The real-life Team of the Year for the Barclays Premier League was announced earlier this week, featuring the league's most impressive performers this year. Thanks to EA Sports' corresponding update, the player cards for the Team of the Season in FIFA 14's Ultimate Team mode are now available
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EA updates FUT every week with player of the week cards based on who performed the most impressively in the last round of games, and they've now done it with this year's best. The cards and their ratings and attributes have been unveiled and released, but there are some differences from the real-life team.
This may bother some fans as it doesn't reflect the players who were voted to the official Team of the Year, but the developers' overall ratings of some players prevents EA from justifying their inclusion in FIFA 14's highest-rated players.
Gary Cahill has been left out of the team entirely despite his presence in the real selection, a glaring exclusion given his tremendous defensive performances this season (and especially obvious to me as a Chelsea fan). He's been replaced with Chelsea's other center back and captain John Terry, who has been equally as good this year.
Both Cahill and Terry probably should have been in the real Team of the Year to begin with, but Terry at least makes it into FIFA 14's version, joined by Vincent Kompany (who made the team in real life) and Arsenal's Per Mertesacker (who did not).
The developers might want to re-evaluate their player ratings if Terry and Cahill are somehow not in their starting XI despite forming the best defensive partnership in the league (and one of the best in Europe) all season, but I digress. EA at least had the sense to put Cesar Azpilicueta in the side, leaving out real-life selection Luke Shaw and giving the starting spot to the 88-rated Leighton Baines.
Things are more in-line with the real team in front of the defense, with Chelsea's Eden Hazard, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard and Manchester City's Yaya Toure leading the way. Aaron Ramsey has been included (as he should have been in reality) alongside selection Adam Lallana. The full official team is listed below, and you can check out EA's description of the players on the official site.
Starting XI
- GK: Petr ÄŒech - Chelsea
- LB: Leighton Baines - Everton
- CB: Vincent Kompany - Manchester City
- CB: Per Mertesacker - Arsenal
- RB: Séamus Coleman - Everton
- LM: Eden Hazard - Chelsea
- CM: Yaya Touré - Manchester City
- CM (CDM): Steven Gerrard - Liverpool
- RM (CDM): Aaron Ramsey - Arsenal
- ST: Luis Suárez - Liverpool
- ST: Daniel Sturridge - Liverpool
Substitutes & Reserves
- GK: David Marshall - Cardiff City
- CB: Vincent Kompany - Manchester City
- LB: Azpilicueta - Chelsea
- CAM: Adam Lallana - Southampton
- LM: David Silva - Manchester City
- RW: Raheem Sterling - Liverpool
- ST: Sergio Agüero - Manchester City