Player Review

So I'd been grinding out this card over the past few days and I've now played enough games (12 to be exact) with him to get a good idea on what are his strengths and weaknesses. Overall he is a good card but not perfect which is why I've nicknamed him 'The Floater'. I'll explain as I get into the review. For context I am an elite division player (currently Div2 due to the new season) who usually gets 14 wins in Fut Champs. His defensive partner is WW Cozza who I believe compliments him very well due to his agile defending style and Med/High workrates.

Pace: 8.5/10

Nothing incredible but feels decent enough at catching up to attackers and getting out to apply pressure. The closest comparison I could probably make here is to somebody like gold Marquinhos or Kimpembe. Occasionally let down vs the rapid players (Mbappe etc) but usually reliable enough.

Dribbling: 7/10 (for a CB):

No major issues with agility and balance despite these being low. Questionable composure but once he has the ball under his control I didn't particularly notice it on the card due to his actual ball control and dribbling stats being better than the majority of centre-backs (83 and 80 respectively). If it wasn't for the reactions this would probably be a higher rating but I believe this partly contributes to why he is 'The Floater' as he doesn't often react fast enough to through balls or passes between the lines and ends up 'floating' around the pitch. More on that to come in the defending section.

Shooting: N/A

Passing: 8.5/10:

Probably one of my favourite things about Chalobah was his distribution from the back. 89 short and 83 long passing is good even on some of the top-tier CB's in the game; but coupled with 76 vision - which is better than some midfielders - Chalobah had no issue distributing the ball on either foot. Obviously you're not going to be cracking out 40-yard worldies across the pitch on his weak foot, but keep it relatively simple and you'll be playing to one of his best strengths.

Defending: 8.5/10

As far as standing tackles, sliding tackles and interceptions go this guy is top tier. He has a nice lanky body type in game which means he has a great interception reach to go with his great defensive stats. He is a big unit and will not easily be walked around if you are manually controlling him. The only stat I could question is the Def. Awareness which again brings us back to The Floater. Sometimes when dealing with through balls or keeping up with play in general he just decides to float around away from the play which has led to me conceding goals. I believe if he was Med/High rather than Med/Med this would be much less of an issue.

Physical: 9.5/10

Another one of Chalobah's biggest strengths that helps to mitigate his floating issues - oddly enough - is his actual strength. 96 is no joke at all and allows him to throw even the biggest baddest players around without much hassle. I believe his strength is the main reason that the composure (being low at 72) wasn't particularly an issue for me. You can easily shield the ball with him and even his exaggerated touches will remain under control. The ball control also definitely helps here. Aggression is good; not quite top tier but more than enough with the strength. The only reason I haven't given him a 10 here is the jumping. While FIFA 22 isn't a game designed particularly for headers, he can occasionally lose headers to shorter opposition if they have a high jumping stat.

Overall: 8.5/10

Mr Floater has a place in my heart. I loved the FS Osimhen grind back in Fifa 20 and this one was no different. He is a unique centreback who combines some traits of a CDM into his game with great distribution and decent on the ball abilities. The only real qualms I have with this card is his workrates and his reactions (AKA Floating Ability 10/10). Overall I would recommend him to anyone running a premier league based defense but without the resources for Rudiger, Varane or Dias. Make sure you partner him with a Low or Med/High centreback though! One floater is always more than enough.