Alessandro Nesta, loved for his amazing defensive abilities, hated for his amazing defensive abilities. It’s not easy to play football at a top level for a decade, and this beloved Italian did it for two decades. With all he’s achieved he’s landed a 92 rated prime Icon card by EA Sports, but is he worth the price you’re asked to pay?

I used Nesta for 15 games in Division 1 and a couple Weekend League games, during which he had the basic chemistry style. My ratings for each section are based on CB’s in the game, not every player (For example, 4/5 pace does not mean he’s as fast as Messi, but someone like Sergio Ramos)

Here’s the team he captained:





PACE

Whether you’re someone who casually plays the Weekend League, dominates the Weekend League, or sticks to Divisions/Squad Battles, Nesta’s pace will meet your standard. 74 acceleration and 70 sprint speed is quality for a central defender. Let me explain. Most defenders have a higher sprint speed and lower acceleration, meaning they will get beat on a short run but can keep up in the long run. Nesta has a higher acceleration so he’s able to close down the space and make the tackle quickly, instead of having to catch up. Now while the difference between 70 and 74 is honestly quite small it feels larger in game. You notice how Nesta can switch from standing like a brick wall to giving his best Road Runner impression. I’d like to compare his pace to Sergio Ramos, as they seem very similar (and I used them alongside each other for three games), while Ramos slightly edged him out in speed, but barely. He isn’t your Ferdinand, Maldini, or TOTY Ramos, but he has the speed necessary.

Rating: 3.5/5





PASSING

An overlooked statistic for defenders, mostly central defenders, is passing. While they do a fantastic job of stopping an attack and taking possession, they must somehow switch from defending to attacking. The Italian Stallion has 81 short passing which is the normal passing you’d see on a forward/midfield gold card, but this is on an incredibly defensive player. For comparison, Chiellini has 59 short passing, Boateng has 75, SIF Benatia has 74, Ramos has 78. He’s in the top few that have above 80 short passing. It’s something you don’t realize was helpful until you try and send the ball up to Martial and it’s gone to the other side of the pitch, missing Alessandrini, and pelting Wenger in the face. It just adds another dimension to his card and something you never have to worry about because you’re able to count on him making the necessary pass.

Rating: 4/5 (This is in comparison to players similar to him, so CB’s)





DRIBBLING

Another seemingly overlooked statistic for defenders is their dribbling. Let me set the scene for you, my reader. Your opponent has gotten a free kick from ~25 yards out and they can smell the inside of the penalty area. 8 out of 11 of his players are in your box and 10 out of your 11 are crammed next to them like sardines in a can. This congested box reeks of sweat, very very expensive cologne, and oddly enough sardines. Lionel Messi makes his short run up to the ball, which seems to take forever, and lifts the ball as if it was a balloon; bending it down as quickly as it rose. The patented NikeTM football rings off the crossbar and cascades down into the bowels of the penalty area, surrounded by still motionless AI who all spring into action at the same time. Alessandro Nesta is granted by the grace of EA to touch the ball first. 78 ball control, 89 reactions, and 78 composure all spring into action right in time and he’s able to cleanly trap the ball, and punt it right out of play 20 yards up the field. Most of the top defenders right now, Ramos, Boateng, Ferdinand, etc. all have decent enough ball control and dribbling for their positions. Nesta is up in the top few (setting aside ridiculous cards who make this card irrelevant like TOTY Ramos) that can hold their own with the ball at their feet. He does not disappoint, but does not shine either, it’s once again, adding another dimension to his card.

Let’s not forget one eye sore in the dribbling category though, the atrocious 38 agility and 52 balance. The reason this isn’t much of a talking point for me right now is because I honestly did not notice it at all. Nesta doesn’t feel very clunky or painful to move with, but rather quite decent. If I had to guess before I looked I’d have said 65-70 agility and balance. I wouldn’t worry much about this to be honest.

Rating: 3/5





DEFENDING

Here we’ve reached the sole purpose of this card, to defend. Nesta flashes a juicy 94 defending on his card and he does not disappoint. 95 marking, 95 standing tackle, 94 sliding tacke, 93 interceptions, and 86 heading accuracy. You cannot ask for much more. He’s not a once trick pony who has amazing standing tackling but poor interceptions, no no no. Nesta covers every single area of defending, he is the complete defender through and though. Here’s what you’ll notice in game and what he feels like. He is always, and I mean always in the right place at the right time. His 95 marking and 93 interceptions means Nesta knows exactly where to stand at all times. If you’re not manually pulling him out of position Nesta seems to shut down every looming attack. Second are his lunges. Nesta commits to all of his tackles 110%, if you press the tackle button he is throwing his whole body at the ball and either ending the attack or snapping Ronaldo’s ankle. Nine times out of ten he’s ending the attack since he has that incredible 95 standing tackle. And lastly are his interceptions, Nesta does a great job of not only being in the right place but stepping up at the perfect time to intercept a dangerous pass. Sometimes things get crazy and very touch close but somehow Nesta walks out of the pile with the ball on his feet having stolen it from someone expertly.

Rating: 5/5





PHYSICAL

The second most important category on a defenders card is his physical ability. Nesta boasts 92 strength, 87 aggression, 84 jumping, and 73 stamina. This review is about being honest, and trying to give you an idea of what it’s like to use Nesta’s card in game. So with that being said I believe his strength feels lower than 92. He doesn’t seem to get very physical and at times I’ve been beat by the likes of Salah and Suarez in a shoulder-to-shoulder battle. When you supposedly have +10 strength on a player you’d think it’s a no brainer that Nesta would come out on top, yet he hasn’t. It’s not only two moments as you can count those out as flukes but I’ve noticed it occasionally throughout the fifteen games. Do not get me wrong he’s a strong player, but I feel that 88 strength sounds more appropriate for how he felt in game. His stamina is of course no issue as CB’s move a lot less and only need ~70 stamina to play 90 minutes plus a slice more. His jumping felt average at best, he’s tall enough (6”2’) so he’s not invisible in the air, but he doesn’t dominate like Vieira or Ramos would. All in all his physical was bang average in my eyes, and didn’t really impress me like his tackling and marking did.

Rating: 3/5 (It was good, but I felt like I was lied to and a little let down)





MENTALITY

Last but not least, is everything else about Nesta. He has the “Power Header” trait, I can’t quite speak to this because I didn’t find him in corners all too often, but of course he has the “Tackler” specialty as well as the “Strength” specialty, both of which I had spoken about before. His work rates are perfect for a defender, Medium / High, and work wonderfully with his positioning. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Nesta is always in the right place and if someone sneaks by him it’s my fault. 6”2’ (187cm) is a very good height for a CB, he’s not too tall so he feels clunky, but not too short that he can’t play physically/in the air.

Rating: 3.5/5





CONSENSUS

Here’s my two cents on Nesta. He’s a brilliant defensive player who has some speed to him, and he has no trouble dribbling/passing. BUT there’s a catch, first off there are players who are better than him. This game caters to a specific play style and if you really want success, you roll with the Meta super team. I would not include the new prime Nesta in your team if you already have Ferdinand and/or Sergio Ramos. I think that the regular 90 Ramos is a better card, same goes with middle/prime Ferdinand, and Desailly (I haven’t tried Blanc but possibly him as well), and of course Maldini. All of these cards have something in common and that’s speed. If you want a very successful CB you want the fastest and best defensive combination and while Nesta is amazing, he isn’t AS fast as Ferdinand, Ramos, Desailly, and Maldini.



I’ll get to my second point though, and that’s something along the lines of passion. You don’t hear much about 91 Pires, but as an Arsenal fan I went ahead and did his SBC a month ago. He has over 162 goal contributions in 161 games playing LW and I haven’t thought twice about replacing him. Some players work for you while others don’t. Another example for me is Icon Schmeichel who was my best goalkeeper before the Vieira SBC came out but is largely hated by the community. If you grew up watching Nesta and he has a soft spot in your heart, and you have the coins, I encourage you to use him because he’s an amazing CB but also brings some fun back into the game getting to use a player you have idolized.

He’s fantastic, but doesn’t fit the meta. If you want that 39/40 wins in the weekend league don’t bother, if you want a great CB then go with Ramos who’s much cheaper. But if you want a great CB, you have the coins to spare and your team is already set, enjoy Nesta before FIFA 19 comes out.

Final Rating: 3.67/5

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