Defending in this game is an absolute joke

100% agree. Absurd as this will sound, I’ve actually stopped trying to win the ball directly in H2H matches. I turned off the auto-select function in defense (because it does far more harm than good) and I select a defender off the ball to try and close down passing lanes while allowing the AI to control the defender closest to the ball. And even though it’s not perfect, the AI is far better at winning the ball for me (either with a tackle or by forcing a bad pass) than when I try an unassisted tackle. It’s ridiculous that the poor game mechanics make this a sensible strategy, but that’s the sad state of FC Mobile (and EA more generally it would appear).

So, yeah, you’re dead right when you ask whether they know the difference between “realistic football” and a broken game. The answer is most definitely “no, they don’t.” They seem more intent on running FC Mobile as a football-themed slot machine where you try to win player cards. And they appear to have lost all pride and interest in producing an “if it’s in the game, it’s in the game” footballing experience. I’m old enough to have played the very earliest versions of “FIFA” (back when EA set the standard for modern sports video games), and it’s downright sad to see what they’ve become. Sad, and also a real disrespect to the billions of us who love football.

Better choosing the auto joystick but always make the direction of the defender to the attacker (change the color into white under player, that makes the attacker get pressed and followed every time, that make him loose the ball, and the worst thing in defending is pressing the second defender (2 def), that's make the attacker get a big zone to dribble and shoot and pass

What they did to the gameplay it's absolute rubbish. Nothing makes sense anymore. I am speechless. I wonder if someone at EA actually play this game. If they have an update for mid September I don't understand why they bother to change the gameplay.  I just think they are trying to boost the new players so people buy the 4k shards players. Can't wait to see what they will do with the update and delete the account. 

My Experience:

I faced a friend in H2H recently. What you said about the defense is absolutely true, and I find it disgusting that EA is trying to force us to believe they've created a very realistic game. Very absurd and disgusting! 

The defenders feel like they are forced to not make contact with the opponent when defending. No physical contact! 

To make matter even insane, the CBs purposely open defense line for the opponents. Very very common when using 5-back defenders formation.

Yeah, the AI defending off the ball is really poor. That’s why I typically pick a midfielder and use him deny the penetrating through ball (leaving the AI to defend the ball).

To be fair, EA did have a problem previously with defenders flying in like heat-seeking missiles and consistently winning the ball in scenarios that looked nothing like real football (and that gave the team in possession no chance to react due to ever-present lag. The problem now is, as you noted, there seems to be a force field around attackers that makes it very difficult to get close to them (let alone win the ball). As usual, EA doesn’t seem to have the resources or wherewithal to get things right.

if you ask me, all you have to do is watch a Manager Mode match—i.e., a pure simulation—to see how screwed up the underlying code is. EA keeps tinkering around the edges in their updates, but the game will remain deeply flawed until they overhaul the engine.