Best Icon GK Edwin van der Sar Review by tristanturner2

Keep in mind this is just my opinion after using Schmiechel and Yashin I still found prime Van Der Sar to be the best for me. I have other reviews of these GKs so feel free to check them out if interested.

Height: 6 foot 6

Chemistry Style: Basic

Overall Chemistry: 10

TRAITS: Comes for crosses, long throw, team player

DIVING: Really trustworthy against long shots and medium range finesse shots. Dives quickly and his height helps a great amount against these types of moments. Feels like a somewhat better Courtois in this field. Conceded 1 long shot out of the 6 or 7 I faced.

HANDLING: Outstanding. Feels about the same as Prime Schmiechel in my opinion. Catches numerous amounts of shots first time without any issues. Rarely allows second chances unless he saves with his feet which falls more into the reflexes category. Even manages to catch long shots really well and beyond more often than most keepers, especially Yashin.

DISTRIBUTION: Van Der Sar does come equipped with the average 81 kicking stat but does also have the long throw trait which is a big pro. Throws with a lot of accuracy and less height than the likes of Casillas and De Gea but still gets the job done. Nothing to complain about here other than goal kicks sometimes lacking the accuracy required for initiating counter attacks.

REFLEXES: Certainly capable of making breathtaking saves. Reacts very quickly with a lot of wing span to prevent a conceded goal. Gets down low when needed or dives in an awkward way which believe it or not somehow worked a lot of the time. Doesn’t have the save with feet trait which is a big con this year but Van Der Sar here did manage to save with his feet a pretty decent amount of time even without the trait.

SPEED: Only true con in my book. Slow to come out for crosses even when having the comes for crosses trait. For headers and crosses he’s in no hurry so its best to hold Y quite early for him to get the job done on time. Prefers to stay on his line rather than rush the ball which for me is fine for the most part but when rushing him out of goal manually he is below par.

POSITIONING: Sensational. One of the best position based goalkeepers iv’e used so far this year. Always in the right place to save long shots or dangerous attacks. Feels slightly better than prime schmeichel and a lot better than Buffon in this field. Reaches nearly any shot easily thanks to his coordination and height of course.

OVERALL: Without a doubt for me the best Icon GK iv’e used this year. Still not head and shoulders above David De Gea but the closest option beside Handanovic. Has his pros, has his cons but still among the best. Not the cheapest of options but at currently roughly 470k you can’t go wrong. Highly recommend you give him a try via loan and see how he does for you. I tried Cat and Glove chemisty styles and I feel like Cat didn’t do much for me and glove upgraded things that I didn’t feel like needed a change.