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.