FIFA 17 Demo – Manchester City Player Review

Defenders

–Elaquim Mangala: 80 rated. I played Mangala at left CB for 3 matches, and he overall he was a very powerful player to have in defense. The first thing you notice when controlling him is his speed, he outpaces attackers often, and is able to get back into the box at a moments notice. He also feels very strong in tackles, and does not get knocked around by opposing strikers (save for Cavani on one occasion). His biggest weaknesses would be his inaccurate passing (stick to short easy passes) and his high attacking work rates that make him run forward wildly like a striker at times. Overall though he should be another very solid option in Fifa, as long as you pair him with a CB with better passing skills. My score – 8/10

–Nicolas Otamendi: 85 rated. First impression on using him? WOW. Otamendi was a rock in defense for me in the 3 matches I used him at right CB. He made decent passes throughout, stayed back in position, and even handled bottling up Ronaldo fairly well. Based purely on these few games, he is City’s best defender (performance-wise) in this year’s Fifa. My score – 9/10

–Vincent Kompany: 86 rated. I know what you’re thinking. Kompany is higher rated than Mangala and Otamendi, how can you not rate him as highly? Playing him at right CB for 3 games, with Denayer on the left, Kompany did not impress me at all. While he stayed back in defense most of the time, he felt slower than in past FIFA editions. Ironically he picked up an injury in the 2nd game I used him. He made Denayer seem like superman while they were on the field. 5/10.

–Jason Denayer: 74 rated. Playing Denayer alongside Kompany for 2 games, he was excellent! His balanced work rates kept him in place in defense, while also letting him as the distributor to move the ball forward to Fernandinho. He is quite pacey and feels even faster than Mangala, but does not get knocked around physically. While he is lower rated at 74, he played like he is 82+ rated. If he looked this good on the pitch in real life for us, we would have our defender of the next decade. 8/10.

–Aleks Kolarov: 79 rated. I had only slight impressions on Kolarov as I gave him only 1 game before switching him out. His passing felt very good, and he was strong on the ball, but he was so slow on the pitch that he got burned constantly by Mkhitryan – who is not particularly quick. 3/10.

-Gael Clichy: 80 rated. He is the antithesis of Kolarov, while he feels very speedy, his passing range is limited and he gets pushed over in 50% of the challenges he makes. Frustrating player this year in Fifa, but my preferred LB option 5/10.

–Pablo Zabaleta: 82 rated. I used him for 3 games and Sagna for 3. Each performed decently well, but Sagna got back into position better than Zabaleta and was better going forward. 6/10.

–Bacary Sagna: 81 rated. He was quite good going forward, pinging balls to Sane and Navas with decent accuracy, and managed to get back in his spot on defense whenever needed. His dribbling is better than any of the other City fullbacks this year. 6/10.

Note: John Stones is not yet in the demo.

Next: FIFA 17 Review - Midfielders