FIFA 17 Ultimate Team: Paul Pogba, Marcos Alonso Named in Team of the Week 49

A Premier League-inspired Team of the Week 49 awaits FIFA 17 Ultimate Team players on Wednesday after EA Sports announced Paul Pogba, Riyad Mahrez and Marcos Alonso will headline the latest batch of in-forms.

Pogba scored in Manchester United's 4-0 rout of Swansea City on Sunday to continue his fine start to the campaign, while Alonso's brace at Wembley Stadium helped Chelsea to a 2-1 win over derby rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Serie A also has its share of stars in the latest Team of the Week, however, and a lethal-looking Mauro Icardi upgrade joins Pogba as the only other 90-plus-rated player in the lineup.

EA Sports announced Team of the Week 49 on Wednesday:

Read on for a look at FUT Team of the Week 49 in full, complete with discussion of the best new in-form cards set for release.

Starting XI

Position: GK. Keylor Navas, Real Madrid, Costa Rica. New Rating: 87

Position: LWB. Marcos Alonso, Chelsea, Spain. New Rating: 86

Position: LB. Aleksandar Kolarov, AS Roma, Serbia. New Rating: 83

Position: CB. Naldo, Schalke, Brazil. New Rating: 85

Position: CDM. Paul Pogba, Manchester United, France. New Rating: 93

Position: CM. Adrien Rabiot, Paris Saint-Germain, France. New Rating: 83

Position: CM. Hakim Ziyech, Ajax, Morocco. New Rating: 87

Position: RM. Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City, Morocco. New Rating: 88

Position: ST. Vincent Aboubakar, Porto, Cameroon. New Rating: 87

Position: ST. Mauro Icardi, Inter Milan, Argentina. New Rating: 90

Position: ST. Jonas, Benfica, Brazil. New Rating: 89

Substitutes

Position: GK. Ivan Cuellar, Leganes, Spain. New Rating: 84

Position: RB. Nico Elvedi, Borussia Monchengladbach, Switzerland. New Rating: 80

Position: RB. Graham Zusi, Sporting Kansas City, United States. New Rating: 74

Position: RM. Mathew Leckie, Hertha Berlin, Australia. New Rating: 74

Position: CM. Conor Hourihane, Barnsley, Republic of Ireland. New Rating: 73

Position: ST. Kurtis Byrne, Bohemian FC, Republic of Ireland. New Rating: 70

Position: ST. Cristhian Stuani, Girona, Uruguay. New Rating: 74

Reserves

Position: CAM. Pablo Batalla, Bursaspor, Argentina. New Rating: 83

Position: RM. Malcom, Bordeaux, Brazil. New Rating: 81

Position: CM. Franck Kessie, AC Milan, Ivory Coast. New Rating: 81

Position: ST. Gokdeniz Karadeniz, Rubin Kazan, Russia. New Rating: 81

Position: ST. Victor Ibarbo, Sagan Tosu, Colombia. New Rating: 81

Paul Pogba, Manchester United

Swansea were the latest team to fall victim to United's staying power after conceding three times in the final 10 minutes of their clash to lose 4-0, a period in which Pogba illustrated his stamina and class among his peers.

The Frenchman finished with a goal and assist to his name and has been rewarded with an even more superbly rounded card with 93 overall rating. Sky Sports' Pete Hall praised his sublimely chipped finish in south Wales:

It was international team-mate Anthony Martial whom Pogba later set up for a fourth goal in the Swansea meeting, and so impressive was the latter's display that his compatriot doesn't see a Ballon d'Or as being far off:

Such is the kind of form Pogba has started to illustrate alongside summer signing Nemanja Matic at the start of this season, and his new card sees him shift into central defensive midfield.

A base stat pace rating of 82 is the only noticeable weakness, while 96-rated dribbling and 95 base passing stand out as the picks of the bunch and his shooting receives a two-point boost to 91. 

Mauro Icardi, Inter Milan

Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi shouldered the pressures of his team and started the Serie A season with a boom after netting twice in a 3-0 drubbing of Fiorentina.

The scoreline may suggest it was one-way traffic at the San Siro last Sunday, but La Viola were very admirable in their fight, and it was more the brilliance of Icardi & Co. that stood out above all.

Netting twice in the opening quarter of that game ensured Icardi started this season as he intends to go on, and Squawka nodded to his outrageously active attacking record in recent years:

The Argentina international has passed the hallowed 90-rating mark in a card that isn't Team of the Year, and his new in-form's base shooting stat of 93 is only five points lower than the equivalent on his TOTY edition.

Icardi's base stats in dribbling, passing and defending have all received increases of two this week, and Serie A players or those with Argentinian influence in their teams have another reliable finishing product to target.

Marcos Alonso, Chelsea

While summer signing Alvaro Morata wasn't able to make the desired impact against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Sunday, multi-talented Alonso took matters into his own hands.

If EA Sports haven't finished judging players' stats prior to the next game's release, they'll want to ensure Alonso's free-kick rating is high enough after he sunk a sumptuous dead-ball opener at Wembley, via Sky Sports Statto:

The Spaniard then darted in behind the Spurs defence to add a second to his record on the evening, and WhoScored.com handed Alonso the highest rating of any player in their Premier League Team of the Week:

Having arrived as a left-back from Fiorentina, the defender has grown into much more at Stamford Bridge, evidenced by the fact his lowest base stat is an impressive 84, the rating of both his pace and defence.

Everything else is up from there, including highlights in his 88 dribbling and physical—which make him a terror running down the flanks—and a card Premier League managers will be striving to get their hands on.