FIFA 16 – The Player Who was Underestimate

In today’s computer games so real, no more real than the FIFA 16.EA Sports’ sporting masterpiece offers a near-perfect rendition of Premier League football. The graphics, physics and likenesses are truer to life than ever before.

There’s nothing like your favorite team just to find the player on the field appeared bereft of ability he displayed in the weeks and weeks of frustration.
Arsenal fans will have that experience in a couple of cases with FIFA 16. Several of their first-team players might feel they have been short-changed by the stats team.
Hector Bellerin has become one of the most exciting attacking full-backs in Europe yet has a lower rating than, say, unheralded utility player Mathieu Flamini.

However, there’s one Arsenal player whose rating is so low it stands out from all others. In assessing the Gunners squad, the makers of FIFA have hugely underrated Francis Coquelin.

In the case of Bellerin, the makers of the game could argue he is a young player with plenty of potential to grow. However, Coquelin will be 25 before the end of the season. He is a player in his prime and deserves statistics that reflect that.

His ability to intercept the ball has at least been recognised with a mark of 84. Similarly, his capacity to spin away from markers in a congested midfield is demonstrated by a balance rating of 83. His combative spirit is also indicated by an aggression rating of 88. However, aside from that, his numbers are criminally low.
Low shooting stats are understandable. Coquelin is no goalscorer and is in fact still awaiting his first senior strike in Arsenal colours. With that in mind, an overall shooting score of 54 is not unreasonable. If there’s an area where his stats were likely to fall down, it’s surely here.

However, his lack of predatory instinct should not be mistaken for any lack of technical ability. In this season’s Premier League, he has a passing accuracy of 91 per cent, a figure unsurpassed in the Arsenal squad. It’s exactly the same ratio as Arteta, who has been afforded a passing rating of 82 by FIFA 16. Coquelin’s stands at just 70.

Giving Coquelin just 78 for short-passing is unduly harsh. The Frenchman is very tidy when playing the ball in tight areas of the field, regularly weaving neat triangles with Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey.

He’s no slouch, either. A pace stat of 70 does not do justice to the bursts of acceleration that allow Coquelin to pick up loose balls or close down the opposition. Speed is a vital stat on FIFA 16, and Coquelin’s athletic ability has not been done justice.

Perhaps most shockingly, his impeccable defensive instincts have not been properly reflected in the game. EA Sports has awarded Coquelin just 72 for marking and 78 for slide tackles.

It is difficult to determine how to Kirkland has been rated so low end team of 16 FIFA statistics. Maybe he lacks city reputation is a problem. Although Kirkland is highly valued at arsenal, he has not yet admitted in high on the international stage. If his form is as good as it is now, that first France CAP cannot be far behind.