In the quest to make it "realistic", they've made it "unrealistic". https://www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-fc/fc-mobile/news/fc-mobile-26-update-gameplay
The gameplay deepdives actually state(in terms of speed) a penalty per touch, in order for defenders to catch-up. However, the math isn't right from theory to execution.
Example: My league mates and I try comparing experiences with friendlies, and try for yourself - maxed out stats and OVR Bale(Captains)/Jairzinho(FV)/Alowairan(LE) versus the slowest, no-stats defender. Matches speed even on bronze cards unless there's around a player distance worth of gap for a breakaway.
After 10years from OG Fifa Mobile, they still haven't been able to figure things out lol.