FIFA 17 Demo - Manchester City Player Review

With the FIFA17 Demo released on all consoles and PC today September 13, I’ve broken down how each Manchester City player performs in this years FIFA Demo

After playing this year’s FIFA17 Demo – Manchester City are poised to be a dominant choice in several different game modes once again. Several players are highly rated including Aguero, De Bruyne, Gundogan, and Otamendi, while others are severely underrated. But putting aside ratings, how do they perform? I’ll break the starting 11 and main substitutes for you one by one.

Goalkeepers

–Joe Hart: 85 rated. I used Joe Hart for all the matches I have played except for 2, and overall he was excellent. In 4 games total he conceded one – to Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale. While he is unlikely to be in the City squad once the full game releases, he clearly will still be a top performer in goal this year.

Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

–Willy Caballero: 78 rated. I used him in 2 matches, just to give him a chance and see if he performed any differently. He allowed 2 goals in total, both in one match against PSG – one by Di Maria and another by Cavani. Also when dribbling around the box with him he feels a bit sluggish, and his saves were certainly not on the same par as Joe’s. All-in-all though, he will do fine as a keeper against most teams in Fifa save for the heavier more attacking squads.

Note: Claudio Bravo is not yet in the demo.

Defenders

–Elaquim Mangala: 80 rated. I played Mangala at left CB for 3 matches, and he overall he was a very powerful player to have in defense. The first thing you notice when controlling him is his speed, he outpaces attackers often, and is able to get back into the box at a moments notice. He also feels very strong in tackles, and does not get knocked around by opposing strikers (save for Cavani on one occasion). His biggest weaknesses would be his inaccurate passing (stick to short easy passes) and his high attacking work rates that make him run forward wildly like a striker at times. Overall though he should be another very solid option in Fifa, as long as you pair him with a CB with better passing skills. My score – 8/10

–Nicolas Otamendi: 85 rated. First impression on using him? WOW. Otamendi was a rock in defense for me in the 3 matches I used him at right CB. He made decent passes throughout, stayed back in position, and even handled bottling up Ronaldo fairly well. Based purely on these few games, he is City’s best defender (performance-wise) in this year’s Fifa. My score – 9/10

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

–Vincent Kompany: 86 rated. I know what you’re thinking. Kompany is higher rated than Mangala and Otamendi, how can you not rate him as highly? Playing him at right CB for 3 games, with Denayer on the left, Kompany did not impress me at all. While he stayed back in defense most of the time, he felt slower than in past FIFA editions. Ironically he picked up an injury in the 2nd game I used him. He made Denayer seem like superman while they were on the field. 5/10.

–Jason Denayer: 74 rated. Playing Denayer alongside Kompany for 2 games, he was excellent! His balanced work rates kept him in place in defense, while also letting him as the distributor to move the ball forward to Fernandinho. He is quite pacey and feels even faster than Mangala, but does not get knocked around physically. While he is lower rated at 74, he played like he is 82+ rated. If he looked this good on the pitch in real life for us, we would have our defender of the next decade. 8/10.

–Aleks Kolarov: 79 rated. I had only slight impressions on Kolarov as I gave him only 1 game before switching him out. His passing felt very good, and he was strong on the ball, but he was so slow on the pitch that he got burned constantly by Mkhitryan – who is not particularly quick. 3/10.

-Gael Clichy: 80 rated. He is the antithesis of Kolarov, while he feels very speedy, his passing range is limited and he gets pushed over in 50% of the challenges he makes. Frustrating player this year in Fifa, but my preferred LB option 5/10.

–Pablo Zabaleta: 82 rated. I used him for 3 games and Sagna for 3. Each performed decently well, but Sagna got back into position better than Zabaleta and was better going forward. 6/10.

(Photo credit should read JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images)

–Bacary Sagna: 81 rated. He was quite good going forward, pinging balls to Sane and Navas with decent accuracy, and managed to get back in his spot on defense whenever needed. His dribbling is better than any of the other City fullbacks this year. 6/10.

Note: John Stones is not yet in the demo.

Midfielders

Ilkay Gundogan: 85 rated. Gundogan was all over the field throughout each match he played in. He made runs forward, while also running back to help out in defense. He feels very quick and balanced on the ball, and plays with the intensity Yaya used to possess in Fifa’s past. His passing is 2nd only to David Silva’s this year. 8/10

David Silva: 87 rated. Silva seems to almost float when you are dribbling the ball with him, he can skirt around opposing players with ease, and put the ball almost anywhere on the pitch with great accuracy. He is easily City’s best passer in this year’s game. His key weaknesses are his speed, which has clearly been reduced this year, and his strength on the ball which lets him get knocked about quite often. 7/10

Kevin De Bruyne: 88 rated. De Bruyne plays like a overpowered do-it-all swiss army knife of a midfielder. I played him at right center-mid, and he shone there in several games. His passing and dribbling are brilliant, and his speed seems fair, but he is also strong enough to not get knocked off the ball. His shooting makes him an elite Fifa player this go round, nearly making a long-shot for me from quite a distance out. 9/10

Fernandinho: 81 rated. 81 rated?! This low a rating for him to me is inexplicable, but it does not matter much in-game. Fernandinho stay’s back mostly, sitting in front of the back 4 and acting as a metronome – controlling game speed and starting attacks. His passing and through balls are great this year, and he is feisty enough to play as your only defensive mid. He plays like and 84 or 85 rated player should. 9/10.

Yaya Toure: 86 rated. Those of you familiar with FIFA know in the past how good Toure has been in most editions. This year he is quite lackluster for a few reasons. While he feels very strong on the ball, and his passing feels about the same as last year, his work rates make him difficult to use. After looking at his stats in-game it was clear why. With a medium attacking rate he never runs very far up the pitch, but a low defensive rate he is almost non-existent in that department. His speed is also reduced from last year making him fairly slow. So while you may find a use for him in this year’s Fifa purely for his strength and good passing range, much is left to be desired. 5/10.

Fernando: 79 rated. He stayed back in defense throughout the 2 games he played, and did a decent job acting as a 5th defender mainly. His passing is clearly nowhere near Dinho’s and he plays spot-on for a 79 rated player. If you don’t expect much offensively from him he will do quite well in your team and will good player to use when parking the bus against your opponent this year. 6/10.

Next: FIFA 17 Review - Attackers

Attackers

Jesus Navas: 80 rated. Speed. Pace. Lightning. Navas is once again a FIFA workhorse, flying up and down the flank with the ability to beat most players that try to chase him down. He completed 2 crosses for me out of the 4 or 5 I attempted, and he honestly felt better on the ball than last year. He will be a popular player because of his speed and versatility. 7/10.

Raheem Sterling: 82 rated. Sterling has certainly been upgraded a bit from last year’s Fifa, he feels like a faster, stronger Navas, with a more decisive dribbling ability. He sank a finesse shot for me, but missed 2 others. Still, he didn’t get knocked down nearly as much as last year. Sterling will be a very popular player to use in this year’s game without a doubt. 8/10.

MANCHESTER CITY: TOP 13 GOAL SCORERS OF ALL-TIME

Nolito: 83 rated. Nolito performed for me almost like a 2nd-striker when I used him. While not very fast, his dribbling is impressive and his shots are 3rd on the team only to Aguero and De Bruyne. While not as fast as Sterling on the left-wing, he offers more pure scoring ability and is a lot of fun to use. 7/10.

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Leroy Sane: 79 rated. My favorite player on the wing for City this year (so far). He scored 2 goals in 3 games for me, cutting inside the box and shooting like a miniature Arjen Robben. Sane feels just as fast as Sterling, with the same level of dribbling, BUT with better shooting and finishing skills. He played for me like an 83 rated player, and looks to be quite overpowered in this year’s Fifa.

Kelechi Iheanacho: 74 rated. While he was certainly no Aguero for me, Kelechi played well above his level just like Denayer and Sane. He has pretty high pace, and good strength to match it and at 6’2″ is a dangerous player in the game. He scored 2 for me between 1 start, and coming off the bench for Aguero in 4 more matches. His positioning leaves something to be desired, and his passing is reminiscent of Mangala’s but as a pure striker he performs well. 6/10.

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Sergio Aguero: 89 rated. Aguero has typically been one of the most enjoyable players to use in Fifa for quite a while now (My Man City bias aside) he is incredible this year. He is a good notch faster than Kelechi, while not quite as quick as Sterling or Sane but with about the same Strength as the Nigerian. His attacking build up was great, he passed cleanly, and got in the perfect position to attempt a shot on a goal every single time. In 5 games, with several substitutions he scored 7 times for me, and I am not a talented Fifa player. Aguero has to be one of the best strikers to try out in Fifa once again this year, and felt quicker and more balanced than anyone else I have tried out save for Messi. 10/10.

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