Defensive Gameplay Is Ruining the Competitive Experience

I’ve been playing at Elite Division level for several years, and I can honestly say that the current defensive gameplay is incredibly frustrating.

You keep trying to make players “smarter,” but somehow they end up defending like headless chickens. Defensive AI positioning is unreliable, players fail to track attackers properly, and defending feels worse than ever.

I’m a player who has always considered defending my strongest skill, and for years I’ve been rewarded for it. Now, I can’t even defend one-on-one properly because my players struggle to apply physical pressure, win duels, and make clean tackles. Getting the ball back feels like I need two-step verification every single time.

The most frustrating part is that I’m now struggling to get past Division 5 because of these defensive changes. After spending years playing at Elite Division level, going from that level of competition to struggling in Division 5 is ridiculous. It feels like the game is no longer rewarding my defensive skills, positioning, and ability to read the game.

Defending should reward timing, positioning, anticipation, and skill — not force players to fight against their own AI and unresponsive defenders.

And honestly, this has become a recurring problem with every new release: the game launches with major gameplay issues, and they only seem to get addressed toward the end of the game’s life cycle.

Please take this feedback seriously and make meaningful improvements to defensive AI, player responsiveness, physical challenges, and tackling. I hope you fix these issues sooner rather than later, because until then, I’m done playing.

I’m a longtime competitive player, and I’m tired of seeing the same problems every year. Fix the defending and give us a game where skill actually matters.