Match making

Hi e1fnmpfdv92b​ 

It’s not your controller, and it’s probably not your skill either. Let me guess — the first few weeks everything felt fine, right? That was the honeymoon period. And it's not only the match making that is designed to make you suffer it is the gameplay itself.

Now ask yourself:

• Do your players suddenly feel heavy and unresponsive?
• Do opponents seem much faster and sharper than your team?
• Does your AI feel completely switched off both defensively and offensively?
• Are your attackers no longer making runs?
• Are defenders no longer tracking properly?
• And how does tackling compare to those first few weeks?

Because a huge number of players describe exactly the same experience.

It has also already been confirmed on these forums that even if you are in Division 3 or 4, you can still get matched against Division 1 players. As for Champs, I honestly think a lot of people stopped playing because they went through the same experience you are describing now. And yes you can defiantly be matched against few demons but for me most of the time is the gameplay itself that suddenly changed to unplayable.

Personally, I don’t think this game consistently rewards improving your own skill level, because the AI can overpower or undermine human input whenever it wants. Some matches your team moves perfectly, other matches it feels like you are fighting both the opponent and your own AI.

Also, what buttons are you using to defend? Describe your defending style and I’ll tell you which mechanics are currently overpowered and which ones are basically useless.

Somehow, after 3 decades of technological advancement, EA managed to make their game much worse than it was when we would buy it on a disc and played it as is. Go figure.

SpartanLogan23​ 

Thank you for the reply. Honestly, this sounds very close to the truth. Everything you said is accurate and matches my experience perfectly.

I defend progressively. In midfield on the opponent’s side I usually control my CAM or LM/RM. When the opponent gets closer, I switch to my CMs and defend with jockeying without overcommitting. If I get beaten or concede space, then I switch to my back line and only step in when I’m confident I can win the ball.

When the opponent starts left-stick dribbling around the edge of the box, I turn on AI press.

Hi 

Sounds like you’re already doing most things right. A few extra things I would suggest:

1. Use the offside trap occasionally. On the D-pad press up twice — this pushes your whole team forward. And this tactic is not only very good to get you opponent offside. Also, it’s very useful when opponents keep passing backwards because it helps close the space quickly. Just don’t abuse it, because it’s risky and can leave you exposed if timed badly. When used correctly though, it can give you a huge advantage. It’s also very effective against kick-off goals, so definitely try it. 
2. Team Press is another strong one (D-pad up + left). The downside is that it drains stamina very quickly, so again, don’t overuse it.
3. Another defensive mechanic is double tapping and hold R1. This makes 3rd defender commit to pressing and covering runs. Timing is extremely important with this one though, because if you trigger it at the wrong moment, you can open massive spaces for your opponent to exploit.
4. And lastly, use X instead of Square to win the ball back (this year the football tackling has been massively nerfed or it's actually broken). Honestly, X tackling is by far the strongest tackling mechanic in the game right now. If your defenders also have the Bruiser playstyle, it becomes even more overpowered.

easy one this, you win when EA says and you lose when EA says. 👊 no problem.

Your first reply I went through your checklist and yes I experience all of those issues, I’m definitely going to apply some of these tips so thank you !

I wanted to ask, is it normal that when I hold X to press the attacker, my defender starts jockeying backwards as soon as he gets close enough to tackle, like he forgot he left his oven on the moment before challenging and tracks back?

First of all, that’s one hell of a question Bro!

And yes this happens too me and others very often too, they very often forget they left the oven on (LOL) but if it's intended behavior or a broken mechanics I still don't know.

What I think is happening is this:

The mechanic itself appears to be context-sensitive and heavily animation-driven. If the game decides that:

• you are not close enough,
• the angle is wrong,
• momentum is against you,
• server delay is present,
• or the attacker has strong dribbling/shield animations,

then instead of triggering the physical shoulder challenge animation, the defender seems to fall back into a softer “contain/jockey tracking” state. EA pls help us understand this better: is this correct behavior or is it an error?

For me and you and many others at the moment that is exactly why the mechanic feels so inconsistent.

And honestly, I do think there may be a partially broken interaction within the current system, because many players report:

• defenders refusing to engage physically,
• X turning into “sticky shadow defending,”
• shoulder challenges not triggering consistently,
• or defenders simply running next to attackers without actually contesting the ball. (This one is the most annoying and suggest that something is broken)

The game often seems to default into passive tracking animations instead of committing to the physical challenge animation described in the settings menu, and this happens regardless of internet connection, I have 10 ms ping in most of my matches.

The important thing is that people are not imagining the difference. You can play one match and clearly experience the X shoulder challenge mechanic constantly falling into that strange shadow-jockey state instead of triggering proper physical engagement. Then, in that very same match, you can suddenly watch opponents go through your players like a hot knife through butter. That level of inconsistency feels unfair and, honestly, very suspicious.

Again, there could be many explanations for this:

• some players are simply better than others,
• players may be using different defending settings,
• perhaps Tactical Defending is stronger against Advanced Defending in certain situations (or vice versa),
• or the game itself decides which defensive action is triggered based on various hidden factors.

The problem is that the behaviour often feels extremely inconsistent and, at times, simply broken.

The actual in-game behaviour does not always match the description shown in the settings, particularly in online gameplay.

That is also why many players describe defending as feeling “automated but weak” at the same time:

• the AI tracks movement,
• but the physical engagement itself frequently fails to trigger properly.

You can especially notice this when:

• gameplay feels heavy, despite excellent internet connection
• or attackers spam left-stick dribbling.

According to the description (see below), pressing Square should attempt a stand tackle. However, 90% of the time the tackling feels completely off, regardless of distance, angle, player stats, or attributes. Honestly, it often feels like none of those factors matter, because the mechanic simply does not work as intended, in my opinion.

Pressing X is supposed to trigger a shoulder challenge or a seal-out. Instead, defenders very often just enter that strange “shadow-jockey” state, which is not what the in-game description says should happen.

The description clearly states:

“Advanced Defending gives you the freedom to choose your tackle type. Press □ to attempt a stand tackle. Press ✕ to attempt a shoulder challenge or a seal-out.”

But the actual gameplay behaviour frequently feels very different from what is being described.

I would genuinely appreciate some engagement from EA Sports in discussions like this, so the community can at least understand what is intended behaviour and what may not be working correctly. At the moment, many of us are left guessing because the mechanics do not always behave as described in-game.

Also, I appreciate your engagement in this discussion and the way you are asking questions and gathering feedback. Well done, Bro!