Reviews

I play Nacho in a 5 at the back formation. I am not entirely sure whether I prefer him in the middle or on one of the sides. Because of his great pace, he can provide good cover on the sides because I have my fullbacks instructed to always overlap. Because he is a solid passer and tolerable dribbler, I often like to play him through the middle so he can take the ball out of the back. The middle CB also tends to do the most defensive work of the 3, and because his defending stats are all great, he stands out. I think either of the side or center suits him well, but I am not a huge fan of him when playing 4 at the back because he is only 5'11" (although that is somewhat mitigated with an anchor giving him 94 jumping).

Pace: With an anchor he has 82 pace which is elite as far as CBs go. You can get that up to 89 which is borderline insane with a shadow, but I think the physical boost from the anchor is better than that extra pace. Anchor though is better than sentinel because even then he would only have 92 strength which, while alright, is not elite for a CB, particularly of his size; take the extra pace at the back which comes in handy, particularly because it allows you to play slower CB partners.

Shooting: Have never really tried shooting with him, but the stats don't look too promising. With 3 Cbs he often doesn't even go up for corners, so he never shows up in the box to shoot, which I prefer as he also has the pace to defend counter attacks from corners.

Passing: 86 short passing is very nice. He is good at taking the ball from the keeper and distributing to to the midfield. 65 long passing is a bit deceiving as he is capable of spraying some nice diagonal balls out wide to heavily attacking wingbacks.

Dribbling: His dribbling stat itself is relatively low at 59, but I've never had any problems with it even when I run with him up the wing (to get the ball to a wingback) or dribbling through the middle (to get the ball to the midfielders). I wouldn't go on any long runs with him though; take a few touches and then distribute to playmakers.

Defending: Very, very good defensively with anchor. 99 stand tackling and 99 slide tackling speak for themselves, as he almost always wins the ball. 90 interceptions is very nice, particularly in the middle of 3 CBs on aggressive interceptions as he will step forward and grab the ball, and then because he is a decent passer and okay dribbler he can start a quick counter. 96 heading is quite surprising for someone who is 5'11", and he does seem to win headers a lot of the time, however I would recommend playing a couple of taller CBs beside him in case you are coming up against a big aerially strong striker (I use Boateng and Gimenez). 88 marking would be the only potential concern, but very rarely does he lose the man he is marking. If he is flanked by other defenders who are elite markers, it can mitigate risk.

Physical: With an anchor, he has 87 strength, which is alright, but far from elite. It will suffice against the quick strikers, but may be called into question against a bigger one. Playing someone stronger next to him would be wise. 94 jumping and 90 aggression make him a surprisingly strong header despite being under 6'. 80 stamina is also quite high for a CB; if I feel uncomfortable in a certain game, I often take him out of CB and move him elsewhere because he has the qualities to play other positions (RB or CDM) but also enough stamina to make sure he is not dead.

Overall, I would say that he is best suited to a back 5 or 3 because of his lack of height and elite marking. If you play him as an outside CB, you will be making the most out of his pace, being able to cover on the sidelines. But I feel he is better suited to the central role where the outside CBs will cut out headers before they get to him, and mark any angled runs before they get central. Because he is a perfect tackler and has elite interceptions, the center CB role is perfect because this position often requires the most defensive effort in my experience. Further, because of his passing and dribbling, he will be able to charge out of the middle to either take the ball up the field himself (a little), deliver the ball to central midfielders, or spray the ball out wide to wingers/wingbacks. With Real Madrid playing Ajax as likely favorites, it is very likely/possible that he will receive another upgrade which will only boost him even more. 139,000 (at time of writing) is a lot for a CB (often more than I'm willing to pay for a defender, although I got him for 103,000), however, he is very solid, and is still much cheaper than Sergio Ramos and doesn't trail him by all that much. Combine that with the potential for multiple upgrades, he is worth a shot, whether you intend on playing him, or as an investment.