FIFA 2013: Predicting Player Ratings of Top European Clubs
Beau Bourne@beaubourneContributor IIIJuly 20, 2012FIFA 2013: Predicting Player Ratings of Top European Clubs
FIFA '13 is set to be released this fall.
With each release of the franchise comes heated anticipation of the new features, new gameplay, and most importantly, the new player ratings.
FIFA's player ratings are one of the hottest points of debate with lovers of the game. Everyone has a right to their opinion, and everyone wants to see their beloved club have good players.
Here are my player ratings for the upcoming FIFA '13 game, with the starting XI's, benches, and potential transfers in/out of the top clubs throughout Europe.
I invite you to leave your thoughts and reactions in the comments below! Here goes, starting with Arsenal.
Arsenal F.C.
Team Rating: 4.5 stars
Formation: 4-3-3 (4-1-2-3)
GK | Wojciech Szczesny | 82 | |
RB | Bacary Sagna | 84 | |
RCB | Laurent Koscielny | 82 | |
LCB | Thomas Vermaelen | 82 | |
LB | Kieran Gibbs | 79 | |
CDM | Alex Song | 83 | |
RCM | Mikel Arteta | 82 | |
LCM | Jack Wilshire | 82 | |
RW | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | 81 | |
ST | Olivier Giroud | 83 | |
LW | Lukas Podolski | 83 | |
Bench | |||
CB | Per Mertesacker | 79 | |
LB | Andre Santos | 79 | |
CAM | Tomas Rosicky | 82 | |
RW | Theo Walcott | 82 | |
LW | Gervinho | 81 | |
Transfers? | |||
ST | Robin Van Persie | 89 | |
CM | Yann M'Vila | 84 |
Conclusion
The departure of Robin Van Persie will be a huge blow to the Gunners. Sagna is the highlight of a relatively weak defense, but they are strong in the midfield with the likes of Jack Wilshire and Mikel Arteta. If Arsenal can sign Yann M'Vila from Ligue 1 side Rennes, the Gunners look to be a five-star team again. If you like to play fast, with lots of slick passing, this could be your team.
Chelsea F.C.
Team Rating: 5 stars
Formation: 4-3-3
GK | Petr Cech | 87 | |
RB | Branislav Ivanovic | 84 | |
RCB | John Terry | 86 | |
LCB | David Luiz | 81 | |
LB | Ashley Cole | 85 | |
RCM | Ramires | 81 | |
CM | Michael Essien | 82 | |
LCM | Frank Lampard | 84 | |
RW | Eden Hazard | 85 | |
ST | Fernando Torres | 84 | |
LW | Juan Mata | 86 | |
Bench | |||
CB | Gary Cahill | 82 | |
CAM | Yossi Benayoun | 79 | |
LW | Flourent Malouda | 81 | |
ST | Daniel Sturridge | 82 | |
ST | Romelu Lukaku | 80 | |
| |||
Transfers? | |||
RW | Hulk | 84 | |
CAM | Oscar | 83 |
Conclusion:
Chelsea have been active thus far in the transfer market. They are physical, fast and deep. What was a previously aging squad is getting younger with every transfer, such as that of Eden Hazard, who I've rated a healthy 85. Perhaps Torres' rating should be higher, but only recently has he hit form. Let's not forget his disastrous goal drought—it wasn't too long ago. Chelsea are an easy team to play with and it's hard to lose playing with them.
Liverpool F.C.
Team Rating: 4.5 stars
Formation: 4-3-3
GK | Pepe Reina | 84 | |
RB | Glen Johnson | 83 | |
RCB | Martin Skrtel | 82 | |
LCB | Daniel Agger | 84 | |
LB | Jose Enrique | 80 | |
RCM | Jordan Henderson | 79 | |
LCM | Lucas Leiva | 81 | |
CAM | Steven Gerrard | 85 | |
LW | Luis Suarez | 85 | |
ST | Andy Carroll | 81 | |
RW | Joe Cole | 82 | |
Bench | |||
LM | Stewart Downing | 81 | |
CB | Jamie Carragher | 79 | |
ST | Fabio Borini | 80 | |
CM | Alberto Aquilani | 81 | |
Transfers? | |||
CAM | Clint Dempsey | 82 |
Conclusion:
Liverpool has added a lot of fresh faces to the squad over the past couple seasons. Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez are easily the team's best players. The poor form of Andy Carroll affects his rating here. New signing Fabio Borini may not start, but the youngster has a lot to prove at Anfield. Liverpool have some serious talent, but it's not at the level of Chelsea, Manchester City, or Manchester United.
Manchester City F.C.
Team Rating: 5 stars
Formation: 4-2-4 (4-2-2-2)
GK | Joe Hart | 84 | |
RB | Micah Richards | 83 | |
RCB | Joleon Lescott | 84 | |
LCB | Vincent Kompany | 87 | |
LB | Gael Clichy | 80 | |
RCM | Gareth Barry | 82 | |
LCM | Yaya Toure | 88 | |
RAM | David Silva | 89 | |
LAM | Samir Nasri | 83 | |
RS | Sergio Aguero | 87 | |
LS | Mario Balotelli | 84 | |
Bench | |||
CB | Kolo Toure | 81 | |
LB | Aleksandar Kolarov | 79 | |
CDM | Nigel De Jong | 80 | |
LM | James Milner | 81 | |
ST | Edin Dzeko | 84 | |
ST | Carlos Tevez | 83 | |
Transfers? | |||
ST | Robin Van Persie | 88 |
Conclusion:
Manchester City have a deep and talented team. They are strong in all parts of the pitch, from defense to striker. David Silva is their best player. It's hard to predict the starting XI of such a deep squad. Do they really need RVP? They are one of the easier teams to use in the game thanks to their physicality, speed and sheer talent in numbers. In my opinion, Manchester City is the best team in the game behind Barcelona.
Manchester United F.C.
Team Rating: 5 stars
Formation: 4-5-1 (4-2-3-1)
GK | David De Gea | 83 | |
RB | Phil Jones | 81 | |
RCB | Rio Ferdinand | 84 | |
LCB | Nemanja Vidic | 87 | |
LB | Patrice Evra | 83 | |
RCM | Michael Carrick | 82 | |
LCM | Paul Scholes | 81 | |
RAM | Antonio Valencia | 85 | |
CAM | Shinji Kagawa | 83 | |
LAM | Ashley Young | 83 | |
ST | Wayne Rooney | 89 | |
Bench: | |||
CB | Jonny Evans | 81 | |
CB | Chris Smalling | 82 | |
LM | Ryan Giggs | 80 | |
CM | Tom Cleverly | 80 | |
RW | Nani | 83 | |
ST | Javi Hernandez | 81 | |
ST | Danny Welbeck | 81 | |
Transfers? | |||
CAM CF | Lucas Robin Van Persie | 84 89 |
Conclusion:
Manchester United have signed Shinji Kagawa, an attacking midfielder from Japan. It's hard to speculate whether or not he will start but Fergie doesn't pay that much cash for a benchwarmer. Deep in attack, Manchester United have wingers and forwards in abundance.
Giggs and Scholes are so old, it's hard to give them ratings any higher than this. Using Manchester United in FIFA is bound to produce hundreds of combinations of starting XI's, as they have multiple players for every position. They are also one of the easier teams to use.
Tottenham Hotspur
Team Rating: 4.5 stars
Formation: 4-3-3 (4-1-2-3)
GK | Brad Friedel | 82 | |
RB | Kyle Walker | 80 | |
RCB | Jan Vertonghen | 83 | |
LCB | Younes Kaboul | 81 | |
LB | Benoit Assou-Ekotto | 80 | |
CDM | Scott Parker | 82 | |
RCM | Luka Modric | 86 | |
LCM | Rafael van der Vaart | 83 | |
RW | Aaron Lennon | 82 | |
ST | Emmanuel Adebayor | 82 | |
LW | Gareth Bale | 85 | |
Bench: | |||
ST | Jermain Defoe | 81 | |
CAM | Gylfi Sigurdsson | 82 | |
CB | William Gallas | 79 |
Conclusion:
If Luka Modric leaves Tottenham, it will be tough for the London club to replace him. Midfield is where Tottenham are weakest. Andre Villas-Boas loves his 4-3-3 system, which will make it difficult for exciting youngster Gylfi Sigurdsson to crack the starting XI right off the bat. Tottenham is comparable to the level of Arsenal and Liverpool in the game, though they are one of the fastest teams in England, with Lennon and Bale running the wings.
A.C. Milan
Team Rating: 4.5 stars
Formation: 4-3-1-2
GK | Christian Abbiatti | 84 | |
RB | Ignazio Abate | 82 | |
RCB | Philippe Mexes | 82 | |
LCB | Francesco Acerbi | 80 | |
LB | Luca Antonini | 77 | |
RCM | Matthieu Flamini | 80 | |
CM | Riccardo Montolivo | 82 | |
LCM | Antonio Nocerino | 81 | |
CAM | Kevin-Prince Boateng | 84 | |
RS | Alexandre Pato | 85 | |
LS | Antonio Cassano | 83 | |
Bench | |||
ST | Robinho | 82 | |
LM | Urby Emmanuelson | 80 | |
CAM | Stephan El Shaarawy | 79 | |
CB | Mario Yepes | 78 | |
CDM | Massimo Ambrosini | 78 | |
CB | Daniele Bonera | 79 | |
Transfers? | |||
ST | Eden Dzeko | 84 |
Conclusion:
A.C. Milan have sold their two best players to another club on this list, PSG. At the time of writing this, the club have not replaced them. This leaves Milan woefully thin at the back, as Alessandro Nesta also parted ways with the club this summer.
Milan are strong in attack but that's where the good stops. Other than Boateng, Nocerino and Montolivo, Milan don't have a lot of quality in midfield. Milan have never been an easy club to play with in recent years of FIFA, thanks to their lack of speed and physicality. They are a bit younger, and a bit faster, but the loss of Nesta and Thiago Silva has made Milan's defense look like a rickety old shack about to collapse. If you're up to the challenge, go for it—you'll embarass the heck out of your Real or Barca-using opponents.
F.C. Internazionale
Team Rating: 4.5 stars
Formation: 4-3-1-2
GK | Julio Cesar | 85 | |
RB | Jonathan | 81 | |
RCB | Andrea Ranocchia | 81 | |
LCB | Walter Samuel | 82 | |
LB | Yuto Nagatomo | 80 | |
LCM | Ricardo Alvarez | 82 | |
CM | Esteban Cambiasso | 81 | |
RM | Dejan Stankovic | 80 | |
CAM | Wesley Sneijder | 85 | |
RS | Giampaolo Pazzini | 80 | |
LS | Diego Milito | 82 | |
Bench | |||
CB | Juan | 81 | |
LB | Javier Zanetti | 80 | |
CAM | Phillipe Coutinho | 82 | |
RB | Maicon | 83 |
Conclusion:
Inter Milan have done relatively little to refresh their aging squad. They seemed to have sold away much more talent than they have bought back. Those that they do buy aren't even good enough to crack the starting XI for the most part. They may even be worse off than their city rivals. Sneidjer and Julio Cesar are the bright spots on an otherwise unimpressive roster. Not an easy team to play with against the top sides.
Juventus F.C.
Team Rating: 5 stars
Formation: 4-2-4 (4-2-2-2)
GK | Gianluigi Buffon | 88 | |
RB | Stephan Lichsteiner | 81 | |
RCB | Andrea Barzagli | 82 | |
LCB | Leonardo Bonucci | 83 | |
LB | Giorgio Chiellini | 86 | |
RCM | Andrea Pirlo | 88 | |
LCM | Claudio Marchisio | 81 | |
RAM | Arturo Vidal | 84 | |
LAM | Sebastian Giovinco | 83 | |
RS | Alessandro Matri | 80 | |
LS | Mirko Vucinic | 81 | |
Bench | |||
CB | Lucio | 81 | |
RW | Simone Pepe | 77 | |
CM | Kwadwo Asamoah | 81 | |
LM | Milos Krasic | 79 | |
ST | Fabio Quagliarella | 79 | |
ST | Marco Borriello | 78 | |
Transfers? | |||
ST | Robin Van Persie | 88 |
Conclusion:
Juventus have added several players this summer, but few will crack the starting XI already in place. Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon are head and shoulders above the rest of the squad in ability. Juve is strong in all areas but attack. Their forwards are not at the level of the rest of the squad—if Juventus were to add a world-class striker this summer, they'd be a serious force in FIFA.
A.S. Roma
Team Rating: 4.5 stars
Formation: 4-3-1-2
GK | Maarten Stekelenburg | 85 | |
RB | Rodrigo Taddei | 80 | |
RCB | Nicolas Burdisso | 81 | |
LCB | Gabriel Heinze | 79 | |
LB | Jose Angel | 77 | |
RCM | Michael Bradley | 79 | |
CM | Daniele De Rossi | 85 | |
LCM | Miralem Pjanic | 83 | |
CAM | Erik Lamela | 82 | |
CF | Francesco Totti | 81 | |
ST | Bojan Krkic | 80 | |
Bench | |||
RM | Simone Perrotta | 78 | |
ST | Mattia Destro | 77 | |
ST | Pablo Osvaldo | 80 | |
Transfers? | |||
ST | Marco Borriello | 80 |
Conclusion:
Roma have been rebuilding for a while now. They boast plenty of young talent around their core of Daniele De Rossi and Francesco Totti. Roma's defense is somewhat weak, but it's backed by a very talented shot-stopper in Maarten Stekelenburg. If you're gonna win with Roma, the team won't do you any favors—your talent will win you the game, not the players.
F.C. Bayern Munich
Team Rating: 5 stars
Formation: 4-2-3-1 (4-2-4)
GK | Manuel Neuer | 87 | |
RB | Rafinha | 82 | |
RCB | Holger Badstuber | 84 | |
LCB | Jerome Boateng | 81 | |
LB | Phillip Lahm | 86 | |
CDM | Bastian Schweinsteiger | 85 | |
CDM | Toni Kroos | 83 | |
RAM | Arjen Robben | 88 | |
CAM | Thomas Muller | 82 | |
LAM | Frank Ribery | 87 | |
ST | Mario Gomez | 85 |
Conclusion:
Bayern Munich are loaded with talent at all positions on the pitch. They have two of the world's best wingers in Ribery and Robben, who each deserve at least 87. While Gomez is certainly a formidable force up front, he doesn't deserve more than 85. Bayern's issues, if you can call it that, lie in defense, with inconsistent talent across the back four. Bayern will be one of the best squads in FIFA 13.
F.C. Barcelona
Team Rating: 5 stars
Formation: 4-1-2-3 (4-3-3)
GK | Victor Valdes | 84 | |
RWB | Dani Alves | 86 | |
RCB | Gerard Pique | 88 | |
LCB | Carles Puyol | 85 | |
LWB | Jordi Alba | 83 | |
CDM | Sergio Busquets | 83 | |
RAM | Xavi Hernandez | 90 | |
LAM | Andres Iniesta | 91 | |
RW | Alexis Sanchez | 85 | |
CF | Lionel Messi | 94 | |
LW | Cesc Fabregas | 87 | |
Bench | |||
ST | David Villa | 86 | |
LW | Pedro | 84 | |
CM | Thiago Alcantara | 82 | |
CDM | Javier Mascherano | 82 | |
RW | Ibrahim Affelay | 80 | |
LB | Eric Abidal | 81 |
Conclusion:
Ahhh, FC Barcelona. We've heard it all with them—too stacked, too deep, too ... good. As the best player on planet earth, Lionel Messi is, and should be, FIFA 13's highest ranked player. Other mercurial talents supporting him such as Xavi and Iniesta also get high marks. One thing I've really gotten annoyed about over the years is how overrated Valdes seems to be in FIFA games. I'm sorry, he's no Casillas. It's hard enough scoring against Barca, but Valdes has been ranked way too high for too long. 84 is really good. If you're terrible at FIFA, use Barcelona. If you're really good at FIFA, don't use Barcelona. It's just not fair how good they are.
Real Madrid
Team Rating: 5 stars
Formation: 4-2-3-1 (4-2-4)
GK | Iker Casillas | 90 | |
RB | Alvaro Arbeloa | 81 | |
RCB | Sergio Ramos | 87 | |
LCB | Pepe | 85 | |
LB | Marcelo | 83 | |
RCM | Sami Khedira | 82 | |
LCM | Xabi Alonso | 85 | |
RAM | Angel Di Maria | 84 | |
CAM | Mesut Ozil | 88 | |
LAM | Cristiano Ronaldo | 93 | |
ST | Karim Benzema | 85 | |
Bench | |||
CAM | Kaka | 83 | |
CM | Nuri Sahin | 81 | |
CM | Callejon | 81 | |
CDM | Lassana Diarra | 80 | |
ST | Gonzalo Higuain | 84 | |
LB | Fabio Coentrao | 81 |
Conclusion:
Barca's eternal rivals, Real Madrid, boast the second-best player on earth in Cristiano Ronaldo. I think Ozil is one of the best attacking midfielders in the world. Di Maria has been overrated in past renditions of FIFA. As the best goalkeeper in the world, Casillas' 90 is the highest for a goalkeeper in the game. Very much akin to using Barca, using Madrid as an elite FIFA player will do nothing but boost your ego as you slaughter all signs of opponents. This is another team that will mask your own ability to play FIFA, as the talents of the players are so high.
Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
Team Rating: 5 stars
Formation: 4-2-3-1
GK | Salvatore Sirigu | 81 | |
RB | Christophe Jallet | 77 | |
RCB | Thiago Silva | 90 | |
LCB | Mamadou Sakho | 83 | |
LB | Maxwell | 80 | |
CDM | Mohamed Sissoko | 82 | |
CDM | Thiago Motta | 81 | |
RAM | Jeremy Menez | 84 | |
CAM | Javier Pastore | 85 | |
LAM | Ezequiel Lavezzi | 84 | |
ST | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 88 | |
Bench | |||
CB | Alex | 81 | |
LW | Nene | 82 | |
ST | Guillaume Hoarau | 79 |
Conclusion:
PSG are Europe's latest club to play the Manchester City spending-spree role. In the past year this team has acquired a squad capable of doing some serious damage in Europe. Thiago Silva is worthy of his 89 rating, as I think he's the best center back in the world. New signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a season to remember at Milan, scoring 28 goals in 32 appearances. This justifies his 88. Still weaker in the middle of the park, PSG have a front four that could do great things together. PSG will be a lot of fun to use in FIFA, thanks to its mix of world-class talent and not-so-skilled players.
Team Rankings
- Barcelona
- Manchester City
- Real Madrid
- Chelsea
- Bayern Munich
- Manchester United
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Juventus
- Tottenham
- Liverpool
- Arsenal
- AC Milan
- Inter Milan
- AS Roma
So my ratings aren't perfect, but how could anyone's be? It's opinion, but I tried to be as objective as humanly possible.
Here are my rankings of each team. Remember, these are FIFA 13 ratings, not real-life ratings. I think in FIFA 13 the best teams, in this order, will be:
I'd love to hear your opinions on the matter—which players/teams should be rated higher? Lower? Just right?
Leave your comments below.
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