Another player who has been mugged off by EA in the ratings is Toni Kroos. Despite seeing a marginal increase from his score of 84 in last year's game, like Costa, Kroos too should have seen a larger boost than the one he has received, and some of his core stats are slightly erratic to say the least. An 89 for passing seems about right, but his score of 69 for physicality suggests he's a pensioner rather than a professional footballer while 58 for pace indicates he's a slug. These numbers are barmy because the Germany World Cup winner has been one of the best midfielders in the world over the course of the last 12 months. Kroos pulled all the strings in Bayern Munich's midfield last season while he also shone at the World Cup, finishing as the tournament's joint-highest assist maker after creating four goals - tying with Colombia's Juan Cuadrado. He was instrumental in his side winning the finals in Brazil and should have seen an increase to at least 86 as reward for his recent performances.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
