EA, you built a game where playing real football gets punished.

Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m writing this, because every content creator has been saying the same thing for months. Everyone sees it. Everyone feels it. Everyone repeats it. And the gameplay still rewards the exact same disgusting loop: sit in a bunker, let AI do the defending, counter with 4 sprinters, repeat.

This isn’t “meta” anymore like some trend. It’s a system EA engineered and then trained the entire community to abuse.

What the game actually rewards (in real matches):

Opponent drops into a low block around 16–18 meters, two CDMs on stay back, fullbacks on defend, GK glued to the line.
Manual defending? Barely exists. They just run around with one player (usually a pacey CDM/CB) and “cover the map” while the rest is autopilot: AI closes passing lanes, second-man press, constant blocks, instant shape reset.
Attacking? Max 3–4 players forward. Two or three passes on my half, one through ball behind the line, goal. Sometimes they don’t even need to leave their own box properly.

And then there’s me. I try to play anti-meta: build up, rotate, find gaps, progressive football. Result? 150–250 passes, 65–70% possession and basically zero reward. Because this gameplay is designed to punish anyone who tries to actually create.

First touch = 3–4 defenders collapse on you like magnets
Turn = demon press + tackle spam
Shot = last-millisecond block
Pass = “magic” interception because lanes are sealed like a scripted animation

Without PlayStyles you’re not even playing the same game

Here’s the clown part: without the “right” PlayStyles your players can’t deliver a simple 10-meter pass consistently. That’s not “skill gap”, that’s EA hardcoding which cards are allowed to function. If your squad doesn’t have the correct tags, you’re basically watching your own team fail basic football on command.

EA literally created a 4-5-1 / 4-4-2 rat community — and it’s not fixable anymore

And the real question: is this system actually fun?
Because I tried it once. I ran the “safe” meta setup in Rivals just to see what it’s about. And I’m not exaggerating: it was ping-pong, not football.

I recovered the ball constantly. Everything felt “secure”. No risk. No thought. Just bounce-bounce-bounce.
But I can’t play like that. I don’t want to. I play progressive build-up, I want to craft a moment, create a real shot window. And that’s the part I genuinely don’t understand:

Why can’t I even reach the moment where I’m allowed to take a shot?

“Just shoot from distance” — sure. It’s 100% a deflection to a corner

Yeah, I could spam long shots. Except against this bunker defending it’s always a deflection to a corner because there’s a wall of bodies and the block system is ridiculous.
And please tell me: in real football, is every single long shot automatically blocked and turned into a corner? No. That’s not how the sport works. In this game it’s the default outcome.

The biggest joke: Fantasy mode / events where long shots count double

EA literally runs events where long shots count x2. Great idea… if your own gameplay didn’t make long shots nearly impossible to set up against the current low block meta.

Try to:

survive the press long enough to take a clean first touch
find a shooting lane that doesn’t get teleported into
not get instantly smothered by 2–3 players
and then beat a GK who saves everything because you’re shooting under pressure with no space

The game screams “score long shots for x2!”
The gameplay responds: “good luck even swinging your leg.”

Now I understand why pros get squad restrictions

After trying one match with a full top-overall team, I finally got it: the game becomes so fast it feels like you need actual stimulants to process it. The ball speed, the recoveries, the transitions — it’s just pure arcade chaos. And it makes perfect sense why pros need squad requirements/limitations, because without them even the pros would get cooked and 15–0 would be reserved only for the biggest 4-5-1 rats who live inside this system 24/7.

Did I run into those people? Yes.
Did I quit? No.
Did I enjoy it? No.
I was genuinely horrified that humans like this exist and that they call this “football.”

The core problem

This game teaches people that coward football = skill.
Sit in a bunker, let AI defend, farm blocks, recover the ball with press assist, counter with 4 speed demons, win 2–1 and think you’re elite. Meanwhile anyone trying to build, create, and play actual football gets punished instantly for even attempting it.

EA, if this game has any future outside of toxic exploit culture, you need to stop rewarding low block autopilot, demon press, and 4-man counter spam.
Because right now it’s not a football simulator.
It’s a bunker + block + ping-pong frustration simulator.

Anyone else still trying to play “football”, or did everyone fully convert to the meta bunker?

#EAFC #FixTheGame #LowBlockMeta #FantasyFC #EASports