As a lifelong FIFA gamer with over 500 hours just on FIFA 23, I‘ve dedicated my virtual career to mastering midfield. I‘ve meticulously analyzed the stats and tested every elite CDM card in the game to find the perfect anchors for your Ultimate Team. This definitive guide will give you the edge to control matches with superior midfield generals.
What Makes a Complete CDM
An exceptional CDM needs to excel in several crucial areas to dominate central midfield:
- Defensive capabilities – Tackling, interceptions, positioning, aggression
- Physical power – Strength, jumping, stamina to cover ground
- Short passing – Retaining possession by recycling to teammates
- Long passing – Switching play to stretch opponents
- Dribbling technique – Beating the press under pressure
The best holding midfielders boss matches with their imposing defensive presence and intelligent distribution. Let‘s break down the top options in FIFA 23.
Joshua Kimmich (89) – The Perfect Modern CDM
Overall Rating: 89
Preferred Position: CDM
Best Chemistry Style: Anchor
I believe Bayern‘s Joshua Kimmich is the most complete CDM in FIFA 23. He simply has no weaknesses. Here‘s a detailed breakdown:
Defending
With 90 interceptions, 85 standing tackles and 78 sliding tackles, Kimmich is an elite ball winner who covers ground exceptionally. His positioning and reading of danger is sublime.
Physicality
94 stamina coupled with 89 aggression gives Kimmich an engine to cover every blade of grass and tenacity in challenges. He bosses midfield with his 6 ft frame.
Passing
With 90 long passing and 85 short passing, Kimmich sets the tempo from deep and switches play to launch attacks. Very few can distribute as accurately.
Shooting
Don‘t let his 68 finishing fool you – Kimmich bangs long range screamers for fun thanks to 83 long shots. Vital goals from midfield.
Dribbling
84 agility and 82 dribbling gives Kimmich silky technique to glide out of crowded midfield scraps. He drives forward with purpose.
Pace
77 acceleration allows Kimmich to cover attacking runs and get tight to opponents. Enough pace to fulfill his duties.
Kimmich is the model, modern complete midfielder blessed with intelligence, leadership and two-way game-dominating attributes.
He would walk into any elite Ultimate Team midfield. Let‘s compare him with other prime CDM options:
| Attribute | Kimmich | Kante | Casemiro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defending | 90 | 91 | 87 |
| Physicality | 89 | 93 | 85 |
| Passing | 88 | 80 | 84 |
| Shooting | 68 | 65 | 81 |
| Dribbling | 84 | 78 | 67 |
| Pace | 77 | 77 | 60 |
While Kante has superior defending skills and Casemiro packs more long shot power, Kimmich is more well-rounded without any weaknesses.
For the ultimate modern anchor midfielder, Joshua Kimmich stands alone as FIFA 23‘s #1 CDM.
N‘Golo Kante (89) – The Duracell Bunny
Overall Rating: 89
Preferred Position: CDM
Best Chemistry Style: Shadow
Chelsea‘s N‘Golo Kante is an absolute midfield machine. While standing at 5‘6", the French terrier covers every inch of grass to relentlessly win back possession. Let‘s examine why:
Unparalleled Engine
With an outrageous 95 stamina, Kante tirelessly chases down opponents like a possessed man for 90+ minutes. His 92 balance allows sharp turns to stay alert.
Telescopic Tackling
Despite his small frame, Kante has a giant tackling range. With 93 standing tackles and 91 interceptions, he is perfectly positioned to regain the ball.
Distribution Dilemma
With just 77 vision and 82 short passing, Kante lacks expansive distribution skills. He keeps it simple with short layoffs to retain possession.
Dribbling Finesse
Superb 78 agility, 78 dribbling and 84 composure allows Kante to glide out of packed midfield with close control. He drives into space.
While Kante‘s defensive metrics eclipse his peers, he doesn‘t have Kimmich or Casemiro‘s passing range from deep midfield. Nonetheless, his incredible engine and tackling makes him a destructive force.
If you want a relentless ball winner, Kante is your man. Just pair him with a deep-lying playmaker who can spread play.
Casemiro (89) – The Brazilian Anchor
Overall Rating: 89
Preferred Position: CDM
Best Chemistry Style: Backbone
As the defensive foundation behind 5 Champions League winning seasons with Real Madrid, Casemiro brings a winning pedigree to Manchester United. Let‘s examine his key attributes:
Physical Dominance
With a hulking 90 strength and 91 aggression, Casemiro imposed himself physically to regain possession and boss midfield scraps.
Crunching Tackler
87 standing tackles and 87 interceptions demonstrates ability to read danger and decisively win back the ball with firm challenges. Casemiro sets the tone.
Shooting Threat
Unlike traditional anchormen, Casemiro contributes goals from distance with a hammer of a right foot packing 81 long shots and 88 shot power.
Limitations
At 60 acceleration and 66 sprint speed, Casemiro lacks mobility to cover ground. He prefers sitting deep to mop up danger rather than pressing.
Casemiro represents more of an old-school extra enforcer rather than modern box-to-box threat. His lack of mobility hinders covering attacking runs. But he brings steel and leadership to midfield with imposing physicality and tackling bite.
An intelligent manager would pair the Brazilian battler with a nimble deep-lying playmaker who can dictate tempo.
Fabinho (87) – Liverpool‘s Samba General
Overall Rating: 87
Preferred Position: CDM
Best Chemistry Style: Guardian
Providing defensive cover for Liverpool‘s iconic attacking fullbacks, Fabinho is the midfield general who sets the tone with his physicality and aggression:
Distribution Maestro
With 82 long passing and 84 short passing, the Brazilian is impressive at changing angles of attack and retaining possession with crisp layoffs.
Defensive Colossus
Standing at 6‘2", Fabinho uses his large frame effectively. 88 interceptions and 88 standing tackles makes him a formidable barrier.
Box-to-Box Threat
Unlike traditional midfield anchors, Fabinho contributes 4 goals a season by arriving late with attacking runs thanks to 78 long shots.
While he thrives covering space for flying fullbacks at Liverpool, Fabinho could be exposed with less mobile teammates. Nonetheless, he‘s a complete balanced CDM blessed with the technical and physical attributes to influence matches heavily.
Rodri (87) – Manchester City‘s Metronome
Overall Rating: 87
Preferred Position: CDM
Best Chemistry Style: Architect
In Pep Guardiola‘s free-flowing Manchester City system, Rodri is the deep-lying tempo dictator. He initiates attacking moves with crisp distribution and breaks up play with intelligent positioning. Let‘s analyze key strengths:
Masterful Distribution
Rodri sprays passes with grace across the pitch, demonstrated by 88 vision and 86 long passing. He moves play quickly to unsettle defenses.
Defensive Awareness
While not blessed with blistering pace, Rodri reads danger sublimely. 87 interceptions and positional intelligence prevents opposition chances.
Versatile Skillset
Comfortable receiving the ball under pressure in tight areas thanks to 84 dribbling and 81 strength, Rodri fits the Guardiola prototype.
While Rodri won‘t aggressively impose himself like Casemiro or Kante, he brings cerebral qualities to build up play from deep areas and keep attacks flowing smoothly.
Best Chemistry Styles for CDMs
To truly maximize your CDM, selecting the optimal chemistry style is crucial. Here are my top recommendations:
- Anchor – Boosts pace, defense and physicality
- Guardian – Perfect balance of key attributes
- Backbone – Ideal for slower CDMs lacking mobility
- Architect – Enhances passing range on playmakers
- Shadow – Pace and defense accelerator
Make sure to tailor the chemistry style to accentuate key strengths and patch up weaknesses!
Tactical Setups to Unlock CDMs
Simply slotting a Kante or Casemiro into your team isn‘t enough – you need to leverage their skillsets strategically with customized tactics. Here is tactical advice catered to popular formations:
4-1-2-1-2 (Narrow)
This formation relies on CDMs winning back possession to trigger lightning fast counters. I‘d recommend a relentless press with 50 width to keep compact. Set CDMs to cut passing lanes and stay back on attack. Keep counter attacks and fast build up enabled for rapid transitions when your CDM regains possession.
4-3-3 (Attack)
Here the central CDM will cover fullbacks bombing forward. Use possession play with 65+ width to provide angles. The central CDM should man mark opponents‘ main playmaker and cut passing lanes. Disable player lock so he tracks runs. Let the CMS provide creativity from deep while your CDM focuses solely on breaking up play.
4-2-3-1 (Narrow)
This system relies heavily on the double pivot CDMs keeping balance. Tactics should be focused on ball retention rather than risky attacking. Use at least 60 width to stretch play. CDMs must stay back to provide outlets while cutting lanes. Solid midfielders like Kimmich suit the formation best.
There are optimal tactical approaches for every formation/CDM pairing to get the best from your players. Now to the fun stuff…
My Experience Bosses Midfield with Elite CDMs
I‘ve racked up over 100 FUT Champs wins relying on dominant CDMs to control games. Here‘s my first-hand experience using midfield destroyers:
Kimmich – The Complete General
Kimmich is simply flawless and has no defined weaknesses. I slap an Anchor chem style on him which gives a superb boost defending, physicality and pace. He tackles cleanly, covers ground quickly to cut out danger thanks to the pace upgrade. His passing range is elite – I generally play possession but Kimmich allows me to switch the angle of attack with surgical long diagonal balls to the wings. I score many goals by overloading a flank before pinging to the opposite winger or fullback in acres of space. In attack, Kimmich makes lethal late runs into the box and has a hammer of a long shot from distance. He contributes at least 10-15 goal contributions while running midfield with sheer presence.
Kante – The Tireless Terrier
While diminutive in size, Kante is a monstrous presence hounding the ball like a bloodhound thanks to his outrageous stamina levels. I typically use him as the central CDM in a midfield 3 and set to aggressive interceptions so he presses high to win possession. His tackling is immaculate – Kante always gets a foot in to regain possession, allowing me to retain the ball and build patient attacks. Don‘t be afraid to trigger Kante on manual runs from deep in midfield as he can dribble out of traffic supremely. Although he lacks elite passing, Kante keeps it simple and recycles possession with tidy short layoffs to retain the ball. Let your wingers and CAM focus on unlocking defenses – Kante puts out fires relentlessly.
Casemiro – The Enforcer
Casemiro instantly establishes midfield dominance with sheer physical enforcement, aggression and bone-crunching tackles. His tackling range is incredible – as the opposition receives the ball in midfield, Casemiro sticks a telescopic leg to get tight and win possession, then often drives forward due to his size and strength. I play him exclusively as a lone holding midfielder. With counter attacking tactics, winning second balls from Casemiro‘s tackling led to instant goals before opponents could react. While turning, his ability to spread long diagonal switches with his 90+ long passing provides a completely different avenue of attack. Casemiro breaks up play effectively and has the technique to punish teams on transitions.
Concluding Thoughts – Dominate Midfield with Elite CDMs
I hope this guide has provided a detailed blueprint to mastering midfield with intelligent CDM selection – the engine room that powers any successful team. Here are my final recommendations:
- Joshua Kimmich is simply flawless. No weaknesses with supreme versatility to fulfill multiple roles. My #1 choice.
- Kante has unmatched defensive prowess but requires a distributing partner. Ultimate pure ball winner.
- Casemiro brings physical enforcement and leadership. Midfield bully.
- Always tailor chemistry style/tactics to optimize strengths and mask weaknesses!
FIFA 23 offers great diversity with elite CDM options to anchor your Ultimate Team. Now get out there, lock down central areas and control the engine room on your path to glory! Let me know if you have any other questions – always happy to help a fellow fanatic.
