Most major football leagues around the world are reaching their ends, with the two biggest still in the thick of title races. Liverpool have edged ahead with scintillating form in the Premier League despite all expectations at the start of the season, and Atletico Madrid are likewise in a surprising lead in La Liga over Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Things are slightly different in FIFA 14, though: teams like Liverpool may be playing very well in the real world, but there's still a ceiling to certain players' ratings and attributes in EA's game that prevent the teams from being the most effective squads when competing against another player or the AI.
Liverpool's attackers have very high ratings, for example (as they should), but there are some lowly-rated players who make a huge difference when it comes down to it in FIFA 14. This may bother some who feel the team's performance in real life deserves a place in the rankings, but (while I take that into account), the primary basis for this list is how good the squad is to play as in the latest FIFA 14 update.
That said, EA's Matchday feature updates squads based on real-life results, which has significantly changed some teams and lead to several rises and falls on my list. The top 5 ranking from earlier in the year can be found herey--check it out to see who made the cut back then so you can compare.
Things were different in most leagues around the world back in February, so which teams are the best in FIFA 14 now, at the climax of the season? Here is my current top 5:
1. Real Madrid C.F.
I could have kept Manchester City on this list, arguably above Chelsea as well, but it's Atletico who claim the last spot. The team has been a real force under former player Diego Simeone and stacking the lineups against one another, Atletico's great form helps edge them past City. Diego Costa is playing like a man possessed this season with his goal-scoring in top gear, and I'm surprised he's not higher than an 85 in FIFA 14 right now.
Chelsea's on-loan goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been one of the best in the world this year at just 21 years old, and has risen to an 86 in the latest update, beating Joe Hart's 82 rating by a good margin. Atletico's resolute midfield and back four get Atletico into my top five, and they have a great chance to go on and win La Liga this year.
