Ratings for FIFA 22 are dropping fast, ramping up the excitement for the release of the new game.
Although we don't yet know a top 100 or any meaningful overview for player ratings, there is a huge insight to be made.
Name the best defender
Any sane individual will call this with ease:
Virgil van Dijk!
The powerhouse defender turned Liverpool into a Premier League and Champions League winning team.
He was out most of last season with an injury that saw Liverpool unable to retain their crown, showing what an impact he has on the team.
The latest rating leaks show VVD as a 89 OVR, meaning we are unlikely to see any defenders rated over 90 in FIFA 22!
Strikers take advantage
On the other hand, we have seen reveals of Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema, both of whom saw an increased rating from the previous game.
It looks like EA is pushing strikers hard as the best players in the game.
Yes, both players had outstanding seasons, and are rightly deserving in their increased ratings, but is this a trend we will see throughout the game?
Goals galore!
If other ratings continue this way we could see a game of unreal strikers and average defenders, and that will only lead to one thing...
GOALS, GOALS, GOALS!
We all love scoring a worldie, but is this the right thing for the game?
If all games are finishing in double digits, will this take away the fun from scoring?
FUT will become even more of a shootout than before, with defending becoming harder than ever before.
Only time will tell if this will happen and whether or not it proves to be productive to the game.
Not all bad news for VVD
Despite a drop in rating, the centre back may prove more useful to play with.
Everyone knows the most important attribute in FIFA is pace.
In FUT, any player with less than 80 PAC is virtually unplayable.
However, leaks suggest that Van Dijk is due an increase in pace.
If this is true the CB will be even more popular on the game.
We all like using a powerful defender to bully attackers, and Van Dijk has strength in abundance, as well as being an aerial threat.
Losing a couple of points off his physical stats may not even be noticeable.
The added pace will be though - and is likely to be even more significant to any boosted cards he picks up in Ultimate Team,