FIFA 22: Head to head goalkeeper comparison

In real life and in FIFA 22, Jan Oblak, Manuel Neuer, and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen are among the best goalkeepers in the world.

Mbappe in FIFA 22. (Credits EA)
By Aaryanshi Mohan | Oct 25, 2021 | 4 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

FIFA 22 has elevated goalkeeping to new heights, yet some footballers have always excelled in the sport regardless of the circumstances.

In real life, goalkeeping is one of the most important aspects of a team, since a good goalkeeper can make all the difference. It’s the same in FIFA 22 as it is for players all over the world who have invested in good goalkeepers.

In real life and in FIFA 22, Jan Oblak, Manuel Neuer, and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen are among the best goalkeepers in the world. These goalkeepers have excellent positional awareness, shot-stopping and handling skills, and lightning-quick reflexes. These goalkeepers outperform the majority of the other goalkeepers in FIFA 22.

But, when we pit the three against each other, who emerges as the greatest in FIFA 22? Let’s have a look.

FIFA 22 players: Oblak vs Neuer vs Ter Stegen

Jan Oblak

OVR: 91

Club: Atletico Madrid

With a base rating of 91, Jan Oblak is the highest-rated goalkeeper in FIFA 22. Oblak is a fantastic shot saver, with 90-percentile reflexes and 92-percentile handling. His 90 positioning stat makes him a formidable opponent for crosses and set-pieces. He’s a little slow for a goalkeeper, which makes one-on-one close-downs difficult.

Manuel Neuer

OVR: 90

Club: Bayern Munich

Manuel Neuer has rewritten the rules of goalkeeping in the current era. Sweeper keepers are descendants of his unique yet intriguing way of making advanced clearances. Neuer has an 88 in diving, reaction, and handling in FIFA 22. In addition, he is ranked 89th in the world. His pace of 56 seems odd to me, given how agile Neuer is even without the ball.

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen

OVR: 90

Club: Barcelona

The question of who should be Germany’s No. 1 in world football has always sparked heated debate. In FIFA 22, the Barcelona goalkeeper has a handling rating of 85 and a reaction rating of 90. Furthermore, he has an 88 in both placement and diving. He is, however, the slowest of the three, with a FIFA 22 speed of only 43.

Who triumphs?

Following a thorough analysis, it is clear that Oblak and Neuer are marginally ahead of Ter Stegen in FIFA 22. Neuer will be a better fit for players that prefer to play on high lines. However, Jan Oblak is the winner of the three based on the FIFA 22 match engine and meta strategies work. Despite being slower than Neuer, Oblak possesses excellent saving statistics that have yet to be surpassed by any non-iconic card in FIFA 22.

Improved game play in FIFA 22

That grave concern has been sorted out impressively in the latest version. Pace does play a part, and having pacy players in the squad can provide the team with a better chance to score a goal on the counter. However, the speed attributes are no longer the only defining criteria to create and score the goals. FIFA 22 has made the gameplay feel more lifelike, meaning users have to be patient in breaking down the opponent’s defence to create goalscoring chances.

This can come as a problem for the pace-reliant users. However, the majority of the gamers how found the new change to be a welcome sign. Even the last before version – FIFA 20 – was not purely pace-focussed. FIFA 20 needed users to break down an opposition defence using their passing abilities or through skill moves. FIFA 21 was a rare exception. Thankfully, EA has rectified its mistake in removing the overreliance on a player’s speed.

Having said that, EA has not ignored pace completely and has added a new feature to give a momentary advantage using a player’s speed. ‘Explosive Sprint’ gives players a more noticeable acceleration when the sprint button is pressed during the correct context. It helps in giving a sudden burst of pace something similar to what Lionel Messi used to do for several years in Barcelona to get away from a crowded group of defenders. But, the ‘Explosive Sprint’ only happens for a short duration when activated.

Variety to attacking tactics

Notably, EA Sports recorded a full 11 vs 11 match using tracking technology that improved the tactical AI. It also makes the flow of games, player humanisation, composed ball control, and Kinectic Air Battles among other things look pleasing on the eye. Players can be seen talking to each other on the pitch, while teammates point to certain areas as they request passes that show a better understanding of match situations.

One of the biggest and never-seen-before benefits of FIFA 22 is breaking down the attacking tactics into two sections – ‘Build Up Play’ and ‘Chance Creation’. This separation can enable players to have more control over playing styles and team behaviors. 

‘Build Up Play’ is about how the team moves the ball when they are in possession in their own half. A user can choose to slowly build the attack or try to push up as fast as possible. ‘Chance Creation’ is about how the team builds the attack in the opponent’s half. It allows the users to retain the possession in the attacking third or deploy direct runners among others. This new addition makes the game really interesting for its users to play.