Sarriball took its toll on Chelsea FC, and it even cut into the Blues’ FIFA 20 player ratings. Here’s a look at how the midfielders fare in the latest version.
We spent a few days playing FIFA 20 and decided it is one of the worst iterations of the franchise in a decade. And yet, we continue to pour hours and hours of our limited time on earth into this collection of pixels. Like Chelsea and Sarriball for 60+ games, you’re not going to stop playing it, and neither are we. So, might as well dive right into the biggest change this year: the player ratings.
N’Golo Kante: FIFA 19 rating: 89 / FIFA 20 rating: 89
It is a testament to N’Golo Kante’s superhuman abilities that even after spending a season relearning and adapting to a new position, there has been no change in his overall rating. He is now comfortably Chelsea’s best player in the game and in real life.
Bizarrely, his pace dropped to 78 from 80 and, despite playing higher up the pitch and scoring goals, his shooting is also down to 65 from 66.
The defensive stats remain untouched, as do the dribbling and passing stats. Oh, and FIFA still has him down as a defensive midfielder, not a central midfielder or attacking midfielder. Make of that what you will.
Jorginho: 84 / 83
While Kante maintained his FIFA rating despite being forced to play in an unfamiliar position, the exact opposite happened to Jorginho. After playing a season as a “regista” (whatever that means), with tactics tailor-made for him, supported by an angry social media mob, and under a manager who would not hear a word against him, Jorginho has, somehow, managed to drop to 83 from 84 overall.
It would be easy to blame the crowd booing his substitution (not him, his substitution) that one time for this fiasco, but fortunately not everyone has single-digit IQs.
That’s not all. Jorginho’s pace has fallen off a cliff in FIFA 20, hitting a rock-bottom 55 from last season’s 72, a massive 17 points lower. The only way that makes sense is that, perhaps, he looked faster in the Serie A and moving to the Premier League has exposed this shortcoming.
Amusingly, this makes him slower than Marcos “Alonslow”, but let’s not dwell on that.
On the plus side, his defensive awareness is better and his stamina has improved. He could be useful for about half a season in Career Mode, but the game will pass him by in Ultimate Team.
Mateo Kovacic: 83 / 82
A season of being subbed on or subbed off in the 63′ for Ross Barkley can drive anyone insane. For Kovacic, it simply drove his FIFA rating down.
Apart from his dribbling, which remains a solid 86, all of his stats have seen minor reductions. He still has decent pace, so he can compete in midfield in your Ultimate Team. An Artist chemistry style turns him into a silky midfield operator who can dribble out of tight spaces.
Ross Barkley: 79 / 79
The other half of the infamous “Barkley / Kovacic 63” weekly event, Ross Barkley is yet to show Chelsea fans what he is capable of. Last season he did nothing to dispel the doubts surrounding him. And there has been no change so far this season.
The game publishers realized there’s not much room for improvement here, went ahead and removed his real face from FIFA 20. So now we have a common gold card with hardly any outstanding attributes. Use him as a late, late substitute in Career Mode and nothing more. He’ll be 76 by the time the next edition rolls in.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 77 / 79
While one English midfielder is on the path to becoming a West Ham player in a year’s time, the other one is on his way to dominating the midfield with Chelsea. That is, of course, if he can stay fit for long enough. Loftus-Cheek’s rating has gone from 77 to 79 within a year, with the biggest improvement being in the shooting stats.
Injury permitting, he should break the 80-overall barrier in FIFA 21. Until then, nurture him in Career Mode, watch him develop into one of the strongest and most technical players in the game.
Mason Mount: 74 / 75
After an outstanding season at Derby County, Mason Mount has taken the step up to Premier League football like a duck to water. The jump in ratings might be just 1 point, but he is now a gold card. A blistering start to the season made the world stand up and take notice. Now he’ll have to do it on a consistent basis to catch up to Ross Barkley by the time the winter ratings refresh comes along.
It is fascinating how many Chelsea players seem to be perfect for Career Mode at the moment, but not for Ultimate Team. Give it a couple of years and Ultimate Team will be well within reach.
Billy Gilmour: NA / 62
The Scottish Cesc Fabregas is a Career Mode gem. Loan him out for a couple of seasons, at least. Your patience will be rewarded in due time.