Dries Mertens, enough said. If you haven’t used his card before then you’re severely missing out on your FIFA experience. He’s almost legally considered a dwarf, his dribbling feels like EA accidentally turned up the sliders too far, and I cannot stress how lethal his right foot is, like Texas capital punishment type of deadly. Mertens earned his third inform of this FIFA after he scored two goals against Bologna this past Sunday. Setting aside the fact that Napoli played against a deli meat and conceded, since his position change playing for Napoli he’s been absolutely on fire and spawning informs for the past couple FIFA’s and thus breaking many controllers. Let’s see just how he actually feels in game and whether he’s worth the arm and leg that he costs as of today.

This review is based off of 10/12 games using the “Basic” chemistry style, and the following team supported him;

PACE

Mertens stands tall at 5’7” (169cm), and if I know anything about short players it’s that they usually make up for their genetic inferiority by being lightning fast. He’s no exception. Dries Mertens has a ridiculous 96 acceleration paired up with 89 sprint speed. For a 30 year old striker I’m rather impressed. In-game he shoots off from a standstill like a bullet from a gun, tearing through defenses in a deadly fashion. His pace is absolutely top-notch and feels like EA turned up the sliders too far. He goes from 0 to 100 much like a Bugatti Veyron, I mean the guy gives Bellerin a run for his money. If you’re looking for that explosively quick and agile striker, look no further than this beautiful Belgian as he’s your man.

Rating; 4.5/5

SHOOTING

The further I go down his stats the more impressed I become. He has 92 finishing, 86 shot power, 92 positioning, and 87 long shots. Out of these 4 numbers the 2 that stand out the most are his 92 finishing and 92 positioning. Dries Mertens is making some fantastic runs through the defensive line, giving him all the space in the world to make use of his 92 finishing. It seems like a match made in heaven, a small and incredibly rapid striker who positions himself well and has very reliable finishing. I’ll take two and one Alex Hunter Coke please. In all honesty he puts away every opportunity that you give him, he doesn’t have those off moments where he narrowly misses the net one-on-one or blasts a low driven wide, it’s always in the back of the net. His shot isn’t the most powerful, but if you find it necessary then boosting his shooting with a chemistry style could impress you even more. Reliability is one of his strong points, if I had to choose someone to take the shot it’s always going to be him.

Rating; 4.5/5

PASSING

If I was to make a generalization this year, it’s that passing is a grossly overlooked statistic. What I mean is that a player with good passing doesn’t get enough credit (especially if they’re a central striker) and it can add another thorn in the side of your opponent’s defensive line. A card like Hernan Crespo will slot away goal after goal much like an elderly lady depositing her government benefits at the Casino, you can always bet on it happening. But when he’s tasked with sending a player through on goal he’ll likely fluff it all up. Dries Mertens on the other hand has 87 short passing, 88 vision, and 87 curve. So not only can he score a hat-trick, he’ll set up SIF Icardi for one too. At the end of the 12 games Mertens had set up 10 different goals for me, assisting as easily as he was scoring. While having Hernan Crespo is incredible, having someone who can do everything in the striker handbook from A to Z leaves you satisfied and confident in your player. This also means Mertens can not only play as a striker, but would be just as effective as a CAM since he’s able to string together passes so nicely.

Rating; 4/5

DRIBBLING

I’ve used NIF Messi for well over 400 games and can say hands down that he’s the most incredible player to dribble with. This third inform Mertens makes me stutter before answering that question. The 97 agility and 95 balance make for an incredibly centered player pushing down the pitch. His 90 ball control and 92 dribbling leave little to be desired. Now while my answer to the previous question is still Messi, this not-so-young Belgian is an absolute joy to use in this regard. If you can think back a few years to when FIFA instantly responded to your inputs, then that’s how Mertens feels. It’s like he’s a puppet and the strings are your controller making instant changes and turning on a dime. Holding down the LT/L2 for close control and cutting in between Boateng’s and Bailly’s is nearly as amazing as listening to Gordon Ramsey yell at sweaty and miserable chefs. If I had to choose my favorite category on his card between pace, dribbling, and shooting, I simply could not choose because they’re all so equally impressive. Each and everyone plays a vital role in making this card what it is.

Rating; 4.5/5

DEFENDING

He’s just as good of a defender as he is a keeper!

Rating; -4/5

PHYSICAL

Dries Mertens is a very small player, so you don’t expect much. He does have 84 stamina, which is really neither good nor bad, enough for about 90 minutes but no more. But the number you don’t want to look at is his 47 strength. If I had gotten a 47/100 my mother would’ve slapped me, and Dries Mertens is definitely getting slapped around. When he’s on the attack Mertens is much like the small child on the playground who cannot escape the looming bullies, Boateng and Bailly. If they get close enough to him he’s shoved off the ball with one finger and left to pick himself up. Use and abuse his pace and dribbling, avoiding situations where he has to hold off a player. Find the open pockets and do not try to push your way through anything that isn’t Insigne.

Rating; 1.5/5

MENTALITY

Much like his other stats, Mertens does not disappoint. He has both a four star weak foot and four star skill moves to make him even more impossible to contain. Both his right and left feet are nearly equal (I personally did not see much of a difference aside from slightly less shot power), and he can spin and twirl like an Olympic figure skater. He has the perfect High/Low work rates to keep him pushed up at all times and ready to fly through on goal, not to mention his finesse shot, long shot, and flair traits to give him even more of an edge.

Rating; 4/5

CONSENSUS

Rating; 3.83/5

As the curtains close and the lights fade, Dries Mertens can only be described as your ideal striker. He checks off all the necessary boxes.

- Incredibly fast

- Reliable shooting

- Impressive passing

- Extraterrestrial dribbling

His runs rival mine when I have food poisoning; his shots curve even more extreme than a Game of Thrones plot line; and has a firmer grasp on balls than Kevin Spacey does.

I can go all day long about how I love this card, but it wouldn’t be a proper review without mentioning the things I don’t actually enjoy. Strength is one thing, but it has to be repeated considering how awful it really is, but also he’s very short. This means he’s useless on corners, goal kicks, and anytime the ball isn’t touching the digital grass, which can be quite irritating especially if your play-style caters to tall players. Another con would be the fact that he can’t play past your typical 90 minute game. Once the game begins to come to a close Dries Mertens is dragging his feet and doesn’t seem to want the ball anymore, basically asking to be subbed off for Alessandrini. And the last con here is his price, currently at just about 1,000,000 coins. A steep number. Here’s my opinion, if you already have a nice team built and can afford him then I highly recommend it. If you do not, I’d save nearly half a million coins and get his second inform. But do not build your team around this man because the way to get the best out of him is to surround him with players able to set him up that are on his level. That means that you shouldn’t cash out to afford his card and be left with a mediocre defense and midfield with an incredible attack. If you do by chance get to use him then I’d recommend playing a 4-3-1-2 or a 4-1-2-1-2 (2) as he seems to excel paired up with a partner at striker. This Mertens card is not only very fun to use in game but very, very good and most definitely ready to go toe-to-toe with Weekend League opponents. So best of luck to all because I’m not sure how we’ll be able to hold back this late blooming Belgian beauty. And lastly, thank you for reading if you’ve managed to make it this far!

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