With FIFA 14 launching today, Aston Villa Life wanted to take a statistical look at the players in the Premier League and further afield, with two of Aston Villa’s featuring as one of the top five in their class.

REVEALED: THE MUST HAVE PLAYERS IN THIS YEAR’S MUST HAVE GAME

EA SPORTS™ FIFA 14, the latest installment in the top-selling video game series, hits the shelves worldwide today. The award winning franchise is now in its 21st year and whilst a host of new game play features have sent excitement levels soaring amongst gamers, it’s the latest update of the player ratings that will set tongues wagging within the football fraternity. 

The player ratings are a source of hot debate amongst gamers and professional footballers with the likes of Rio Ferdinand taking to twitter in the past to voice his displeasure at diminishing pace stats†. So, to fuel the discussion, EA SPORTS has exclusively revealed the best players in the new game based on a variety of attributes listed in FIFA Ultimate Team. The stats reveal:

• Manchester United has three of the top five finishers in the Premier League…

• Arsenal is home to two of the top five fastest players in the Premier League…

• Barcelona trio Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas are the game’s top three passers…

• Both sides of Manchester are represented in the game’s top five defenders…

• There’s an unexpected name in the Premier League’s most skilful players…

• Five Premier League players have a perfect weak foot, including a Tiger and a Hammer…

The EA SPORTS team analyse footage from all over the world to create a formula for player ratings, making the game’s ratings the ultimate benchmark of the best footballers in the world. We take a look at the best players based on their FIFA Ultimate Team rating.

FOR GOALS… SIGN UP MANCHESTER UNITED STRIKEFORCE

With FIFA 14 offering improved “pure shot” technology, scoring goals will feel more rewarding than ever before. For gamers looking to take advantage of this, Manchester United have three of the Premier League’s top five finishers. New Spurs signing Roberto Soldado jumps straight into third place among the Premier League’s strikers, while Sergio Aguero represents the blue half of Manchester in second place:

Best finishers in the Premier League:

1 Manchester United – van Persie, Robin
2 Manchester City – Agüero, Sergio
3 Tottenham Hotspur – Soldado Rillo, Roberto
4 Manchester United – Hernández, Javier
5 Manchester United – Rooney, Wayne

FOR PACE… HEAD TO NORTH LONDON, LA LIGA, OR THE BUNDESLIGA

Gamers will benefit from new sprint dribble turns in the game this year, with players able to utilise quick, explosive cuts and turns to beat defenders one-on-one with the ball. That makes speed an even more powerful weapon in the game. Arsenal are the only team to have two players in the Premier League’s top five fastest players, with Ryo Miyaichi a hidden gem of pace. Meanwhile, Serie A contributes two players to the list of the world’s fastest, and Mathis Bolly of the Bundesliga’s second tier is the only player not playing in their country’s top division to make the top 5 globally in any of the criteria released by EA SPORTS.

Fastest players in the Premier League:

1 Arsenal – Walcott, Theo
2 Arsenal – Miyaichi, Ryo
3 Newcastle United – Rémy, Loïc
4 Tottenham Hotspur – Walker, Kyle
5 Aston Villa – Agbonlahor, Gabriel

Fastest players in the world:

1 Parma – Biabiany, Jonathan
2 Fortuna Düsseldorf – Bolly, Mathis
3 Arsenal – Walcott, Theo
4 Borussia Dortmund – Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick
5 Cagliari – Ibarbo, Víctor

FOR PASSING… BRING IN BRITTON OR BARGAIN WITH BARCA

It will come as a surprise to few that Barcelona contribute three of the top five passers of the ball in FIFA 14, with Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas taking the top slots. With FIFA 14 placing a greater emphasis on building up play through midfield thanks to improved team mate intelligence and a more realistic variation in dribble touches, Barcelona’s pass masters become even more valuable to Ultimate team managers. In the Premier League, Swansea fans will be delighted to see Leon Britton ranked fourth in the League for passing, and the top ranked English player ahead of Manchester United’s Michael Carrick, making him an astute signing for your Ultimate Team.

Top 5 passers in the world:

1 FC Barcelona – Hernández Creus, Xavier
2 FC Barcelona – Iniesta Luján, Andrés
3 FC Barcelona – Fàbregas i Soler, Francesc
4 Juventus – Pirlo, Andrea
5 Real Madrid – Modrić, Luka

Top 5 passers in the Premier League:

1 Manchester City – Jimenez Silva, David Josué
2 Arsenal – Özil, Mesut
3 Chelsea – Mata García, Juan Manuel
4 Swansea City – Britton, Leon
5 Manchester United – Carrick, Michael

FOR DRIBBLING… MIRROR CHELSEA AND SPURS’ SUMMER SIGNINGS

FIFA 14 has transformed dribbling, with player skill greatly impacting on their control when running with the ball. If you’re used to holding down sprint and retaining the ball then you’ll need to rethink your game, and bring in players from Bayern or Barca to your Ultimate Team. The Bundesliga champions have two of the top five players in the game for dribbling in Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, while the Catalan giants have three in Messi, Neymar, and Iniesta. Premier League fans can look forward to seeing some new skills on show, as two of the top five dribblers in the Premier League are new to the division after the summer transfer window, with Willian ranked third and Erik Lamela fifth. FIFA Ultimate Team managers should take inspiration from Mourinho and Villas Boas and ensure they sign players skilled on the ball.

Top 5 dribblers in the world:

1 FC Barcelona – Messi, Lionel
2 Bayern München – Ribéry, Franck
3 Bayern München – Robben, Arjen
4 FC Barcelona – da Silva Santos Júnior, Neymar
5 FC Barcelona – Iniesta Luján, Andrés

Top 5 dribblers in the Premier League:

1 Liverpool – Suárez, Luis
2 Manchester City – Agüero, Sergio
3 Chelsea – Willian
4 Manchester United – Nani
5 Tottenham Hotspur – Lamela, Erik

FOR THE BEST DEFENCE… HEAD TO THE NORTH WEST

At the other end of the virtual pitch, defending has been transformed in FIFA 14 with second chance tackles giving defenders the chance to recover from missed tackles. Rio Ferdinand may have questioned EA SPORTS on his stats previously, but he can’t have any complaints as he remains in the Premier League’s top 5 defenders. Ferdinand is ranked fifth, with his team mate Nemanja Vidic the Premier League’s top defender.

Top 5 defenders in the Premier League:

1 Manchester United – Vidić, Nemanja
2 Manchester City – Kompany, Vincent
3 Chelsea – Cole, Ashley
4 Everton – Baines, Leighton
5 Manchester United – Ferdinand, Rio

FOR AERIAL THREAT… SCOUR THE SWISS LEAGUES AND FC SION

When looking for the best headers of the ball in FIFA 14, the Swiss Super League may not be your first port of call. However, FC Sion’s Vilmos Vanczak has the best heading stats in the game, making him an astute target for FIFA Ultimate Team managers looking for a bargain centre back. Closer to home, the Premier League is home to two of the top 5 headers of the ball in the game, with Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker ranked second, above Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic in fourth.

Top 5 headers in the world:

1 FC Sion – Vanczák, Vilmos
2 Arsenal – Mertesacker, Per
3 Bayern München – van Buyten, Daniel
4 Manchester United – Vidić, Nemanja
5 Borussia Dortmund- Hummels, Mats

FOR SKILLS… RAID STOKE AND FULHAM?!

With even more new skill moves, and performing them simplified to using the right stick, EA SPORTS FIFA 14 is all about using your skills to beat defenders. FIFA Ultimate Team players often look for five star skill move players in unusual places, and there are just four to be found in the Premier League. While Nani at Manchester United may not surprise many, and Newcastle’s Hatem Ben Arfa and Adel Taraabt are also known for their skills, Stoke’s on-loan Morrocan winger Oussama Assaidi is an unknown quantity to many and the fourth player in the Premier League to be rated five stars for skill moves.

Manchester United – Nani
Newcastle United – Hatem Ben Arfa
Fulham – Adel Taraabt
Stoke City – Oussama Assaidi

FOR A TWO FOOTED THREAT… SET YOUR SIGHTS ON WEST HAM, HULL OR VILLA

As shooting, dribbling, and passing in FIFA 14 are more realistic than ever, so being two-footed is more important than ever. Having a perfect weak foot means the player can play as comfortably on their weak foot as their strong, making them a vital resource in any FIFA Ultimate Team.

Five players with perfect ‘weak’ foot in the Premier League:

1 Arsenal – Santi Cazorla
2 West Ham United – Matt Jarvis
3 Hull City – Tom Huddlestone
4 Chelsea – Kevin de Bruyne
5 Aston Villa – Aleksander Tonev

FULL PLAYER RATINGS AND INFORMATION

Best finishers in the Premier League:

1 Manchester United – van Persie, Robin
2 Manchester City – Agüero, Sergio
3 Tottenham Hotspur – Soldado Rillo, Roberto
4 Manchester United – Hernández, Javier
5 Manchester United – Rooney, Wayne

Best finishers in world:

1 FC Barcelona – Messi, Lionel
2 AS Monaco – García Zarate, Radamel Falcao
3 Real Madrid – dos Santos Aveiro, Cristiano Ronaldo
4 Manchester United – van Persie, Robin
5 Paris Saint-Germain – Ibrahimović, Zlatan

Fastest players in the Premier League:

1 Arsenal – Walcott, Theo
2 Arsenal – Miyaichi, Ryo
3 Newcastle United – Rémy, Loïc
4 Tottenham Hotspur – Walker, Kyle
5 Aston Villa – Agbonlahor, Gabriel

Fastest players in the world:

1 Parma – Biabiany, Jonathan
2 Fortuna Düsseldorf – Bolly, Mathis
3 Arsenal – Walcott, Theo
4 Borussia Dortmund – Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick
5 Cagliari – Ibarbo, Víctor

Top 5 passers in the world:

1 FC Barcelona – Hernández Creus, Xavier
2 FC Barcelona – Iniesta Luján, Andrés
3 FC Barcelona – Fàbregas i Soler, Francesc
4 Juventus – Pirlo, Andrea
5 Real Madrid – Modrić, Luka

Top 5 passers in the Premier League:

1 Manchester City – Jimenez Silva, David Josué
2 Arsenal – Özil, Mesut
3 Chelsea – Mata García, Juan Manuel
4 Swansea City – Britton, Leon
5 Manchester United – Carrick, Michael

Top 5 dribblers in the world:

1 FC Barcelona – Messi, Lionel
2 Bayern München – Ribéry, Franck
3 Bayern München – Robben, Arjen
4 FC Barcelona – da Silva Santos Júnior, Neymar
5 FC Barcelona – Iniesta Luján, Andrés

Top 5 dribblers in the Premier League:

1 Liverpool – Suárez, Luis
2 Manchester City – Agüero, Sergio
3 Chelsea – Willian
4 Manchester United – Nani
5 Tottenham Hotspur – Lamela, Erik

Top 5 defenders in the Premier League:

1 Manchester United – Vidić, Nemanja
2 Manchester City – Kompany, Vincent
3 Chelsea – Cole, Ashley
4 Everton – Baines, Leighton
5 Manchester United – Ferdinand, Rio

Top 5 defenders in the world:

1 Paris Saint-Germain – da Silva, Thiago Emiliano
2 Bayern München – Lahm, Philipp
3 Manchester United – Vidić, Nemanja
4 Manchester City – Kompany, Vincent
5 Real Madrid – Ramos García, Sergio

Top 5 headers in the world:

1 FC Sion – Vanczák, Vilmos
2 Arsenal – Mertesacker, Per
3 Bayern München – van Buyten, Daniel
4 Manchester United – Vidić, Nemanja
5 Borussia Dortmund – Hummels, Mats

Top 5 headers in the Premier League:

1 Arsenal – Mertesacker, Per
2 Manchester United – Vidić, Nemanja
3 Chelsea – Terry, John
4 Manchester City – Lescott, Joleon
5 Manchester City – Demichelis, Martín

Five players with five star skill moves in the world:

1 Manchester United – Nani
2 FC Barcelona – Neymar
3 Paris St Germain – Zlatan Ibrahimovic
4 Bayern Munich – Franck Ribery
5 Real Madrid – Cristiano Ronaldo

Four players with five star skill moves in the Premier League:

1 Manchester United – Nani
2 Newcastle United – Hatem Ben Arfa
3 Fulham – Adel Taraabt
4 Stoke City – Oussama Assaidi

Five players with perfect weak foot in the world:

1 FC Barcelona – Neymar
2 Arsenal – Santi Cazorla
3 Bayern Munchen – Toni Kroos
4 FC Barcelona – Pedro
5 Internacional – Diego Forlan

Five players with perfect weak foot in the Premier League:

1 Arsenal – Santi Cazorla
2 West Ham United – Matt Jarvis
3 Hull City – Tom Huddlestone
4 Chelsea – Kevin de Bruyne
5 Aston Villa – Aleksander Tonev