Same thing happens to me. Manager mode is total trash. It’s bad enough that the Manager Mode match simulations don’t resemble actual football, but the fact that the controls do NOTHING is the real kicker. Can’t decide if it’s more disrespectful to us or to the game we love.
And when you watch how dumb the Manager Mode simulations are it helps explain why H2H sucks so badly because it’s the same idiotic AI that you have to arm wrestle when you encounter the inevitable H2H lag.
The bottom line is that EA has lost its way. There’s no longer any pride in the old “if it’s in the game, it’s in the game” motto. To my eyes FC Mobile isn’t even attempting to offer fun football matchplay. It’s all set up around collecting cards (because that’s where EA makes their money) and the actual gaming experience is a total afterthought.