Player Review
88 - SBC
WORTH IT!
Is Skriniar worth doing the SBC? In my opinion, absolutely! I run a Serie A squad in 4-5-1 formation with Skriniar at LCB alongside Chiellini. This version of Skriniar is amazing for a number of reasons.
WHY
First and foremost, his 89 defending stat. Boasting a 90 Stand Tackle, 94 Marking, and 87 Interceptions, his defensive capabilities are outstanding. I personally play this version of Skriniar with aggressive interceptions on because he has great interceptions and aggression.
The next major upside is his physical stat. 84 overall may not seem super impressive but look at the individual stats: 88 aggression, 85 strength, 78 stamina, and 79 jumping. With aggression and strength in the mid to upper 80s, as well as his 90 standing tackle stat, he does a great job of winning the ball in a lot of situations. I feel like I win a lot more of those "50/50" situations with him. Although his stamina is 78, that shouldn't be too much of an issue unless you are playing a high press and keeping your defensive line forward, allowing attackers the opportunity to make runs in behind. The only stat I feel could be an issue is his 79 jumping. Although he is 6'2" I occasionally get concerned when my opponent attempts early crosses as jumping on the run seems to be Skriniar's only real defensive weakness.
The rest of the stats are nothing to really write home about with a few exceptions. I think it is worth mentioning his 87 reactions, 86 composure and his 76 and 73 short and long passing (respectively). Skriniar's 87 reactions allow him to make those last ditch efforts at clearing the ball off the line and getting in a crucial touch to get the ball out of the box.He has been a lifesaver at the back for me multiple times. The 86 composure rating keeps him from feeling the pressure so much in 1 on 1 and 2 on 1 situations or 1 on 1's in the box. He doesn't give away clumsy fouls or penalties. With constant pressure being an issue for some players, it is worth noting his 76 Short pass stat. This stat, along with his strength can hold an attacker off of the ball and turn to make passes out of pressure with ease compared to other defenders. The last stat I want to mention is his 73 Long Pass stat. While it's something that a lot of players wouldn't normally utilize frequently, I like to play counter attacks and long balls as frequently as possible because I run a pacey attacking squad. His 73 Long Passing, while not always as accurate as I would like, does allow for some good releases and runs in behind and is good enough to mention.
ALTERNATIVES
Prior to using this card I would rotate through several Serie A defenders including Chiellini, Koulibaly,regular Skriniar, and Manolas. Since getting this card, I start Skriniar every game and defend more confidently.
If looking for alternatives to 87 Skriniar, any of the defenders mentioned above worked well for me.
DOWNSIDES
If you play with a really high press and an attacker like Aubameyang gets in behind, don't expect to catch him. I'm not saying this Skriniar is slow, but with a 74 Pace rating (71 Acceleration 75 Sprint Speed) he's not the fastest defender in the world. That being said, the only faster defender in Serie A is Manolas. The only other downside that comes to mind immediately is that in 50 games with the 87 version (I have used the regular version for 120), I have scored zero goals from corners with Skriniar (and only 2 with the regular version). Other defenders such as Chiellini, I score from corners with frequently.
- DEFENSIVE POWERHOUSE!!! I really feel that his stats are misleading as he defends as if he has 95 defending.
- Physical
- Reliable, consistent
- Marking
- Tackling
- Strength
- Aggression
- Reactions
- Composure
- 74 pace. Slap an Anchor or Shadow on him if you play a high press
- Doesn't score headers from corners
- Jumping stat isn't always enough when defending early crosses