#2 Midfielders
Nemanja Matic: 84→82
The Serbian CDM was one of the most important players for Chelsea in their title winning 2014-15 season but suffered a horrendous campaign last year.
Lethargic and lackluster, Matic was nowhere close to replicating the form he had shown, which may be a reason why he would probably be downgraded by a couple of points.
John Obi Mikel: 77→78
Mikel had some good matches in the latter half of last season as he was often chosen ahead of Nemanja Matic by Guus Hiddink. However, a one-point upgrade is all he’s going to get.
N’Golo Kante: 77→82
Kante had a brilliant season for Leicester as he was instrumental in the Foxes’ fairytale title win. Kante’s rating is expected to go up by leaps and bounds after his extraordinary performances.
The midfielder has become one of Chelsea’s star signings this summer and warrants an upgrade of a few points.
Cesc Fabregas: 87→87
The Spanish midfielder is considered one of the best passers of the game and is responsible for keeping the Chelsea midfield ticking. Fabregas’ rating is not expected to take a dip even though he had a poor first half of the season.
Fairly good post-winter performances should be enough to for him to maintain the 87 rating that he had in FIFA 16.
Oscar: 84→84
The talented midfielder often shows sparks of brilliance but is known to wither away after Christmas. It was the same old story for Oscar last season, too, as he started off well but could not keep up the tempo towards the latter half of the season. However, he is expected to hold on to his rating in FIFA 17.
Willian: 82→84
The tireless midfielder has become an asset to Chelsea in the past couple of years and is expected to shine next season as well. Willian was the only player who managed to play at the highest level throughout the season and was a highlight in Chelsea’s season which was terrible, to say the least.
A constant threat from set-pieces, Willian’s top class performances should give him a boost to at least 84 in FIFA 17.
Juan Cuadrado: 82→82
The winger was loaned to Juventus last season after Jose Mourinho found him surplus to his requirements. Cuadrado had a decent season out on loan with the Italian champions which should be enough not to be given a downgrade in FIFA 17.
Kenedy: 62→70
The young Brazilian winger was brought by Jose Mourinho and has impressed for the Blues in the few chances he has got. Kenedy was relatively an unknown figure in the European football scene before he played as a left-back for Chelsea.
Experience in the English top flight should be gifted with an upgrade of at least 5 points.
Eden Hazard: 89→88
The Belgian sensation was the Premier League’s best player in Chelsea’s 2014-15 title winning season. However, the winger was a mere shadow of his former self, last season for the Blues. Niggling injuries didn’t help his cause either as he was often benched in favour of other players.
He found a hint of form in the dying stages of the Premier League last season and had a good Euro campaign which should be enough to prevent his rating to take a big toll.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 63→69
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is poised to be the first player from the Chelsea Academy since John Terry to establish himself as a crucial squad member for the Blues.
The young midfielder was given quite a number of games by both Jose Mourinho and Guus Hiddink over the course of last season, where he largely impressed. Expect his rating to go up by at least 5 points.
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