1 Liverpool Player Whose FIFA 16 Stats Underestimate Him

Ostensibly rated out of 100, FIFA 16's valuation of Liverpool and Germany midfielder Emre Can—a miserly 75—seems to underestimate the burgeoning ability of the 21-year-old.

Can's lowly rating for the latest instalment of the hugely popular gaming franchise is one of many talking points when it comes to developer EA Sports' view of the Liverpool squad, with its UK cover star, Reds captain Jordan Henderson, rated at just 79—level with Newcastle United's Cheick Tiote, Manchester City outcast Fernando and team-mate Lucas Leiva.

But ranked below Lee Cattermole (77), John Obi Mikel (77), Mathieu Flamini (76) and Jack Rodwell (76), Can seems shockingly misrepresented.

Set to star for Liverpool under new manager Jurgen Klopp, Can has been hugely underestimated by FIFA 16.

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"Emre had a good development at Liverpool and is a versatile player. We like his presence on the pitch and his dynamism," Germany manager Joachim Low told reporters in August, after calling Can up for his side's European Championship qualifiers against Poland and Scotland in September, as relayed by Reuters (h/t the Guardian).

"Now we want to get to know him a bit better."

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Likely tracking Can's progress through the ranks at Bayern Munich and then Bayer Leverkusen, Low acted on the midfielder's impressive performances for the Reds in 2014/15.

After making the £10 million move from Leverkusen to Merseyside, Can made 27 Premier League appearances under Brendan Rodgers, recovering from a slow start to impose himself on the Ulsterman's starting lineup.

Initially this came as a midfielder, but Rodgers quickly moved Can into defence when he opted for a three-man back line just before the turn of the year.

Here, Can showed his defensive strength and ability to surge into the opponent's half without being troubled. In Low's words: presence and dynamism.

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Can has proven to be a strong defensive talent with power and creativity moving into attack, and under Klopp these will likely see him adopt the Ilkay Gundogan role in the Liverpool midfield, as a box-to-box creative midfielder. But for Low at present, Can represents a solution at right-back.

Starting in victories over both Poland and Scotland, Can showcased his talents in the right-sided defensive role, providing an assist for Thomas Muller's 34th-minute strike in Germany's 3-2 win over Gordon Strachan's side in September.

With Low once again calling Can up for this month's qualifying jaunt, it is clear the 55-year-old has faith in his youthful compatriot, and while Can has started poorly in 2015/16 for Liverpool, it is therefore bemusing that he has been overlooked for his FIFA 16 rating.

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On a basic level, EA Sports determine their FIFA player ratings based on six key areas: pace, dribbling, shooting, defending, passing and physical attributes.

This system is easily transferable to reality-based statistical comparison, and to provide a useful juxtaposition, Chelsea midfielder Ramires has been awarded a rating of 80—both Ramires and Can are, in essence, creative, box-to-box players.

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With these rankings largely based on the players' 2014/15 output, comparing Can and Ramires' performances from the last season highlights a supreme underestimation by EA Sports.

In 2014/15, Can made 0.5 key passes, 1.5 successful dribbles, 3.4 successful tackles and 1.7 interceptions per 90 league minutes; while Ramires averaged 0.8 key passes, 1.1 successful dribbles, 2.3 successful tackles and 1.1 interceptions per 90.

However, Ramires has been rated much higher than the German in the majority of FIFA's key areas:

	Overall	Pace	Dribbling	Shooting	Defending	Passing	Physical
Emre Can	75	75	75	64	72	74	79
Ramires	80	88	81	69	78	76	73

Can is proven as a comparable creative talent, a more proficient dribbler and a better defensive player, yet Ramires is ranked higher.

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Is Can truly less of a talent than Ramires, Tiote, Lucas, Cattermole, Mikel, Flamini and Rodwell?

Perhaps EA Sports, like Low, are waiting to see Can fulfil his immense potential, with Stoke City's impressive Chelsea loanee Marco van Ginkel given a similar rating; or perhaps they are confused by the 21-year-old's versatility.

But with Can likely to make another step up under Klopp on Merseyside, this valuation seems misplaced.

FIFA 16 is, of course, just a game, but Can's ability has been underestimated—and the German could surprise many avid gamers with his above-75 performances for Liverpool this season.

Statistics via WhoScored.com, FIFA 16 ratings via Futhead.com.

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