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Manchester City top the FIFA 23 best teams list despite lagging behind Arsenal in the year-end Premier League standings. Indeed, there's no place at the top table for the Gunners in FIFA 23 – Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United all score higher according to the game's default team ratings. The top ten also features three Spanish outfits and the obvious German and French giants. All are profiled here, in your FIFA 23 best teams guide.
Manchester City: 258
Attack: 86
Midfield: 86
Defence: 86
The most well rounded team on FIFA - which has art imitating life as Pep Guradiola strives for balance on a football pitch. Dropping the massive Erling Haaland (88 OVR) into the mix just feels unfair with Kevin De Bruyne (91 OVR) pulling the strings behind him. Especially with Haaland proving a dominant force on the FIFA 23 best young players list.
There are no weak links in this squad - The additions of Kalvin Phillips (81 OVR), Julian Alvarez (78 OVR) and Manuel Akanji (81 OVR) are neat complimentary pieces to a powerhouse of a side which is defensively strong, creatively flowing and deadly up front.
Bayern Munich: 256
Attack: 89
Midfield: 85
Defence: 82
Having an attack which just pips PSG’s mighty lineup to the post is noteworthy. The loss of Robert Lewandowski (91 OVR) is somewhat offset with the addition of Mane (89 OVR) - who is no slouch when finding the net with a 86 finishing stat. Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry flank the attack to create a fearsome trio.
Defensively, Bayern are solid if not spectacular. Manuel Neuer anchors it in goal with a 90 overall rating and in front of him with the massive Matthijs de Ligt (85 OVR), who has perhaps not hit the heights many thought he would, but is still an outstanding defender - and he’s only 23-years-old. And let’s not forget Dayot Upamecano (81 OVR), who has massive potential.
Real Madrid: 254
Attack: 85
Midfield: 85
Defence: 84
Karim Benzema sits atop the tree for the European champions with a 91 overall rating, enough for him to also front the FIFA 23 ratings countdown. The Frenchman is supplied by Luka Modric (88 OVR) and Toni Kroos (88 OVR) - not bad, either. They’re a team which will be used to pull apart many back lines and score at will. The addition of Antonio Rudiger (87 OVR) bolsters a defensive steel which is marshaled at its base by Thibaut Courtois (90 OVR).
New addition Aurélien Tchouaméni (82 OVR) and starlet Eduardo Camavinga (79 OVR) don’t jump off the page just yet, but they’re loaded with potential and are natural successors in the middle of the park. Plenty of quality in the here and now coupled with stars for the future makes Madrid a terrifying prospect.
Chelsea: 254
Attack: 84
Midfield: 86
Defence: 84
Chelsea are a fun team to explore because of the number of new faces in the squad. Raheem Sterling (86 OVR) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (85) make up the bulk of a new-look attack - teamed with N’Golo Kante (89 OVR), Jorginho (85 OVR) and Mason Mount (84 OVR) the vibes are creative and chaotic for the Blues.
Chelsea always have great depth in FIFA games - no difference here. They may not be the strongest overall, but you could swap out, say, Ben Chilwell (82 OVR) for Marc Cucurella (81 OVR) or Mount for Mateo Kovacic (84 OVR) and not experience much drop off in quality. Perfect for a run at FIFA 23 career mode glory.
Liverpool: 253
Attack: 84
Midfield: 82
Defence: 87
Jurgen Klopp’s men are in transition. Losing Sadio Mane will hurt any team, but Luis Diaz (84 OVR) has hit the ground running and his acceleration of 92 and a sprint speed of 91 means opposition full backs are in hell when he’s on the ball. New boy Darwin Nunez is a respectable 82 overall, and his finishing currently isn’t anything to write home about (83), but his potential of 89 makes him enticing for the long haul.
Defensively, Liverpool are the best in the game, boasting Virgil van Dijk (90 OVR), Alisson (89 OVR), Trent Alexander-Arnold (87 OVR), Andy Robertson (87 OVR) and Joel Matip (84 OVR) - good luck trying to score past that. The midfield - like in real life - has some question marks over it. While Fabinho is a great shield for the back four and Thiago acts as the primary playmaker, there is a little else outside of that which will really scare the opposition.
Paris Saint-Germain: 253
Attack: 88
Midfield: 82
Defence: 83
The headline acts are obvious here: Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi both come in at a whopping 91 overall with third band member Neymar not far behind with 89 overall - though the latter two have experienced a drop in rating, not that you’ll notice it really. Inevitably, Mpabbe performs strongly on the FIFA 23 fastest players list.
It still boggles the mind that they have two world-class goalkeepers in the squad: Gianluigi Donnarumma (92 OVR) and Keylor Navas (88 OVR), with either of that pair anchoring an otherworldly defence. There is not much more to explain - PSG will many people’s choice to engage in some chaotic attacking.
FC Barcelona: 251
Attack: 84
Midfield: 85
Defence: 82
Barcelona lost Sergio Aguero to retirement due to medical reasons and then sold Aubameyang to Chelsea to leave a hole up top - which has now been filled by Lewandowski (91 OVR). Not a bad replacement.
Barca’s unusual financial gymnastics pay dividends for FIFA players here. Lewandowski joins Jules Kounde (84 OVR), Franck Kessie (84 OVR), Raphinha (83 OVR) and Hector Bellerin (79 OVR) amongst others to form a fun team while retaining Memphis Depay (85 OVR), Ousmane Dembele (83 OVR) and, of course, Frenkie de Jong (87 OVR). By hook or by crook, Barcelona remains one of FIFA 23’s best teams, and also appears in our best FIFA 23 kits guide.
Inter Milan: 251
Attack: 85
Midfield: 83
Defence: 83
Inter fell just short of the 10 best teams last year. But dropping Romelu Lukaku (86 OVR) back into the fold to go with Lautaro Martinez up front - both with 88 finishing stats, so watch out goalkeepers - will go a long way to propelling you up the ranking table.
Having a midfield three of Marcelo Brozovic (86 OVR), Nicolo Barella (86 OVR) and Hakan Calhanoglu (84 OVR) is a fun frenzy of defensive steel, imagination and goals. There is nothing particularly outstanding about the squad - but conversely, there is nothing that is really bad.
Manchester United: 248
Attack: 85
Midfield: 83
Defence: 80
The one surprise inclusion, but then again this is just a videogame. Cristiano Ronaldo’s 90 overall rating and new signing Casemiro’s 89 OVR bolster what is otherwise a good but not great squad in FIFA circles on paper.
Due to the form - or lack thereof - of United in recent years, some players have taken a dip. Marcus Rashford comes in at 81 overall - though his 90 sprint speed is useful. Harry Maguire has gone from 84 overall in FIFA 22 to 81 overall here. But there is still fun to be had: Bruno Fernandes (86 OVR), Jadon Sancho (84 OVR) and new Red Devils Christian Eriksen and Antony - both 82 overall - provide more than the flat, flavorless versions of United which have so often plagued them in the last decade.
Atletico Madrid: 244
Attack: 82
Midfield: 82
Defence: 80
Diego Simeone teams have always been greater than the sum of their parts. That isn’t to say the parts are bad, but many of their successes in recent years have come more through tremendous team spirit and organization rather than the individual brilliance which dots Real Madrid and Barcelona teams.
That is the case here. Antoine Griezmann’s rating continues to slightly dip (83 overall this year compared to 85 last year), but he is still a force - and you’ll be able to use him for longer than half an hour. Joao Felix (84 OVR) continues to be the attacking livewire with 89 dribbling and 88 ball control. Meanwhile Jan Oblak (89 OVR) is an elite and steady presence in goal.
