EA FC 25 Team of the Week 23: Highlights From the Best Performance in World Football This Week and One Player Snubbed Without Cause

It’s Thursday which means it’s time for us to take a look at the real world action that got players their spots on this week’s EA FC 25 FUT Team of the Week. As in prior weeks, there’s an abundance of key goal scoring to come, along with a man leading one of the most impressive defensive displays of the season, as well as a look at one name that I can’t believe EA omitted.

EA FC 25 Team of the Week 23 Highlights

Mikel Merino Continues Arsenal’s New Tradition

It’s February and Arsenal are back from Dubai, which means it’s time for Arsenal’s struggling left-eight signing to find his place as an emergency striker goal scoring machine. With last season’s hero Kai Havertz suffering an injury during the team’s away camp, a giant hole was left at striker for the Gunners’ injury-ravaged frontline. Through 80 minutes, that seemed set to condemn Arsenal to a title chase-ending draw. But Mikel Merino showed his knack for runs into the box and big size translated well to the Havertz role, with a quickfire brace jumpstarting his Arsenal career and the Gunners’ Liverpool pursuit. I for one look forward to the Martin Zubimendi brace next year when Havertz, Merino and Arsenal’s summer striker signing all bash knees together, forcing the struggling new signing into the frontline.

Bunny Shaw Defies The Bigots

After being forced out of the lineup due to the emotional strain of racial abuse received online, Manchester City’s Bunny Shaw was back in WSL action this weekend and made it clear the outside idiots would have no impact of her play on the pitch. Always one of the most dangerous finishers in the world, Shaw scored a brace of goals in the box for the Citizens as they kept pace in the three-team race for two Champions League places where City currently sit just on the outside. If Shaw keeps firing on like this, City will continue to keep the pressure on United and Arsenal for the duration of the season.

Kadidiatou Diani, The Hat Trick Hero

While winning the game ball is no guarantee of a spot on the Team of the Week, it’s certainly a good way to stake your claim. And Kadidiatou Diani did just that with her 25-minute hat trick on either side of the halftime interval. Diani showed a diverse range of scoring skills in earning her trio. First, she slotted one home comfortably from the top of the 18 to finish off a Lyon counter before the break. On the other side of the rest period, she showed her in-the-box threat, first finishing a quick reaction opportunity inside the six off a failed clearance, then nodding home on a back post cross to complete the triple.

Jonathan Tah And Bayer Leverkusen Put On A Defensive Masterclass

Footie media analyst Media Watch has made a tradition of laughing at journalists’ teams of the weeks which cram as many goal scorers onto the page as possible, even across the backline where it is often not the best indicator of impact. It takes a special defensive performance to stand out enough for notice sometimes, and Jonathan Tah made sure there was no overlooking him and Bayer Leverkusen this week. In a must-win game against Bundesliga table toppers Bayern Munich, Tah and company completely shut down any and all offense by the German giants, allowing just 2 shots for .05 xG all game. Unfortunately, wasteful finishing on the other end saw the game end 0-0, and a crucial chance to cut into Bayern’s lead and keep Leverkusen’s title defense alive fell by the wayside.

Pascal Struijk Shows The Non-Exception To The Rule Can Be Great, Too

Highlighting a center back for their goal scoring exploits may seem a touch hypocritical in light of the prior entry. But also, how do you not call attention to Pascal Struijk for Leeds United this week? A defender coming on for a midfielder is not often the kind of move you expect to jumpstart a team in need of a goal, but down 1-0 in a crucial match with Championship promotion implications, it’s what Leeds got. Struijk was a terror in the air for United first scoring off a free kick from the left channel to level the game before netting the winner in the fifth minute of added time following a scrambling, shambling series of attempted to crosses by Leeds as they pressed for the winner the Dutchman provided.

Who Was Overlooked? – Antony (Real Betis)

Anytime a player has reached meme status for all the wrong reasons, it’s easy to be dismissive of a short-term change of fortunes. When a player notches their third-straight game with a goal — this time with an assist to boot — it’s hard to deny he had a pretty good show of it. Throw in a goal in Betis’ first game of the week, and it was a three-contribution week for the on-loan winger. Whether Antony’s resurgence at Real Betis will ultimately be proven to be a simple purple patch, a sign that his game is better suited to a less-deep league like La Liga, or the first signs of a career resurgence is still to be seen. But whatever the long-term verdict is, the short-term play deserved a spot on this team.

Another outstanding week of performances for fans to enjoy is in the books. Who was your standout player this week and who do you think should have had a place on the team but got snubbed?