are sub-par, and he cannot add anything going forward.

Rating: 6/10

How they played together:

When put together, these three were incredible - Pereira broke up every attack, and the two wingers tore apart my opposition. In my four games, the scores were 3-0, 4-0, 2-0, 3-0. Having two wingers who are that fast and that good on the ball, while still having considerable shooting and passing stats, is an unstoppable combination. They can drag your opponent’s defenders out of position, and exploit any gaps in their teams.

However, Martins and Bruma were far more influential players than Pereira. Pereira feels like any other good defensive midfielder in the game - I would argue that Matic is better than him. He doesn’t really bring anything new to the game, whereas the two wingers do. Their combination of pace, power and technique make them unique and unstoppable, and a lot of fun to play with.

If you do want to try these players out, I would recommend picking them up towards the end of the week - they are pretty cheap now (you can pick up all three for a total of 100-110K), so give them a shot.