FIFA 23: TOTS nominees list shows EA is utterly clueless

The hotly anticipated Team of the Season (TOTS) campaign is almost upon us and FUT 23 players are getting their clubs prepped for the big event.

The hype for the biggest promo of the year is building, with the TOTS Warmup Series taking over Ultimate Team in the coming days.

Alongside the introduction of the Warmup Series, EA is beginning to reveal the lists of FIFA 23 Team of the Season nominees.

So far, only the Community and Premier League TOTS nominees have been revealed and there are already some shocking inclusions and exclusions.

FIFA and football online forums were sent into a meltdown after EA announced the official PL Team of the Season shortlist and for good reason.

We're taking a look at some of the most bizarre selections and unfair exclusions from the TOTS nominees lists so far.

Strange Selections

First of all, let's take a look at the most left-field sections from the Premier League Team of the Season nominees list.

When looking at the PL shortlist, the names Kai Havertz and Darwin Nunez instantly jump out at you.

The pair have produced in moments this season, but are two of the most frustrating and inconsistent forwards in the English top flight.

Havertz and Nunez both have a tendency to look clunky on the ball, and their underlying stats for the 2022/23 campaign aren't great either.

Tottenham's torrid season has stemmed from a lack of quality in their midfield and defence. So, selecting two Spurs centre-mids is almost laughable.

Whilst both Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are good players, there is absolutely no way the pair should even be considered for a place in the Premier League TOTS.

How Chelsea 'keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga made the shortlist ahead of the likes of fellow Spniards David Raya and David de Gea we will never know.

Unfair Exclusions

Manchester United GK David de Gea isn't the only Red Devil that hasn't made the Premier League nominees list. Bruno Fernandes is another.

Despite his occasional unpopular on-field antics, the Portuguese playmaker has been top-class this season under Erik ten Hag, producing five goals and six assists from midfield.

Strikers Ivan Toney and Aleksandar Mitrovic more than deserved a spot on the PL shortlist. Toney has 18 goals to his name while Mitrovic has 11.

Their places were undeservedly taken by Havertz and Nunez.

Manchester City fans feel hard done by too and rightfully so.

Arguably the best defensive player in Europe right now, John Stones is nowhere to be seen. The same goes for Dutch left-back Nathan Ake.

The City defensive duo have been nothing short of exceptional this season and you could argue their case for a place in the starting XI, let alone just on the shortlist.

Gutted Gooners

As the league leaders for the majority of the 2022/23 season, we would have expected several Arsenal players to make the nominees list.

However, a few of the Gunners' and the PL's most impressive players throughout the campaign have been omitted from the shortlist.

Granit Xhaka is the most notable of the Arsenal contingency to be left out.

The Swiss centre-mid has developed into one of the best box-to-box midfielders in Europe and his exclusion from the nominees' list is nothing short of scandalous.

Fellow midfielder Thomas Partey can also feel aggrieved to have missed out.

English right-back Ben White has been brilliantly consistent this season too and at least deserved a place on the Community squad shortlist.