FIVE West Ham players who can expect a higher rating on FIFA 15

OK, we all know that the players’ ratings for the annual FIFA game do not necessarily reflect the true performances of the player during the season. For example, I can remember Matt Jarvis and Modibo Maiga being unbelievably good on my FIFA 13 game with very high ratings during the season that the pair were purchased by the Hammers.

Ahead of the release of FIFA 15, on September the 26^th, it is worth examining which West Ham players of the current crop would have caught the eye of the game creators either last season or at the start of this campaign, and see an improvement on their FIFA 14 ratings.

Adrian San Miguel

The Spanish stopper wasn’t too well known in England this time last year, having yet to have made his first Premier League appearance for the Hammers, but still scored a respectable overall 76 on the ratings on FIFA 14.

This was based presumably on his performances in the Spanish league with Real Betis. However, I think his score will improve by a good margin for the new game. Having made himself the first choice keeper in the middle of last season, Adrian produced some eye catching displays, none more so than when he kept a clean sheet away to Chelsea, where he repelled a barrage of shots on his goal.

Overall he showed that he has great shot stopping abilities, as well as good agility and reactions, which the makers cannot have failed to have noticed. Personally, I think he deserves a couple of extra points just having such a brilliant name.

My Prediction: 82

Aaron Cresswell

Cresswell only had an overall rating of 70 on FIFA 14, probably largely because of the level he was competing at, but we all know that he is a much better player than that based upon his performances so far at West Ham.

By all accounts, the left back had a very good season for Ipswich Town in the Championship last time out, which led to his move to Upton Park in this summers transfer window.

The transfer to the Premier League will alone push up the youngsters rating, and the promise shown by his attacking abilities and cultured left foot will not damage his score in any way. I do not think he is quite ready to push the coveted 80 mark yet though.

My Prediction: 77

Cheikhou Kouyate

Another of the summer arrivals, Kouyate has so far fit into the side as though he has been playing in the East End his whole career which already makes him an early favourite with the Hammers faithful.

The Senegalese international, now 24, was regarded as primarily a centre-back in FIFA 14, but his all action displays in centre midfield in the early part of the current campaign will surely confirm him as a midfielder, who can play in defence as a secondary role. Few Hammers fans would question the notion that his 74 rating on FIFA 14 was far too low, and Kouyate’s energy and power in particular, should get him nudging the 80 mark. I will be a little conservative with my estimation as to his new overall rating, however.

My Prediction: 79

Mark Noble

There is no doubt whatsoever that Mark Noble was the standout player in a claret and blue shirt last season, in a fairly disappointing year for the club.

The Hammer of the Year somewhat predictably got overlooked for England yet again when the squad was announced last week, but I am hopeful that FIFA 15 will honour his contributions over recent times with a higher rating than the measly 75 he was awarded in the previous years game. His energy and work rate are second to none; indeed he clocked the most miles of any player in the Premier League last season, which should certainly push his score up somewhat.

My Prediction: 80

Enner Valencia

Another new boy to the club, Enner Valencia was unsurprisingly provided with a lowly rating of 70 on FIFA 14. However, since then, he has caught attention at the recent World Cup in Brazil, with some good performances and three goals for his native Ecuador.

On the back of this, Valencia got his dream move to the Premier League, in the form of West Ham in a big money deal. It is almost a certainty therefore that Valencia’s rating will go up by a significant amount. That being said, there has been no clue so far as to how the forward will adapt to English football, as he has only been used sparingly by the Hammers so far.

My Prediction: 77