Part Three
This afternoon (November 22nd), I did the "Skill Games," specifically the defending drills. One is called "Tackling & Clearing" (4th menu option). In this drill, you control one CB alone on half the pitch, no goalkeeper. It was here I discovered the fundamental reason why FC26's defending is so widely criticized!
Let's borrow a basketball防守 concept for easier understanding through text. In the NBA before Adam Silver, defenders would spread their arms, facing the attacker like a net – think Gary Payton. Imagine Payton with outstretched arms forming the base of an isosceles triangle, enveloping the attacker within a 180-degree frontal range.
So, simply put: The defender moves left/right along the triangle's base, facing the attacker. The attacker is at the triangle's apex, primarily moving along the two equal sides. In the drill, I discovered the real reason SMs hard-counter/ignore defenders! The AI attacker moved medium speed to the left (along the left side); I held L2 to follow. Then the AI did an SM I don't know the name of – a turn plus ball knock – ending up with his back to me, roughly back at the apex position (i.e., turned and moved about 1 meter right), while I controlled my CB (Argentina's Romero) to shuffle laterally along the triangle's base (I didn't press, tackle, or even touch him). Then, guess what SM the AI chained next? He did a Fake Shot + directional turn sprint, instantly accelerating towards my CB's right side. Recognizing the startup animation, I immediately held L2+R2, moved right, and pressed the Tackle button (remapped). The result? My Romero just took a step to the right – lifted his right leg and placed it down beside him... and watched helplessly as the AI dribbled past easily and scored.
According to previous defending logic, I read the timing correctly, the direction correctly, and the defender was an experienced, top-tier CB like Romero. Why would he just idiotically lift his foot and pose? Shouldn't he instantly react, automatically stick close to the attacker, and attempt a tackle or disrupt the dribble? Why no auto-follow now? No close marking? Before, holding the Tackle button meant the CB would persistently press and attempt to win the ball. Hold it too long without success, and he might commit a foul and give away a penalty. Anyone who played FIFA for years knows this logic.
But now? Now the defending philosophy is "Fully Manual"! EA, do you think we're all super-AIs? Capable of micromanaging every single movement of every player? Keep this up, and by FC30, will I need to manually control each of my player's toes to make a successful tackle? Am I playing QWOP?
As I said, my CB didn't make a mistake – no reckless lunge, no ineffective press. I was just shuffling laterally along the base of that isosceles triangle, cutting passing lanes. The attacker first dribbled down the left side from the apex, used an SM to instantly turn right when blocked, dribbled back near the apex (my CB wasn't tight on him), then chained a second Fake Shot (while facing away from goal – so fake, obvious immediately) which incorporated a small shimmy and directional sprint SM, racing down the right side of the triangle into the box to score. My CB Romero, as he initiated the fake shot, I moved the stick right and held Sprint. But when I pressed "Tackle," Romero just did that "leg lift and step," making no attempt to intercept. Anyone who knows basic geometry knows the base of a triangle is shorter than the sum of the other two sides. So, my CB, covering less distance and having positional advantage (the attacker's destination was behind me, he had to pass through my zone), was still instantly beaten for pace, with none of the old assisted tackling making the CB stick close and disrupt the attacker's balance. Just that useless step to the right (Tackle button)...
