Online matches are ridiculously too difficult

If a game always hands you higher odds of losing than winning it becomes toxic and negates the purpose of playing it. It doesn't have to be this way if they implement what all other games in the world have and that is dropping and rising in divisions based on your skill level. This will reduce the amount of match losses and people will be less frustrated and enraged. 

@wassimabdul There are many things that I (or many people in this thread) consider problematic.

It would be unfair to say that every game is tilted in opponent's favor, especially when it is not the case.

But, when game is obviously tilted in my favor, I don't feel good as well. What is the purpose of winning that way?! 

Recently in Rivals match, I was trailing 3:0 and it was unplayable: my players are moving as if their shoes were made of concrete, took ages before responding to commands, and I could forget about any skill move because they were not happening. And then, suddenly, 180 degrees turn, not only that my players were responsive and fast, every single shot I made was a goal. Game ended 7:3 in my favor, and me messaging the opponent how unreal all ended up. So, yes, even winning doesn't feel good when it is a product of mumbo-jumbo tilting the odds in my favor.

I could find a justification why EA built gameplay like that, also EA might had good intentions on their mind, but the result is something I don't agree with.Also, those mumbo-jumbo things created very toxic environment.

Let's compare this with real life when you go to the playground to play football:

1. People are playing on your level and very respectful -> you will continue playing with them
2. People play like idiots - you will not play with them any more
3. People are much better than you - you will ask them if it is OK for you to play and let them know that you are not on their level
4. People are not even closely good as you - you will play on their level or a bit above their level so they will want to play with you again

If you are not professional: winning and losing is just the result of the game. For amateurs, playing the game and experience is more important.

It’s not the gameplay is too difficult it’s the players don’t do what you ask, one defender always running back playing people onside for no reason, try to move your player and the games trying to force them somewhere else, player switch is broken even more so this year than last, goalkeepers standing off their line watching balls just go past them into the net, tackling means nothing since the ball just always goes back to your opponent, I’ve even been flagged offside in my own half, switch a player and the one you switched from follows the one you switched to, goalkeeper has the ball in his hands so what does he do he throws it out for a corner, so much wrong with this game and ea just ignores any mention of it and you get told it must be your connection 

@StuBoy1984 wrote:

It’s not the gameplay is too difficult it’s the players don’t do what you ask, one defender always running back playing people onside for no reason, try to move your player and the games trying to force them somewhere else, player switch is broken even more so this year than last, goalkeepers standing off their line watching balls just go past them into the net, tackling means nothing since the ball just always goes back to your opponent, I’ve even been flagged offside in my own half, switch a player and the one you switched from follows the one you switched to, goalkeeper has the ball in his hands so what does he do he throws it out for a corner, so much wrong with this game and ea just ignores any mention of it and you get told it must be your connection 

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@StuBoy1984 Many, many years ago, when consoles didn't exist, universal excuse was PC configuration. These days, when players mostly play on consoles, that argument just can't fly.

One of the nice people ( @RadioShaqs ) on these forums suggested me to turn on virtual controller to see the delay between my system and servers.

And although delay does exist at times (not a big one though), I realized is that it is NOT my connection as EA server registered input, but player didn't react according to input. IMHO, that proves that (at least in my case) it is not due to connection.

If you want to make sure it is not your connection, go to Settings/Game Settings/Visual/Input Overlay and select option to show both your input and server response.

PS

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that a defender who is running back to allow offensive players to be onside only "shows" in online matches. So, the same team, same tactics, two different behaviors.

PPS

Switching with right stick - that doesn't work as you need to start switching so early and it feels like the system doesn't let you to select that player, so it takes 4-5 and sometimes more right stick pushes to get to the player.

I will pay more attention to it, and try different things to prevent it. I'll post if I find a "cure". :-)
 

20 out of 20 games in division 1 and all of them losses. I'm enjoying this game a lot.

Glad it's not just my son and I who have noticed how much more difficult (and a slog) Rivals matches have become, recently. I suspect that several of the opponents we've faced are AI. On Sunday, I was 50mins into a Rivals match when the green EA FC triangle started turning, signalling that there was a connection issue. Usually, against a human opponent, the game will end there and then, but this time, while the triangle turned, the match played on as normal until the 75th min, when it disconnected. I could go through individual cards, such as our 97 GK Martinez, who over the weekend has started performing like a 60 bronze, or 97 Mbappe who now runs like he's towing a 40 tonne truck, but those issues have been well documented all season.