1 Barcelona Player Whose FIFA 2016 Stats Overestimate Him

Looking at EA Sports’ FIFA 16 game objectively, you have to question how some of the figures for player ratings are arrived at.

In general terms they are mostly accurate, but there are one or two glaring errors.

Take Barcelona’s Dani Alves for example.

When breaking down his individual ratings, it seems fairly clear that the makers have overestimated his skill set.

Let’s delve a little deeper.

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86 pace

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The Brazilian can still maraud up the right side with vigour, but he has certainly lost a yard of pace this season.

You only have to look at how laboured he has become in getting back to defend to see that he isn’t quite as dynamic as he once was.

Perhaps it’s only to be expected from a player that will celebrate his 33rd birthday during the course of this season.

This leads us to the strangest rating of the lot.

70 shot

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Has Alves even had a shot this season? He has, but it is a rare occurrence these days. Never the most prolific in this particular area in any event, Alves could at least be relied upon to fire off a few bullets to trouble the opposition keeper in the past.

Injury aside, the chances for him to offload have been few and far between, and even when the opportunity has presented itself, Alves hasn’t taken it.

A rating of 65 would’ve been a far more accurate representation.

76 passing

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This is an area of his game that was on point for much of last season, but it looks to have deserted him this campaign.

Popping off one-twos here and there have long been a part of his natural attacking game. Little give-and-go passes open up the pitch for the Blaugrana and widen their areas of attack.

Could his lethargy have been caused by a later-than-usual pre-season and injury?

Or is there a more substantive reason for a lack of accuracy?

83 dribbling

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This is another rating that’s on the high side but in order to justify this, we need to view Alves in action. Can you recall any games during this campaign where you have seen the Brazilian go slaloming down the wing?

Has he ever done so?

Didn’t his game always consist of a supporting role in attack, making himself available in the wider areas for crosses into the box or otherwise?

Dribbling duties, when required, are usually the preserve of Lionel Messi with Alves alongside to help in opening up the angles and passing lanes.

78 defending

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The primary role for which Alves is handsomely remunerated is defending.

Can a player whose natural habitat is the halfway line and beyond ever be considered a defender?

Playing so far forward, which in fairness appears to be the remit given to him by management, is always going to mean that defensive duties are secondary to a supplementary attacking presence.

That said, when the going gets tough and a backs-against-the-wall performance is required, you need your back four in the trenches putting in a shift.

Does that sound like Dani Alves to you?

Rating him as 78 seems far too generous.

69 physical

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Alves' physicality, or lack thereof, is quite possibly the most accurate mark of the lot.

Any physicality that Alves once had seems to have disappeared. Needless fouls being given away by him are evidence enough that the opposition have got the upper hand on Alves more often than not in this area.

Leveraged off the ball time and again, Alves has to rely more on his positioning and timing of the tackle than the more industrial parts of the game to repel attacks.

84 overall

In conclusion, this would appear to be a lazy mark by the makers of the game.

Alves is still a good player but as Sergi Roberto has started to show, he isn’t the best right-back that Barca have to offer anymore.