Chelsea’s goalkeeper and defender FIFA 20 ratings: Behind the numbers
Cesar Azpilicueta: FIFA 19: 86 / FIFA 20: 84
The Spanish defender who enjoyed two trophy-laden seasons under Antonio Conte at center back found himself shunted out to right back under Maurizio Sarri. This puts his base position at right back in FIFA, and instead of an 86 overall rated center back he is now an 84 rated right back.
There has been a sharp decrease in his pace, dropping from 76 to 70, making him nearly useless in this year’s game, which relies heavily on kick-and-rush football.
The Twitter hate mob, which is already baying for his blood, will see his demotion in the game as further “proof” that he is declining, and must be replaced by a younger, pacier option. Speaking of…
Reece James: 63 / 73
The English youngster had a breakout season at Wigan Athletic last year and he is now aiming to take over the right back spot at Chelsea. James gets a massive jump of 10 points overall, and goes from a bronze card to a silver card, in FIFA 20.
No other defender at Chelsea is faster than him in the game, and despite being a silver card and clearly raw, a lot of people will see him as a cheap option to inject some pace into a slow backline. Once he starts getting regular games for Chelsea, he could make the jump into a 75+ rated card in the winter ratings refresh.
If you’re playing Career Mode, hold on to him for a few seasons before you consider putting in a bid for one of the fancier names.
Emerson Palmieri: 76 / 77
What is the point of Emerson? This was the question many people asked when the Italian left wingback spent a year and a half warming the bench at Chelsea. The rise in his FIFA rating has also been slow, moving up to 77 from last season’s 76, with a change in position from left wingback to left back.
His defending is now up to 74 from last year’s 70, making him useful as a fast and cheap option in a starter squad.
Now that he is Frank Lampard’s first choice, a couple of injury-free months should see his rating rise to 78 or 79 in the winter.
Marcos Alonso: 82 / 81
Alonso’s performances in the Europa League led to a special Team of the Tournament card in FIFA 19. Alas, playing an entire season under a manager whose tactics left him vulnerable and unprotected has caused his rating to drop to 81 from a respectable 82.
His pace, already one of his weaker attributes, is now 66 from last year’s 73. That makes him rather useless on the flanks against rapid wingers, of which there are many.
So if you’re pledging loyalty to him, you should stick him at center back and push your backline so far back that they’re standing on your goalkeeper’s toes. In every other case, steer well clear.
Antonio Rudiger: 81 / 82
Future Chelsea captain Antonio Rudiger is one of the few Chelsea players whose rating has seen a rise in FIFA 20.
In real life, the all-action center back has seen his time on the pitch restricted die to an injury. The Chelsea defence has been crying out for a leader and an organizer in real life. In the game, he has decent pace and defensive stats which can be further fine-tuned in Ultimate Team by slapping on a chemistry style such as Anchor, making him an 89 rated center back. In Career Mode as well, he can be relied upon for at least 3-5 seasons.
If he can recover in the next few weeks there is a good chance of him getting an 83 rated card in mid-season.
Andreas Christensen: 82 / 80
Maurizio Sarri seemed to have a distaste for anyone close to the legal smoking age, which meant Andreas Christensen was criminally underused last season. From an 82 rated rare gold card, the Danish defender has dropped to a common 80 card. His defensive stats have suffered the most, along with acceleration and dribbling.
Christensen was expected to be around 84 this season before Sarriball ruined him.
Hopefully, Frank Lampard will know what to do with him. Maybe FIFA 22 will be the one where he’ll finally reach 84 overall.
Kurt Zouma: 78 / 80
A season on loan at Everton has done Kurt Zouma a world of good. His FIFA 20 rating stands at 80 from last year’s 78, putting him level with Andreas Christensen, who was considered the superior prospect. And he is a rare gold card, unlike Christensen’s common gold card.
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His pace has improved from last year even though it is still not quite good enough. But his jumping and strength will let you win headers and shield the ball all day long.
He is another one who could use a chemistry boost in Ultimate Team to be a mainstay of any low budget squad.
Fikayo Tomori: 66 / 72
Another Chelsea loanee who made his name in the Championship last season, Fikayo Tomori has been the surprise package of the season so far. He has seamlessly established himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet under Frank Lampard. In FIFA 20, he is now a rare silver card rated 72, up from 66 last season.
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His pace is his best attribute in the game, so if you’re using him in Ultimate Team just slap on a Sentinel chemistry consumable and watch him dominate opposition strikers. A winter refresh to 75+ is well within reach.