1 Barcelona Player Whose FIFA 2016 Stats Underestimate Him

With Lionel Messi on the cover of EA Sports’ FIFA 16, Barcelona could almost be said to have a vested interest in ensuring the game is as true to life as possible—an endorsement by the Catalans to see the game's makers use best practice when it comes to rating the players within the context of the game.

A defensive midfielder by trade, Javier Mascherano has been a colossus at the back for Barcelona and is the main reason why more natural centre-backs such as Marc Bartra have been unable to make a regular dent in the first-team picture.

So why is he rated so low?

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68 Pace

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Compared to his team-mates, his 68 for pace is one of the lowest ratings in the squad.

But how often have we seen the Argentinian swiftly cover acres of green in getting back to snuff out a chance for the opposition, or moving through the gears when driving forward to support the midfield and attack?

59 Shooting

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Fifty-nine for shooting is a laughable rating. Granted, Masche is a player who doesn’t shoot often, but when he does, there’s little chance of his Exocet's ending up in Row Z.

He normally makes a 'keeper work or is just off target.

Mascherano hasn’t scored for a few years—his last goal at club level came for Liverpool in the Europa League in February 2010. Perhaps if a few 30-yarders had hit the onion bag, we would’ve seen a deserved better rating in this section.

70 Passing

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Making smooth deliveries on multiple occasions, Masche’s accuracy with passes isn’t in doubt.

He’ll often delay playing a ball, sometimes too long, until he’s able to pick the right pass to any number of colleagues.

Playing centrally, his actions are often the precursor to the beginning of an attack, so his passes have to be on point or he risks breaking down a move before it has begun in earnest.

He deserves to be marked much higher than 70 for passing.

69 Dribbling

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Define dribbling. Is it facing up to your marker before dropping your shoulder to round one, two or even three players?

Or is it calmly and authoritatively bringing the ball out of defence, gaining yardage in so doing, taking on the opponent and then spraying a pass to a colleague?

If it's the former, that’s never been in the player’s make-up. If the latter, it’s something he does with aplomb time and again.

Are there standardised criteria and metrics on which EA Sports defines such elements of the game?

What actually constitutes the dribble? Is it the amount of players beaten in a run, slaloming this way and that?

When Masche bombs forward from the back, as he tends to do, he rarely loses the ball. Therefore, a 69 rating seems incredibly low.

85 Defending

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In the context of the Barcelona squad within the game scenario, Masche ranks in the upper echelons. However, there is every reason to think his mark in this area could’ve been higher.

One of very few players who keeps it simple, if the easy pass is on, that’s the one that invariably you will see the Argentinian make. 

Great players are the ones who don’t overcomplicate things on the pitch, and Masche’s simplistic genius will be sorely missed when he finally hangs up his boots.

80 Physical

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Are you kidding me? If there is one player in the Barca side who will give absolutely everything for the cause, no matter what the personal cost, it is Mascherano.

A true warrior, there is a reason why he is known as El Jefecito (the Little Chief).

Not too many games go by without a yellow card for the Argentinian, but that’s part and parcel for the little man with the biggest of hearts.

83 Overall

Mascherano's overall rating of 83 is a pretty poor reflection on the folks at EA Sports. Though perhaps not one of the glamourous names within the squad, he deserves to be rated alongside them on performances alone.

Do you agree? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.