1 Atletico Madrid Player Whose FIFA 16 Stats Underestimate Him

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Atletico Madrid have become one of the most recognisable and successful teams in the European game over the last half-decade, with plenty of success and acclaim coming their way since Diego Simeone took charge.

As a result, the players in the squad have become more sought-after in the transfer market and more renowned for their exploits in La Liga and the Champions League.

There is an alternative side to football, though, where reputation at times lags behind the reality of ever-changing form and ability: The gaming world.

This year’s FIFA 16 perhaps embodies that, with a number of Atletico‘s younger players not quite seeming to be as highly rated as they might be, including Saul Niguez and Angel Correa—but centre-back Jose Maria Gimenez has had the biggest injustice meted out to him.

 

Key Attributes

Forgetting individual styles of play for a moment, there are certain key metrics which central defenders, anywhere, will be defined by: Tackling, heading ability, physical strength and their reading of the game. For Gimenez, many of those are exactly where he excels when donning the red-and-white stripes of Atletico Madrid.

His heading, certainly, is a demand which is almost a minimum requirement at Atleti, who are happy to engage in trench warfare at times and invite teams to try and bomb the penalty area with crosses from wide, deliveries from deep, set pieces from anywhere—Gimenez and partner Diego Godin will be backed to repel it all.

In addition, he has already—more than once—proven himself one of the bravest and most committed defenders in La Liga, something requiring both agility and good awareness to sudden changes of play as well as tackling or blocking ability.

Those basics of defending are sometimes overlooked at the top end of the game, but it’s fair to say that’s not the case with Atleti‘s chosen pairing.

 

Fitting the System

Looking at the playing style of Gimenez and the tactics employed on a regular basis by Simeone, it’s not hard to see why the manager has put his faith in the 20-year-old.

Atleti are happy to defend first and worry about winning the game once they have control of their opponents. The Uruguay international has watched on for a year and more as Godin and Miranda, his former defensive partner, did that job before eventually working himself into the equation last season.

A young, progressive defender who has shown great reliability in the role and a willingness to take on responsibility, Gimenez has saved Atleti millions in finding a replacement centre-back—and, in a few years, will doubtless earn them many more millions once they opt to sell him. It’s Atletico‘s modus operandi, and Gimenez will in time be seen as one of their biggest successes, both on the pitch and in the accounts books.

He’s already one of La Liga’s better defenders—of any age—and an entire season in the spotlight will prove exactly that.

 

Comparisons

The first and most obvious comparisons to make for Gimenez are with his own team-mates. While it might be understandable that he ranks below compatriot Godin, who is more experienced and one of the world’s finest when on top form, new club-mate Stefan Savic is a different matter.

The former Fiorentina man, who arrived at the Vicente Calderon this summer for €10 million plus Mario Suarez, has barely been able to get a look-in this season thanks to the ability and form of Gimenez.

Of course, Simeone rarely puts new players in just because they cost money or are new faces, but even so there is a clear disparity between Savic and Gimenez in style, reliability and overall ability right now. However, it is Savic who is more highly rated (81) overall, at least in the gaming world.

Looking beyond the confines of Atletico Madrid, most avid watchers of La Liga would agree there is not a huge difference in ability and consistency (although there certainly is a large difference in style terms) between another standout young centre-back in Spain’s capital: Raphael Varane of Real Madrid.

While Gimenez was perhaps a year and a half later than Varane in really establishing himself as a first-team option, the Uruguayan’s ascension has been rapid.

Varane, 22, enjoys an even bigger gap (82) than Savic does to the South American, while Miranda, who is now at Inter Milan, enjoys a higher rating (84) still.

All told, Gimenez is perhaps one of the key names who has been somewhat overlooked in FIFA 16, but a full season as first-pick in a team which challenges for major honours will doubtless change all that.

 

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